Gina Belton

Gina Subia Belton, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Saybrook University's Mind-Body Medicine Program, where she leads the Contemplative End-of-Life Care Specialization. A transdisciplinary educator and interdisciplinary professional, she also teaches across Transformative Social Change, Integrative Social Work, and Humanistic Psychology programs

Rooted in her Chicana and Mescalero Apache identity, Dr. Belton braids together contemplative pedagogy, Indigenous and critical lenses, Humanistic, Transpersonal, and Depth psychology with decolonial praxis in her approach to qualitative research, including phenomenology, heuristics, narrative inquiry, autoethnography, ethnography, case study, and community-based participatory action methodologies.

A sought-after, compassionate, and collaborative dissertation mentor, as of Spring 2025, with an impacted agenda of doctoral students, Dr. Belton is not accepting committee invitations at this time.

The inaugural Chair of Saybrook's President's JEDI Council, Dr. Belton's scholarship is reflected in her robust engagement with the American Psychological Association, including tenure as President of APA Division 32, Society of Humanistic Psychology. Dr. Belton's private practice focuses on palliative psychology and Contemplative Thanatology, embodied as spiritual midwifery to the dying, grieving, and aging, in community. She is training as a Buddhist chaplain through Upaya Institute and Zen Center. Mentored by national and international end-of-life thought leaders, such as Charles Garfield, Ph.D., Frank Ostaseski, Joan Halifax, Frances Vaughn, Ph.D., Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., and Ram Dass, Dr. Belton's most outstanding Teachers are those dying and their beloveds.