Dr. Dana Wallace, LPC-S, NCC
I'm Dr. Dana Wallace and I built The Rooted Path Institute on a simple belief: you shouldn't have to leave parts of yourself behind to heal, or to become a clinician you're proud of.
I hold a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education from the University of New Orleans and a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Loyola University New Orleans. I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor in Louisiana, a National Certified Counselor, and a Board-Approved Supervisor for Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselors working towards licensure.
My clinical background spans working with pre-adjudicated youth through the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's Office Juvenile Diversion program, college counseling at Xavier University of Louisiana, and my current work as a school counselor at a local high school arts conservatory. Across all of it, one thread has stayed constant: young people and clinicians alike do better work when they're not asked to perform a version of themselves that isn't true.
My doctoral research grounded my approach to both therapy and supervision in Historical Trauma Theory, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, and African-centered frameworks - not as academic exercises, but as the actual lens through which I understand what's happening for the people I work with. This is what it is meant by the philosophy of Sankofa: the belief that healing and growth require an honest look back before we can move forward with integrity.
Whether you're here as a parent looking for the right support for your teen, a young adult figuring out if therapy is for you, or a PLPC looking for supervision that won't ask you to shrink yourself - I'd love to talk with you!
Certifications & Accolades
EMDR Basic Training
Regina Matthews Oehmig Award for Excellence in Counseling
Outstanding Doctoral Student
New Orleans, May 2025
Loyola University New Orleans, May 2017
University of New Orleans, December 2025