Dr. Vanessa Dominguez (she/her) serves as a Clinical Training Director and core faculty for the Family Institute at Northwestern University. Her primary clinical and research interests include individual and relational wellbeing in underserved populations, particularly for LGBTQ+ communities. Dr. Dominguez utilizes evidenced-based contemplative and trauma-informed approaches in her clinical work and is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She is also currently working on her certification in the Gottman method for couples counseling and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) protocol. She is passionate in training students to become culturally affirming, ethical, and competent mental health professionals utilizing a comprehensive lens including understanding the impact of social determinants of health on client treatment adherence and their experience of counseling. She previously directed a mental health training clinic and has served on federally funded research grants examining the effectiveness of relationship education on lower-income, ethnically diverse couples. She has dedicated her career to promoting safe, satisfying, and healthy relationships for all. Dr. Dominguez received her Master’s in Couples, Marriage, and Family Therapy from the University of Central Florida (UCF) and her PhD in Counseling at Old Dominion University (ODU). She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia, where she resides in Norfolk, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida.

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