About

Welcome to this space of safety and security. My name is Veronica Del Pino and my beginnings were small. I am a first-generation Ecuadorian American who was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago.

My parents taught me two languages as they acclimated to the United States. As a child of a bilingual and bicultural home, I felt like I lived in two worlds. My first notion of speaking another language was often confusing. A principal at my first school told my mother that it was more important to speak to her children primarily in English. My mother’s response was to continue speaking in Spanish to her daughters. Even back then she was a rebel. Children can easily learn two languages even as caregivers at home teach them another. It was very strange how these particular teachers pressured my mother to conform to speak “English only” all in the name of how to best educate her daughters. Assimilating was daunting but we persevered. My parents encouraged education.

Even so, as a young woman, I often struggled with school and fitting in. I chose to continue my education. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Social Work from universities in Chicago. After graduating, I was in high demand thanks to my language skills.

Straight out of graduate school I got my dream job, working with children ages 0-5 who were exposed to some type of trauma. When an allegation of abuse is disclosed to a provider like a pediatrician or teacher, children are referred to the CAC (Children’s Advocacy Center).  

I worked in the Safe From the Start Program. I provided play therapy for vulnerable children that witnessed domestic violence in their homes, or had been abused. I worked with caregivers in setting out treatment goals, enabling them to understand the impact of trauma on their children. I helped them understand why their child was acting aggressively or feeling depressed due to being exposed to violence. Play therapy also allowed space for caregivers to respond to their child in calming ways and learning techniques to handle very intense moments like a tantrum. My job included working with providers like Head Start programs that saw many of our at-risk children and their caregivers. We provided prosocial skills groups for children in Head Start educational settings. I also provided home visits to understand the context of the family’s home life.

After a decade of working with children. I became a mother myself. I became aware of the importance of what it meant to have the mother-child bond. I understood what it meant to sacrifice parts of my identity for a small vulnerable child. But I was also needed as a role model, so I had to draw on many different parts of myself. This included so many aspects of my identity as a woman. Motherhood has forever changed my concept of becoming a better person. I learned I have to care for myself to better care for my children. However, this concept was easier said than done.

My values