Practitioner record · Checked 9 Oct 2026
Gia Castiglia Schwarzer has been in practice 7 years and is licensed in California. Gia lists stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and grief among 14 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.
Everything below is either quoted from Gia's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.
01 · Who Gia works with
Gia lists 13 specialisms and 1 further focus area. Specialisms are the subjects Gia chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.
02 · In Gia's own words
Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.
I am a California licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 7 years of professional work experience. I have experience in helping clients with stress, anxiety, relationship and parenting issues. I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you already have many of the strengths that will assist you in overcoming the challenges in your life.
I obtained my undergraduate degrees, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology and Political Science from U.C. Irvine and I earned my Master of Arts (M.A.) in Psychology from Chapman University in Orange, CA. After getting my license and working in the field of psychotherapy, I took time off to have a family before returning to counseling. I have worked in private practice and in schools. I am also dually certified in Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) as both a Mental Health Practitioner and an Equine Specialist.
My therapeutic approach is based in working with the client to help guide them in finding, within themselves, the solutions that best meet their needs. As mentioned above, I believe you are the expert on you and uncovering solutions that you will most naturally and comfortably use is the goal. Becoming aware of and tapping into those hidden resources and then connecting them to your life situations will be part of our work together. I do use some Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy as well as Interpersonal Therapy resources to assist in recognizing and uncovering solutions.
Taking that first step to sign up for therapy can take courage and shows your willingness to tackle some areas of your life that just aren't working the way you would like. I am proud of you for getting started!
Gia Castiglia Schwarzer, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026
03 · How Gia works
These are the clinical methods Gia lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Gia's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Gia runs a session.
04 · What happens next
Gia practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Gia's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.
BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Gia at this point.
BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Gia is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Gia.
You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.
A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.
Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.
05 · Before you commit
Built from what Gia actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Gia's - Gia has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.
“How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”
Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.
“How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”
On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.
06 · Practical details
07 · Provenance
Gia's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.
The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.
Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Gia. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.
Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.
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