Later in life working as an interpreter, I was called to the case of a pregnant child of 13 held in a psychiatric unit who was refusing to talk to anyone. Unbeknown to me, I was the fifth interpreter to have been summoned to reach the girl. During our professional introduction I remember taking this child into my heart. When the interpretation began, she talked through me to the psychiatrist without any problem. At the end of the session the psychiatrist pulled me aside and told me he had observed my interaction with the girl. He said that I should give psychology serious consideration because I had the caring nature necessary to succeed in the profession. He told me that this child chose to speak to me because I was there for her; that I showed her I cared; and that she knew she could trust me. That conversation played in my mind often enough that a year later I decided to enroll in a masters program in psychology and became licensed in Marriage and Family Therapy.

I worked with abused children for seven years. Knowing these children were returning to the homes where abuse took place, I decided to work with those abusing them. I started facilitating groups for parenting, anger management and domestic violence perpetrators. Deep inside I knew, and I have also been taught that hurt people hurt others and that by helping break the cycle of violence I could ensure the future safety of children. In 2003 I listened to an interview on NPR. Dr. Daniel Siegel was discussing his new book, Parenting from Inside Out. It was a revelation to me. It was precisely what I was looking for at that moment in order to move my clients further and deeper into healthy living. Dr. Siegel stated that research in child development has shown that a child’s security of attachment to parents is strongly linked to the parents’ understanding of their own childhood experience.