Hey, I’m Gina
I am a therapist, author, advocate, and coach passionate about the human condition. I seek any avenue with my clients that leads to a feeling of deeper connectedness with themselves and others.
Before writing my book, Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go, I saw a huge a huge, gaping hole for grief literacy and coaching. Meanwhile, people every day are experiencing loss and rolling through grief, not having any clue what to do or who to turn to.
I want that to end now.
I want you to have the support you need to not only work through your grief, but that have the compassionate support required to move on without letting go.
Are you in?
my APPROACH to coaching
I know it’s not easy to even start the search for someone to help you through your hardest times, so I appreciate the time you’re taking to be here with me right now.
I treat individuals going through loss and grief, as well as life transitions of all kinds. I strive to provide hope, encouragement, occasional humor, and steadfast support as you navigate life's challenges and tragedies that have been put in your path. Even if the pain of your experience has no timeline or certain trajectory, I believe there is a need for a sense of agency during a time in one’s life that feels intolerable— specialized grief-informed therapy can help with this.
I imagine you want to feel like you are “ok”, but you've lost your sense of balance and certainty in this world. Maybe you're going through a major life transition, like ending a relationship, moving to a new city, or starting a new career. Maybe you are trying to decide what's next for you after a series of difficult endings.
Even the most welcome of changes come with their share of challenges, or maybe you find yourself in the same old patterns ending up in the same old place over and over without a clear idea of how to make lasting changes. I want to help you make the changes in yourself and in your life so that you feel more steady, more focused, and better able to manage each challenge you face.
Meditation and mindfulness, for the cultivation of steadiness, presence, and insight, has been an essential part of my own life and daily practice for over 15 years. I have a keen interest in the intersections between psychotherapy and spirituality, and the gifts that each of these fields can offer each other (and to my clients).
I truly admire your willingness to embark on the courageous journey toward transformation and healing, and am honored to stand beside you in your quest for meaning, happiness and a life that feels fulfilling as you move forward.
areas of EXPERTISE
grief COACHING
Losing someone we love is never something we will "get over." It's life-changing and, some might say, life-shattering.
While I wish I could provide miraculous healing, a quick fix, or a way to make the pain lessen on a time-line, no one can.
What I can do is help you bring structure to a non-sensical situation, help you pick up some of the pieces that have been shattered, and help you honor the relationship with the person who is now gone.
I want to gently guide you in the direction of finding purpose and meaning in life again.
The most important thing to me is for you to feel held, seen, and witnessed during this painful time in your life.
media CONSULTING
While I love helping people 1-1, I’m incredibly passionate about helping larger communities learn about grief literacy and provide tools so more people can get the support they need.
We are experiencing loss every day.
Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a friendship, a pet, a dream, or a career, the loss and grief we are feeling is very real.
But most people are too uncomfortable to talk about it.
I want to partner with you to make talking about grief as common as experiencing grief. I want to make the tools needed to navigate loss more available. I want to remove the gatekeeping and provide more people with the ability to fully experience their loss with adequate, compassionate support.
Will you help me get the word out?
my TRAINING
I’m an LCSW licensed in the State of New York.
I received my Masters in Social Work from New York University in 2004.
In 2005, I received certification in Trauma Studies from New York University's International Trauma Studies Program.
In the 18+ years since I have been a practicing licensed clinical social worker, I have traveled to Africa to advocate for women's health and education, worked with Holocaust Survivors at a major Manhattan Institution, and have trained counselors on trauma-informed care when working with substance use disorder, as well as eating disorders, and grief.
Most recently, I was the clinical director at the Addiction Institute of New York at Mt. Sinai-St. Luke's Hospital Campus.
Over a decade ago, I became more interested in mindfulness-based therapies. I have found them to be incredibly effective along with CBT to help treat anxiety, grief, trauma symptoms, as well as many types of addictions.
I have completed training certificates in Grief Counseling, Family Systems Theory, CBT, DBT, Trauma Studies, and EMDR. I am also a Level 2 provider with training from the Center for Prolonged Grief at Columbia University.
I believe there is never a time to stop learning so that I can continue to offer all of the most up to date treatment interventions to my clients.
All in all, the goal is to get you on the path to a more balanced and meaningful life.
my EDUCATION
Fordham University May 2015 Seminar in Field Instruction (SIFI) Certification
New York University May 2010
Master of Arts, International Education
(Career Counseling)
New York University May 2005
Certification in International Trauma Studies
New York University May 2004
Master of Social Work
my AFFILIATIONS
National Association of Social Workers
New York State Society for Clinical Social Workers
National Association of Trauma Specialists
NAADAC (National Association for Addiction Professionals)