counseling

Reveling in the Authentic You!

About Gina

Gina's life, education, degrees and certifications

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Counseling

Gina shares, “Recognizing you need help is the first step towards healing. The act of asking another for help is the nex

About Gina

“If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting

Contact

Contact Info: Phone: 713-376-9500 Email: info@authentichealingandcounseling.com Current Counseling Locations: Authenti...

Reveling in the Authentic You!

“One of the most powerful dynamics in relationships is trying to understand the other person’s dreams, and helping them chase and fulfill those dreams.”

Counseling

Gina shares, “Recognizing you need help is the first step towards healing. The act of asking another for help is the next step that takes courage, strength and vulnerability and you are worth it. I invite you to open the door, step through the threshold of change and new insights. Together, we will uncover long-standing behavior patterns or negative beliefs that may be preventing you from experiencing a more satisfying and meaningful life.”

Gina works with adults and adolescents from individuals to couples, families and groups.

Specializing in:

Trauma
PTSD
Mood Disorders
Sex Addiction
Drug & Alcohol Addiction
Depression
Anxiety
Grief and Loss
Co-Dependency Issues
Relationship Issues
Pre-Marital and Marital Counseling
Life-Purpose Issues
Creative Block
Compulsions
Spiritual Issues
Life Transition Issues
ADD/ADHD

EMDR Patients Share their Stories

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”

Joseph Cambell

About Gina

Gina-Head_HermanPark

“If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”

Joseph Campbell

Working Through Trauma

“When I was 13 months old I almost died from a high fever causing a seizure and lack of oxygen. Later learning that this was a huge impact on my sense of safety, attachment style and cognitive development and processing. Growing up in a Southern European American family had another component to my road of recovery from trauma that included many family dysfunctions, anger, codependency issues, addictions, mood disorders and depression to name a few, which was the beginning of my journey and desire to help others gain a more fulfilling life.”

Gina Baiamonte received her undergraduate work from the University of Houston, University Park in Humanities and Fine Art. She received additional training at the University of San Antonio, working on her Master’s in Fine Arts – painting, Studio Arts International Florence, Italy and University of South Florida in Tampa. She went on to receive her Master’s in Clinical Counseling at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho and practices as a Licensed Professional Counselor, Chemical Dependency Counselor, Trauma and Sexual Addictions Counselor.

Gina received additional training at the EMDR Institute (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a therapy that helps many people find relief from stress, is currently practiced in the military for our war veterans with PTSD and is used to alleviate a multitude of mental health issues. This healing happens by getting to the root cause, using unconditional positive regard, resolving negative core beliefs and replacing with healthier thinking patterns.

Another therapy modality that Gina incorporates into her practice is Neurofeedback, also called EEG biofeedback or neurotherapy, which is a research proven way to help you improve your brain function through intensive brain training exercises. Neurofeedback is an evidence based researched practice that will decrease anxiety, depression, addictions and multiple cognitive and brain functioning issues and increase peak performance. See Neuro tab.

Gina has experience working with several counseling centers in Idaho and Texas since 2011 and extensive background as a Clinical Counselor in Psychiatric Hospitals, Addiction Centers, and Private Practice. Her past work experience has been a building block for her counseling and coaching expertise with over 20 years of sales and marketing experience with an entrepreneurial spirit – owning several companies over the years, including health and wellness, fine art industry: producing and teaching art, a long history of ballet and dance, real estate (licensed in the state of Florida), and energy management – commercial and residential.

Gina continues to have passion in helping others to develop confidence, reveling in the Authentic You, while building a deeper love of self and others.

“Gina is an exceptional counselor with extensive knowledge and advice. Gina truly strives to learn every aspect of your life and helps you see your true self and potential. Her specialty of EMDR, as well as color therapy, helped me work through some of the toughest situations of my life – past and present. I would recommend Gina to anyone needing help, self guidance, or acceptance with any aspect of their life.”

-Julie

Certifications and specialties also include:

EMDR Trained
Neurofeedback Trained
Sex Addiction Counseling
Spouse of Sex Addiction Counseling
Art in Counseling
Heart-Centered Hypnotherapy
Walk and Talk Therapy

Walk and Talk Therapy

Come Walk with Me!!

The Multiple Benefits to Walk and Talk Therapy

I always suggest to the couples that I counsel, when working on building a closer connection, to walk and talk together and share with each other about their day. The left and right step movement results in a greater connection. Let me explain further.

I began to realize, first noticing that as I spoke to friends or clients over the phone, when walking and pacing back and forth, I was able to think more creatively and express myself at a deeper level. Around the same time, practicing EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) therapy, where I lead my clients with eye movements, left to right horizontal sweeps or tapping with bi-lateral movements, I came to understand that walking produces similar bi-lateral processing. (See the EMDR page for further explanation on how this therapy helps to reprocess memories). The left to right body stimulation while walking facilitates processing the issues through the workings of the brain, causing a deeper level of consciousness and increased connection.

Walk and Talk Therapy is also effective, according to the research, exercise stimulates our endorphins, the neurotransmitters that block pain and increases feelings of pleasure. Research also supports that exercise can be an alternative to medication for patients with depression.

In a recent article from the American Psychological Association written by Kirsten Weir and titled, Exercise Effect, states that James Blumenthal, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Duke University, found a mood-exercise connection through a series of randomized controlled trials. In one such study, he and his colleagues assigned sedentary adults with major depressive disorder to one of four groups: supervised exercise, home-based exercise, antidepressant therapy or a placebo pill. After four months of treatment, Blumenthal found, patients in the exercise and antidepressant groups had higher rates of remission than did the patients on the placebo. Exercise, he concluded, was generally comparable to antidepressants for patients with major depressive disorder (Psychosomatic Medicine, 2007).

Walk and Talk Therapy is a great way to improve mood, enhance a more open social connection, getting to the roots of your issues while helping you to move forward to attaining your goals.

Come Walk with Me!!