Bio is from the time of the interview:   Dominique Barnes-Walker is a Licensed Social Work and, an Individual, Couple, and Family Therapist. Dominique works with a wide variety of individuals in therapy but loves working with people of color. She endorses several other skills within the field and as a research assistant, she focuses on engaging Black families in therapy. She has been my hero since the day we officially met. I spoke to her about her research when I was thinking about launching The Research Her podcast and was delighted to learn that her research focuses on the Strong Black Woman Complex which is a topic greatly related to the mental and emotional wellbeing of many of us. She has been such a bright person in my life so it was an honor interviewing her for the show.   Dominique grew up in Chicago and is a first-generation college student. She attended The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Social Work then continued on to earn her Master of Social Work. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Adler University and her dissertation topic is titled "The Impact of Strong Black Woman Stereotype on Romantic Relationships"   Heard of the Strong Black Woman Stereotype? I learned so much about it and it impacts our well-being when interviewing this week’s guest.    In episode 13, we have Dominique Barnes-Walker, a Licensed Social Worker and, an Individual, Couple, and Family Therapist.    Dominique grew up in Chicago and is a first-generation college student. She attended The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Social Work.    She then continued on to earn her Master of Social Work. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Adler University and her dissertation topic is titled "The Impact of Strong Black Woman Stereotype on Romantic Relationships"   To learn more, check out the link in bio to listen to the episode.      Connect with Dominique:   Linkedin: Dominique Barnes-Walker Instagram: @_drdomo   Connect with Elissia: Website: TheResearchHer.com Instagram: @TheResearchHer Twitter: @TheResearchHer Facebook: @TheResearchHer   Show sources:   The icon of the strong Black woman: The paradox of strength.   Carrying the world with the grace of a lady and the grit of a warrior: Deepening our understanding of the “Strong Black Woman” schema   Strong Black Women Need Therapy, Too