Misty Ginicola

Pronouns: She/They

Dr. River (Misty) Ginicola is a Professor in the Department of Mental Health Sciences at Southern Connecticut State University. A Licensed Professional Counselor and a counselor educator for over 2 decades, Dr. Ginicola additionally brings lived experience in marginalized identities and clinical experience from work in her private practice, Walk in Balance Counseling. They hold a Ph.D., M.Ph., and M.S. in Developmental Psychology from Yale University, a M.A. degree in psychology with a concentration of classes in Counseling from the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz, a B.S. degree in Psychology with a minor in Psychology of Exceptional Children from SUNY Cortland, and an A.S. degree in Liberal Arts from SUNY Corning Community College.

Dr. Ginicola’s teaching and scholarship are grounded in liberation psychology, multicultural counseling, and decolonized healing practices. Their work focuses on the self-empowerment of marginalized communities through affirmative, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed counseling. They are the author of Affirmative Counseling with LGBTQI+ People (American Counseling Association) and an Elder and Past President of the Society for Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Issues in Counseling (SAIGE), a division of the American Counseling Association.

Throughout Dr. Ginicola’s career, she has presented and consulted nationally on liberation-focused counseling, social justice, and multicultural competence—offering professional trainings for schools, clinical agencies, and community organizations in addition to academic and professional conferences. Their research and teaching interests include bridging modern wisdom (neuroscience, mental health research, and technology) with trauma-informed and decolonized healing to create liberation-based counselor education pedagogy. They have numerous publications on multicultural issues in counseling, specializing in LGBTQI+ counseling. 

Their professional background includes work with individuals with developmental disabilities, school-based mental health, program evaluation and policy reform, and private practice, specializing in working with clients with marginalized identities, particularly BIPOC, Queer & Trans, and neurodivergent people. A trained shaman and yoga teacher, Dr. Ginicola integrates Indigenous wisdom, somatic healing, and mind-body practices into their teaching and counseling. As a Level 2 Breath Body Mind and Coherent Breathing Teacher, they also incorporate breathwork to support nervous system regulation, trauma recovery, and emotional well-being.