About Us
Social Work at Public Counsel
Public Counsel’s social workers offer holistic and collaborative social-emotional support to our clients in the Children’s Rights, Immigrants’ Rights, and Women & Girls’ Rights Projects. The support is grounded in trauma-informed, healing-centered, anti-racist methodology.
The social work team offers education to Public Counsel staff and volunteers on compassion fatigue, trauma-informed practice, client-centered ideology, boundary setting, and skills for working with clients in crisis. By partnering with clients and coworkers, our social workers strengthen the legal interventions we seek for our clients.
The Social Work Team
![](https://publiccounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Bernadette-Medina-Gholami.jpg)
Bernadette Gholami
Senior Social Worker
![](https://publiccounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Carrie-Vereide.jpg)
Carrie Vereide
Social Worker
![](https://publiccounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Cindy-Franco.jpg)
Cindy Franco
Social Worker
![](https://publiccounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Judy-Verduzco_Headshot-scaled.jpg)
Judy Verduzco
Director of Social Work
![](https://publiccounsel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Mara-Ziegler.jpg)
Mara Ziegler
Senior Social Worker
![Default staff photo](/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PC-Logo_staff-page_no-photo.jpg)
Yvette Solano
Social Worker