Ashley Clayton, M.A., is a Research Associate at Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry where she coordinates The Connect Study. Trained in community psychology, Ashley has developed and evaluated various community-based mental health interventions. Ashley ventured into the field of community psychology through a determination to use her first-hand experience with mental illness for good and her dedication to social justice. Ashley has extensive training in qualitative and quantitative research, with particular expertise in community-based participatory research, questionnaire development, and stigma. She has published numerous research papers on the social inclusion of individuals living with severe mental illness, citizenship, recovery-oriented and person-centered care, and healthcare narratives and essays. She is the Visual Arts Editor of The Perch, an arts & literary journal published by Yale’s Program for Recovery & Community Health (PRCH).