09/04/2026
If you want peace, work for justice.
Si quieres paz, lucha por la justicia.
-Pope Paul VI
In the early fall of 2004, while I was an undergraduate at Lewis University, a Lasallian Catholic institution rooted in service, I met Martha Villegas Miranda Mssw.
Martha became a mentor, friend and ultimately the person who inspired me to become a social worker. At the time, I was a first-generation college student who had grown up in poverty and experienced complex childhood trauma shaped by oppressive systems. I didn't yet have the language to understand how our lives are shaped by the systems, histories, and circumstances around us.
I changed my major to Social Work the week I met her.
Approximately 20 years apart, Martha gave me these two stickers. I finally had them framed together.
When people walk into Healing Place, I want them to know that the space itself is part of our practice. Our location in the heart of downtown Joliet, the photographs and artwork on our walls, and the books on our shelves are intentional.
People deserve to see themselves, their communities, and their stories reflected in spaces created for healing.
This is one way we put liberation psychology into practice.
Liberation psychology asks us to understand people within the social, cultural, historical, and political realities of their lives. It moves us beyond asking only what is “wrong” with a person and toward understanding what has happened to them, what systems have shaped their experiences, and how power and oppression influence both suffering and healing.
It also reminds us that healing is not simply about helping people adapt to oppressive conditions. It can mean recognizing agency, reclaiming voice, challenging harmful systems, and creating conditions where people can experience greater dignity, freedom, and connection.
This framework grew from my own journey into social work, but it is now the foundation of the practice we are building at Healing Place together.
These stickers remind me where this journey began, who helped me find my path, and why we remain committed to a practice rooted in context, dignity, community, and liberation.
