GIA Institute of Psychotherapy

GIA Institute of Psychotherapy We are a psychotherapy practice dedicated to providing counseling and mental health services to children, teens, and adults.

Meet Dr. Gina Innocente, Head of Practice at GIA and Founder of The Center for Clinical Training & Psychotherapy.With ov...
02/05/2026

Meet Dr. Gina Innocente, Head of Practice at GIA and Founder of The Center for Clinical Training & Psychotherapy.

With over 20 years of clinical experience, Gina felt called to create the new kind of internship and fellowship program because she knows something deeply important:
therapists can, and should, do better.

Not through pressure or perfection,
but through being fully supported by a team of compassionate, thoughtful mentors.

Gina is deeply smart, genuinely funny, and refreshingly relatable. She models what so many new clinicians are craving - that professionalism and real life aren’t mutually exclusive.

You can be rigorous and human. Skilled and real. Ethical and approachable.

This Center at GIA was built on the belief that when therapists are truly supported, they show up differently - for their clients, their communities, and the field itself.

This is care for clinicians - so they can care well for others.

📱 Learn more about The Center for Clinical Training at GIA today: www.ginnocente.com.

Not all healing happens through words.Especially for children.At the Family Center at the GIA Institute, we offer develo...
02/04/2026

Not all healing happens through words.
Especially for children.

At the Family Center at the GIA Institute, we offer developmentally attuned care for kids and their families: meeting children where they are, not where they’re expected to be.

Through art therapy and play therapy, children are given safe, supportive ways to express themselves, regulate their nervous systems, and make sense of their inner worlds.

This is a space designed for imagination, safety, and relationship.
A space where families feel supported.
And where children are free to be exactly who they are.

Children who often benefit from art & play therapy include kids who:

• Have big feelings but limited words
(Kids who feel deeply but don’t yet have the language to explain what’s going on inside.)

• Experience anxiety, worry, or overwhelm
(This might show up as stomach aches, meltdowns, shutdowns, perfectionism, or trouble sleeping.)

• Have difficulty with emotional regulation
(Big reactions, quick frustration, or trouble calming once upset.)

• Are navigating change or transition
(Divorce, moves, school changes, new siblings, illness, or loss- especially when adults notice “something feels off.”)

• Have experienced stress, trauma, or grief
(Including medical experiences, family stress, community violence, or events that disrupted a sense of safety.)

• Struggle socially or relationally
Difficulty making or keeping friends, conflict with peers, or challenges reading social cues.

Express themselves more through play, art, or movement than conversation. Kids who draw, build, act things out, or communicate through imagination rather than talking.

• Are sensitive, intuitive, or deeply empathetic
(Children who feel everything - sometimes more than they can manage on their own.)

Art and play therapy can be especially supportive when:
• Talking feels hard or overwhelming
• Emotions come out in behavior instead of words
• A child seems “okay” on the surface but something doesn’t quite feel settled

This work isn’t about fixing children. It’s about giving them developmentally appropriate tools to feel safe, understood, and supported as they grow. Let’s play… Let’s chat!

📞 609-788-0771

There’s a gap in clinical training.And most therapists feel it.You can know the theory.You can pass the exams.And still ...
02/04/2026

There’s a gap in clinical training.
And most therapists feel it.

You can know the theory.
You can pass the exams.
And still not yet have the embodied, relational skills that make therapy truly transformational.

That’s why The Center for Clinical Training & Psychotherapy at GIA exists.

The Center was created as an educational hub for:
• new therapists
• recent graduates
• clinicians seeking continued professional education

At the heart of this work is our two-year clinical internship, launching its first cohort this year. A program rooted in supervision, relationship, ethics, and real-world clinical presence.

Because knowing about therapy is different than knowing how to be with people.

DM us to join our next cohort or to learn more: ginnocente.com

There’s a gap in clinical training.And most therapists feel it.You can know the theory.You can pass the exams.And still ...
02/04/2026

There’s a gap in clinical training.
And most therapists feel it.

