Healing Bruja Counseling and Consulting

03/20/2026

Believe Survivors. Full stop.

Digital illustration of two people comforting another person looking up at the sun. Text reads, ‘listen to survivors, support survivors, believe survivors.’

03/19/2026

03/19/2026

03/19/2026

We stand with Dolores Huerta and all survivors of se xual violence.

CW: Sê×uaI VioIence

I got home last night from another trip down to Panama and saw news that crushed me.

But it didn’t surprise me. And that’s somehow worse, but that’s how it’s been for years now, as I am never, NEVER fu***ng surprised to hear that a man in power has used that power to sê×ually exploit women and girls. I really wish I were, but here we fu***ng are.

Dolores Huerta, the labor activist well-known for her work with national civil rights icon César Chávez, disclosed to ABC News yesterday that she had been manipulated and pressured into having sê× with Chávez.

Her bombshell was in response to a New York Times article on allegations of the sê×uaI abuse of women and girls by Chávez.

In this piece, one of his victims detailed how he first touched her sê×ually when she was only 12. She was 15 when he first r*ped her.

Another victim stated how she was summoned for sê×uaI encounters with Chávez dozens of times over a four-year period. This abuse began when she was 13-years-old; Chávez was 45.

Huerta hid her own abuse as she didn’t want to hurt the movement she was a part of.

“I can no longer stay silent and must share my own experiences,” Huerta said.

"The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me. My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years. There are no words strong enough to condemn those deplorable actions. César's actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement."

She went on to give details on her own exploitation by Chávez.

"The first time I was manipulated and pressured into having sê× with him, and I didn't feel I could say no because he was someone that I admired, my boss and the leader of the movement I had already devoted years of my life to," Huerta said. "The second time I was forced, against my will, and in an environment where I felt trapped."

Both unwanted encounters with Chávez led to pregnancies; pregnancies that she kept secret and later arranged for them to be raised by other families. Fortunately, she was able to build a relationship with these children later on.

Huerta said she carried this secret for as long as she did because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was her life’s work. And she likely knew this scandal would be blamed on her, because of course it would, and would derail all of her efforts, and the blood, sweat, and tears would be for nothing.

“The formation of a union was the only vehicle to accomplish and secure those rights, and I wasn’t going to let César or anyone else get in the way,” Huerta said.

I first wrote a biography on Dolores Huerta in 2021, and she appears in the first volume of Brief Biographies of Badass Bi***es. Since it’s already been published, I am not going to alter the bio itself - which I will link below - but I am sitting here pi**ed that yet another badass woman I’ve written about falls into the “thrived despite being on the receiving end of sê×ual violence at the hands of mên,” as that list is way too fu***ng long as it is.

Again, not surprised. Just saddened.

⤵️⤵️⤵️

03/12/2026

Telling a child to “calm down” does not teach them how to calm down.

Young children are not born knowing how to manage anger, frustration, fear, or overwhelm. Their brains are still developing. When emotions become too big, the thinking part of the brain goes offline. In that moment, the child cannot reason, listen, or control their behaviour.

What helps is a calm adult.

When an adult stays steady, speaks gently, and helps the child name what they feel, the child’s nervous system begins to settle. This process is called co-regulation. It is how children gradually learn self-regulation, emotional control, and coping skills.

Over time, children internalise these calm responses. The words we use, the patience we show, and the safety we provide slowly become the child’s own inner voice.

Children do not learn emotional regulation from fear, pressure, or punishment.

They learn it from connection, safety, and calm adults.

LIKE the photo and comment "REGULATION" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

03/09/2026

In her story, every chapter gets stronger than the last.
Happy Women’s Day.❤

03/08/2026

03/06/2026

03/01/2026

Happy social work month to my fellow social workers. Thank you for the work you do!

03/01/2026

Friend breakups such heartbreaking experiences, but they don’t get nearly as much attention as romantic breakups do. If you’re going through one, I hope these tips are helpful! ❤️‍🩹