A faulty head gasket can cause a vehicle to overheat but it should do this all of the time including running it in the shop.
Overheating when driven usually points to an inoperative cooling fan or a clogged radiator.
With cooler weather coming on and if the Defroster is used, a car can overheat if the fans are not working. The reason for this is that the air compressor is energized and the fans are required to hold the condenser pressure and temps down.
Here’s a couple of things you might do yourself. Loosen the radiator cap (the engine MUST be cold after sitting all night) and release any pressure that might be in the cooling system. (Of course, if there is any pressure in the system after sitting all night then obviously the cooling system is maintaining pressure and you don’t have a head gasket leak.)
Tighten the cap, start the engine, and allow it to idle for about 30-45 seconds. Shut it off and loosen the radiator cap again. If you hear a faint “hiss” sound then you may have a leaking head gasket.
After that, start the engine and make sure the radiator cooling fans are running when the mode control is in the A/C, Bi-Level, and DEF positions.
There are several methods for determining a head gasket problem so it should not be a guessing game. A compression test, vacuum test, hydrocarbon test, and cooling system pressure test can be performed to verify a head gasket problem along with a visual inspection of the engine oil and spark plugs. IMHO, all should be done before telling someone they have a bad head gasket.
There are issues that can exist with a head gasket (external leaks, etc.) but this has no affect on the engine unless the external leak is causing a low coolant level or is causing the engine oil to be diluted with coolant.
Hope some of that helps anyway. 