You can know the theory.
You can pass the exams.
And still not yet have the embodied, relational skills that make therapy truly transformational.

That’s why The Center for Clinical Training & Psychotherapy at GIA exists.

The Center was created as an educational hub for:
• new therapists
• recent graduates
• clinicians seeking continued professional education

At the heart of this work is our two-year clinical internship, launching its first cohort this year. A program rooted in supervision, relationship, ethics, and real-world clinical presence.

Because knowing about therapy is different than knowing how to be with people.

More to come.

DM us for more info or check out ginnocente.com.




02/02/2026

Let’s maybe try it again next week? 🥲

Our art studios are safe, non-judgmental spaces, designed specifically with your creative journey in mind. We offer an a...
01/29/2026

Our art studios are safe, non-judgmental spaces, designed specifically with your creative journey in mind.

We offer an art studio for adults, where you can use drawing, painting, sculpting, collage — whatever feels right — to engage and express your inner world.

For our younger clients, we have a studio perfectly sized for art therapy and play therapy. It’s an ideal spot for kids to feel comfortable and be themselves.

Interested in art therapy? If you’re in New Jersey and curious whether art therapy is right for you, give us a call 💙

📞 609-788-0771

Play therapy is ideal for kids who don’t have the verbal skills necessary to communicate their feelings, challenges, or ...
01/26/2026

Play therapy is ideal for kids who don’t have the verbal skills necessary to communicate their feelings, challenges, or needs.  It’s typically used for children, ages 3 to 12, who are anxious, overwhelmed, sensitive, struggling with behavior, or navigating big changes.

While Play Therapy is usually reserved for children, we often use ‘playful’ items in traditional therapy because humans tend to gravitate toward things that help them feel calm and regulated —sometimes that’s a puzzle, a fidget, a Lego, or a Jenga set. Teens, in particular, are often drawn to such items without even realizing it. 
Whether playing tabletop hockey, creating drawings, or playing a board game, our therapists can help teens open up without feeling put on the spot or worrying about awkward silences.

Understanding what demographic benefits from play therapy is important, but realizing what disorders or challenges call for therapy in the first place is even more important. Play therapy can be used to treat:
* Anxiety
* ADHD
* BIG feelings
* Behavioral issues & defiance
* Big Emotions
* Coping Strategies
* Emotional Regulation
* Grief/Loss
* Life Changes 
* Nightmares/Night Terrors
* Relationships with siblings and parents 
* Self-Esteem
* Social challenges
* Trauma

01/22/2026

Just out here causally summarizing decades of trauma in one sentence 🤯

Is your child battling anxiety? Acting out? Having nightmares?For most children, play therapy is a great way to help the...
01/20/2026

Is your child battling anxiety? Acting out? Having nightmares?

For most children, play therapy is a great way to help them express their emotions and feelings in a familiar and comfortable way. At GIA Institute, we use play therapy for kids who don’t have the verbal skills necessary to communicate their feelings, challenges, or needs.

Types of play therapy include…
- Expressive Arts
- Sand Tray Therapy
- Sensory Tools
- Therapeutic Games
- Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT)
- Narrative Tools

Human connection isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential. 🤍
Therapy is one of the most intentional forms of human connec...
01/15/2026

Human connection isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential. 🤍

Therapy is one of the most intentional forms of human connection, a space where you’re truly seen, heard, and understood. That connection helps calm the nervous system, reduce stress, and remind you that you don’t have to carry everything alone.

Through therapy, connection becomes a tool for healing. It builds resilience, supports emotional regulation, and creates a sense of safety and belonging. We are not meant to do life alone, and choosing therapy is choosing connection, growth, and care for yourself.

01/13/2026

Who can relate 😂🥲

Address

Somers Point, NJ
08244

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 7am - 3pm
Sunday 7am - 12pm

Telephone

(609) 788-0771

Website

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