Profile: Gina Santoro

Dr. Gina Santoro of Annapolis, Maryland is a firm believer in serendipity, or the occurrence of events by chance in a happy and beneficial way. Professionally, it seems as though she has always been where she is meant to be, whether the experience was a perfect fit or something that furthered her career. But as much as her life’s work has been serendipitous, it has not come to be solely by sheer luck.

Gina is a cognitive behavioral therapist who is currently working out of her private practice, Santoro Psychological Services. She is also a custody evaluator for Maryland courts and carries out forensic evaluations for litigations. At the heart of her work is the best interest of the children she serves, who stand as the biggest motivator in everything that she does.

Prior to working in private practice, Gina has an extensive history working in public, private, and charter schools as a school psychologist. Even though her graduate degree is in educational psychology, this specific position is something that Gina describes herself having simply “stumbled into.” Despite her love for kids, she realized that her work there was not as hands on as she had hoped. After passing her licensure exam in 2007, she left the school system and sought out a way in which she could make the impact she wanted.

Even as an ambassador for the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) of Maryland, Gina is constantly looking for more ways to be involved in improving child welfare. In this specific role, she works to provide education and trainings for courthouses for state level boards with the goal of changing policy regarding child custody.

With these esteemed positions under her belt, Gina feels as though she is in the position in her career, in terms of both reputation and experience, to take on another role. She describes joining NMSC’s board as yet another serendipitous encounter in her life, as serving an organization like this one is just what she was seeking.

With her expertise, NMSC is looking forward to be able to build a stronger network of well-trained therapists and family law professionals who are able to carry out necessary interventions. As Gina notes, counseling can actually make things worse if one doesn’t have the right resources, and NMSC is here to ensure that this is not the case for anyone struggling with the trauma of childhood sexual abuse.