meet gail gerbig, lmhc
Therapy for Women in Midlife with Gail Gerbig
ANXIETY · LIFE TRANSITIONS · PERIMENOPAUSE · THERAPY FOR THERAPISTS AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR · NEARLY 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE · 2026 SRQ MAGAZINE’S PLATINUM WINNER · 2026 GUIDE TO FLORIDA’S REGIONAL WINNER
feel like yourself again
It changes everything.
why seaside exists
For Women in Midlife
Women tell me all the time: I don't know when I stopped making it onto my own list.
They're managing a career, a marriage, a home, and kids who still need them. Many are navigating perimenopause on top of it all — anxiety that's louder than it used to be, sleep that's interrupted (3am anyone?), a body that feels and looks unfamiliar. And still, they keep going. Because that's what they do.
Here's what nearly thirty years of this work has shown me: these are women who've been strong for far too long without enough support. Seaside exists to be some of that support — a place to pause, reflect, and start to feel like themselves again.
the doorway
Let’s Walk Through it Together
Long before Seaside, I spent much of my career inside the healthcare system — hospitals, rehabilitation, skilled nursing — sitting with people and their families at some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
I've come to think of it as meeting people at the doorway, that in-between moment when you're moving from one chapter to the next and aren't quite sure what the next chapter will look like.
That doorway can feel nerve-wracking, filled with anxiety and overwhelm that's suddenly louder than it used to be. You're standing there without knowing what comes next, or who you will become in this next chapter.
For the women I work with now, that doorway is often the moment you're feeling emotionally and physically exhausted from holding it all together. I'm here to help you cross through it.
let’s work together
Sessions at Seaside
I'm not your typical therapist who watches the clock or nods politely for an hour. When you're in session with me, I'm fully present with you.
There's a good chance you'll meet Oreo, Milkshake, or Drogon along the way — my cats have a habit of wandering across the desk mid-session. Most of my clients know all three by name now. I'm just as present when they're wandering through as I am tracking exactly where we left off the week before.
Many clients open by asking me first — "How are you?" — and I turn it right back around: "Well, that's my question for you." It usually gets a laugh, and it reminds them that this hour is actually theirs. A lot of the women I work with put everyone else first out of habit, even here.
We close the session the same way: "You know what time it is." We talk about what stood out, the golden nuggets, and what they want to focus on in the week ahead.
golden nuggets
The Aha Moment
You'll hear me say, more than once, that you're right on trend — that you're not the first woman to sit with this thought, feeling, or situation today, and you won't be the last.
A lot of what we do together is take something that's been weighing on you — the conversation you play over and over in your mind, the decisions you are navigating, the worry that loops at 3am — and start to process it, helping you make those decisions and lessen the moments that feel paralyzing. And then, something clicks.
My clients have a name for these moments. They call them golden nuggets. You can't get this with an app or a chatbot, because they come from someone who actually knows your whole story.
warm and honest
The Seaside Approach
As a daughter of an engineer, I think in terms of a framework. If you notice a pattern, it's usually a pattern of three.
When we're working through a problem, or identifying your next step, I'll bring three options to the table instead of one. Take your top choice, your backup, and your backup to your backup.
Or I'll suggest the 3 S's — schedule, simplify, streamline. Schedule: a realistic version of your day — not the one you think that you're supposed to have. Simplify: cut out what is overcomplicated, one decision at a time. Streamline: find where two steps can become one, so there's room in your day to feel balanced instead of having more to manage.
the mind - body connection
It Takes a Village
Your emotional and physical well-being are connected.
We'll take note of the patterns that affect how you feel day to day — like how you're sleeping, which has a way of impacting everything else, especially through perimenopause. I'll help you to understand these connections and how they impact your mood, stress level and your ability to feel like yourself.
And when something's better addressed by a medical provider such as a primary care physician, a gynecologist, a psychiatrist — I will encourage you to follow up with them. It takes a village and I'm glad to be one part of yours. You are more than your hormones — though they're part of the conversation too.
the same shoreline
One Step Ahead
Outside of the therapy room, I'm a wife, a stepmom to two beautiful daughters, a grandmother, and a cat mom to three. I'm happiest behind a camera, on a pickleball court, or working on one of the endless projects at the coastal-themed home my husband and I share.
Our home has taught me something that I bring into my work as a therapist: a good life, like a good home, is a work in progress. There's always another project, another season, another thing to tend to — problems that aren’t solvable in a day. It's just the nature of it. I'm at peace with the in-between and I can help you find yours.
I'm just a step ahead of you on this shoreline — and I'd be glad to walk alongside you.
Training & Education
Nearly 3 decades of experience in medical & mental health settings — including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing, and private practice
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
Florida License #MH10140
NPI #1154974137
Masters of Arts in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling - University of South Florida
Bachelors of Arts in Psychology - Purdue University
the seaside list
From the Shores of Seaside
Join and you'll get the FREE guide “5 Things Worth Knowing When You Feel Anxious and Overwhelmed” — for when everything feels like a lot.
Plus occasional updates, resources, and wellness tools from Seaside delivered straight to your inbox.
find joy in the in-between
Let’s Dive In.
Most of life happens in the in-between moments — the doorway. What I hope to help you find there is a little more balance, and maybe even some joy — even on the days that it's hard to see.
When you're ready, I'd be honored to walk alongside you.
