We recently connected with Dominique Walker and have shared our conversation below.

Dominique, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My personal mission revolves around empowering women of color to shape the lives they aspire to lead. Through facilitating access to affordable and effective mental health services, I am dedicated to aiding and supporting women of color in forging the lives they yearn for. My vision entails witnessing women experience happiness, wellness, confidence, and success as individuals, without the notion that they must endure the unthinkable to attain it.

This enthusiasm for aiding others blossomed during my college years when I started working in a residential unit with adolescent girls. Despite the young women’s guarded dispositions stemming from life’s challenges, we were able to connect quite naturally. I’d like to think that my demeanor and genuine aspiration to nurture positivity, autonomy, community, and personal growth attract others to me.

Dominique, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the Owner and Founder of Healing Matters private practice. I am licensed as a Professional Counselor in the state of Michigan and Nationally Certified to provide mental health services. I have dedicated and practiced my practice for approximately 7 years in the Metro Detroit Area. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, I completed most of my primary education within the DPS system. The Wade McCree Tuition Scholarship sponsored my journey to Illinois Wesleyan University, where I pursued psychology and obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree. During my time in Bloomington, Illinois, I interned with Chestnut Health Systems, an organization whose mission, support, and services for adolescents in need resonated deeply with me. This experience felt like a connection to my inner child, who had required and received ample support to overcome substance-related challenges in my own home. Motivated by a desire to continue helping others, I pursued formal mental health training at DePaul University, graduating in 2016 with a Master’s Degree in Community Counseling. Driven by a passion for my community, I returned to Detroit to give back to a city that had given so much to me.

Over the course of my career, spanning approximately 12 years, I have been an active advocate and supporter of human services and counseling programs. This journey has led me through diverse settings, including family reunification, strengthening familial bonds, serving as a Life Coach for young adults aged 18 to 25, and providing support to children and families facing significant emotional challenges. I have worked with individuals grappling with a wide range of concerns, such as ADHD, stress and anxiety, depression, communication difficulties, life transitions, traumatic experiences, and strained relationships.

My current work in private practice centers on aiding women of color in creating the lives they aspire to lead. Our work together begins with an assessment to identify their areas of concern, past experiences, and current challenges that may necessitate additional support. Subsequently, we collaboratively devise a plan to address these issues and eliminate barriers impeding progress. A cornerstone of my approach is to develop a tailored self-care routine encompassing mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial aspects. This self-care framework consistently demonstrates its capacity to equip clients with new coping strategies, healing mechanisms for trauma, and a more insightful perspective on their aspirations.

An important principle I share with my clients is, ‘What you see is what you get.’ My counseling approach is characterized by transparency, an attribute I believe enhances our therapeutic relationship. Drawing from my own life experiences, empathetic disposition, holistic viewpoint, and resourcefulness, I cultivate an environment that supports empathy, insight, and competence. I strongly believe that happiness can be cultivated through self-healing and fostering new relationships, both with oneself and others. A prominent guiding principle in my work is a Trauma-Informed Approach, emphasizing understanding ‘what has happened to you’ over ‘what’s wrong with you.’ Through a client-focused strategy, we foster acceptance and change using tools like reflection, art, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavioral practices.
Ultimately, my passion is to guide my clients towards a state of peace and comprehension of what constitutes a happy and meaningful life.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting is undoubtedly a crucial part of the process, wouldn’t you agree? I have extensively discussed my experiences working within the community through agencies and state-funded programs, all of which have significantly shaped me. Despite the incredible opportunities for personal and professional growth, as you can imagine, collaborating with other agencies presents both advantages and disadvantages for the staff involved. The diverse range of programming, the ability to serve the community’s needs, coordinate care efficiently, and access abundant resources are undoubtedly significant advantages of working with larger agencies. However, it’s important to acknowledge that the workload, expectations, lack of flexibility, diminished self-worth, and the risk of burnout can collectively make sustaining a life within such agencies quite challenging.

After spending years working for agencies, I looked up one day and realized that my mental and physical health were deteriorating as I struggled to find balance amidst home, personal, and professional challenges. While the thought of working independently had always crossed my mind, it truly became a viable option in 2020 during the pandemic.

I oscillated between various thoughts regarding what leaving a CMH (Community Mental Health) agency would mean for my sense of purpose, my family, and the community I deeply care about. This contemplation led me to reevaluate the true essence of “serving clients.” It swiftly became apparent that I needed to redefine terms like “underserved” and “community advocate” according to my own understanding.

Effectively, I was in the process of rediscovering my purpose – the desire to continue supporting individuals in need, particularly those who might not have had prior access to mental health resources. These individuals, often overlooked, require assistance too. In a significant shift, I moved away from the notion that I could only make a difference by working for someone else. I came to recognize that there was a way to align my purpose and passion while serving others.

Furthermore, an implicit narrative tends to label therapists who transition from CMH to private practice as “giving up.” However, having been in private practice for over two years now, I can confidently state that altering my mindset was one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made. Rather than giving up, I’ve deepened my commitment even further.
In essence, pivoting my career direction has proven to be a crucial aspect of my journey. It has allowed me to uphold my dedication to serving others while aligning with my true purpose and passion.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I believe my resilience is best illustrated by my capacity to bounce back and successfully complete my master’s program despite facing the loss of my grandmothers. In 2015, both of my grandmothers, who were the pillars of our family, passed away within a mere six weeks of each other. Needless to say, I was utterly devastated. The events seemed incomprehensible, especially in the context of my understanding of faith. Instead of allowing myself to disconnect from the world, I chose to draw strength from the resilience exhibited by my grandmothers. I made the decision to persevere and completed my Master’s program while fulfilling my responsibilities as expected. This experience, although profoundly painful, has granted me a unique ability to empathize with my clients who grapple with a lack of understanding and the challenges of persistence.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @myhealingmatters
• Facebook: Myhealingmatters

Image Credits
Ebonie Davis E_Shot_That