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Meet Gina

Meet Gina

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Gina Castle

  • Currently pursuing Master of Arts, Mental Health Counseling, Richmont Graduate University (APC Expected May 2025)

  • PhD: Doctor of Philosophy in Human Communication, George Mason University, 2012

  • MA: Interpersonal Communication Theory, University of Central Florida, 2008

  • BA: Interpersonal Communication and Political Science, University of Central Florida, 2006

  • Women’s Discipleship Intern, Central Florida Wesley Foundation, 2006-2007

  • Certified in Gottman Level 1, for Couples Therapy

  • Training in Gottman Level 2, for Couples Therapy

  • Training in Relational Life Therapy

  • Training in Relational Life Therapy: Working with Grandiosity

  • Training in Gottman, Treating Affairs & Trauma 

Gina came to the counseling profession after 17 years in Academia where she earned her PhD and worked as a Tenured Professor of Communication. Currently, she is a Clinical Intern at Maverick Marriage Therapy. She will be an Associate Professional Counselor in May 2025, upon graduation from Richmont Graduate University. 

 

Gina is passionate about working with couples. She enjoys helping them have satisfying, meaningful romantic relationships. In couples therapy, she partners with couples and explores unhelpful communication patterns, past pain, and deeply rooted patterns to understand and identify their impact on their relationships. She helps couples learn new tools and strategies for enhanced connection, intimacy, and for doing conflict well. Gina creates space to do healing work, to grieve the things we cannot change, to learn to accept ourselves and our partners, flaws included. Gina also joins with individuals who are also doing couples work with another therapist. She enjoys helping individuals personally work on themselves, to identify their individual patterns, to heal from pain, and to address their role in their couple conflict cycle. 

 

Gina is skilled in working with individuals who struggle relationally and instead display selfishness, lack of empathy, or with struggle with rigidly wanting to be right. 

 

Regarding individual clients, Gina enjoys clients who are:

  • Reconciling their relationship after having had an affair

  • Living with regret from past decisions and past pain they either caused others or caused themselves

  • Experiencing anxiety and depression

  • Exploring their identity, identifying values, looking for their spark, discovering who they are and what they want; and rediscovering themselves

  • Going through divorce

  • Processing grief and sorting through existential questions about life: why are things this way, and not that way? What does life mean? Does any of this matter? Why does pain exist? Why me? 

  • New parents who are rediscovering themselves after having children

  • Making a big life change or those in the middle of a life transition from loss, divorce, or other life 

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Therapy Approaches: Relational Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Existential, Reality Therapy & Solution Focused; Offers Integrative Christian Counseling for clients who request it.

Experience

Prior to her career change Mental Health Counseling, Gina earned her PhD and worked in academia as a College Professor of Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication and earned tenure at St John’s University in NYC in 2020. After relocating to Marietta later in 2020 to be near family and raise her son, Gina taught at Kennesaw State University, teaching classes in interpersonal communication, with an emphasis on family, friendship, and romantic communication. She left academia in 2023.

 

During her time as a Professor, Gina was a widely published scholar. She published peer-reviewed journal articles on active listening as a method for improving communication, fostering empathy, and reducing conflict. Additionally, she has published 2 books and 27 total journal articles/book chapters on race-related social justice issues, microaggressions, and intercultural communication tensions. 

 

Her experience and passion for helping individuals and couples thrive relationally, combined with her experience in Communication, make her an excellent support to Maverick clients. 

Gina believes deeply in the power of communication and connection as the foundation of thriving relationships. Drawing from her extensive academic background in interpersonal and intercultural communication, Gina’s counseling philosophy is rooted in understanding, empathy, and intentionality. She is committed to creating a space where clients can feel safe to explore their emotions, confront challenges, and find healing.

Hands in the Soil

Personal

Gina grew up in Florida. She relocated to Georgia in 2020 with her 8 year old son after spending 18 years in the Northeast. She lives with her son and her partner in Marietta. Together, they enjoy hiking with their golden retriever, attending Braves games for quality family time, taking in sunshine at the beach, eating good food with live music, and watching Jacksonville Jaguars football with her family. 

Gina practices counseling with a faith-based approach, allowing each client to determine the level of spiritual integration in their sessions. She supports clients in choosing how much they wish to incorporate faith into their personal growth and healing, without imposing specific spiritual beliefs. For those who choose Christian counseling, Gina uses biblical principles to help individuals, couples, and families address life’s challenges. Her mission is to reflect Christ’s love, compassion, and honesty while supporting clients in their relationship with God. She values both psychological research and the timeless wisdom of scripture in guiding the healing process.

Faith-Based Values

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