About Me

Mental health and substance abuse counselor. Woman of color. Mixed race, Latina, Hispanic, African-American, black

How I Show Up as a Therapist

My style is warm, honest, and deeply human.

I balance compassion with clarity, and I will not ask you to do anything I am not willing to do myself. Integrity is one of my core values. I practice the same tools I teach.

I am:

Culturally responsive and affirming
Trauma-informed and identity-aware
Direct, but never harsh
Genuine, grounded, and nonjudgmental
Deeply invested in your growth

My approach blends real-world strategies with emotional depth. You will feel supported and empowered.

A soul-centered therapist dedicated to helping adults heal with intention, grow with courage, and live with purpose.

I know what it feels like to carry more than people realize.

To be strong for everyone else.

To move through the world with layers: culture, identity, trauma, expectations, and lived experience.

All of these shape how you show up.

Therapy with me is a place where you do not have to hold all of that alone.

Hi, I’m Dominique Balderas, MS, LPC, SAC-IT

Who I Work Best With

I specialize in working with adults navigating:

Anxiety and burnout
ADHD in real life
Recovery, substance use, and sobriety
Self-worth and identity
Boundaries and people-pleasing
Life transitions
Mixed-race identity and cultural stress
Healing from family dynamics
Feeling lost, disconnected, or overwhelmed

If you are craving clarity, confidence, emotional peace, or a more grounded sense of self, this is the space for that work.

Promotional poster for Emberglow Counseling and Wellness featuring the Iliamna bakeri flower. The text discusses the flower's ability to bloom after fire and draws parallels to personal recovery and growth. The design includes an image of the flower and flames, emphasizing the theme of rising from ashes.

My Philosophy on Healing

Healing is not about perfection.
It is about intention, courage, and showing up for yourself in small, meaningful ways.

Therapy should feel like a collaboration. Not a lecture. Not a performance. Not a place where you have to shrink yourself.

With me, you get someone who listens deeply, validates what is real, and challenges what keeps you stuck. I hold space for the version of you that is trying to emerge.

You bring your full humanity.
I bring my clinical expertise and lived experience.
Together, we create something new.

A Little More About Me (The Human)

I am a proud mixed-race woman: Mexican American, African American, and Native American. I am a mother, a person in long-term recovery from substance abuse, and someone who has walked through my own seasons of transformation.

Before becoming a therapist, I spent 17 years working on a factory assembly line. That part of my life shaped my work ethic, my compassion, my humor, and my ability to sit with people from all backgrounds.

Today, my life is grounded in family, nature, creativity, and helping others find peace and purpose. I am an animal lover with a home full of reptiles, cats, and a lot of personality. I believe joy is part of healing, not something you have to earn.