Mental health counselor and 麻豆传媒 (PBA)听alumna听Bonnie Jo Daniels听knows a thing or two about fighting.听She has spent听the last听15听years of her life advocating for victims and spreading awareness about human trafficking. For Daniels, the key to winning against one of the darkest forces of humanity is not a good right hook;听it鈥檚听persistence, education, and most importantly, hope.听
Daniels presented her knowledge at a听seminar听on January听17,听2026,听with听the听 at PBA. The main takeaways from the seminar are not just to alert audiences to the sheer amount of trafficking happening in their own听communities, but听also听to听connect them with coalitions and foundations that exist to help and educate. The seminars were born from The Human Trafficking Coalition in celebration of their 25th anniversary, with legacy awards presented to some of their longest-serving members, including Daniels.听
The Mission of a Broken Heart听
Daniels refers to the way she became involved in the fight against human trafficking as a 鈥淕od听story.鈥� The night before she was supposed to go on a mission trip in China, she ended up watching a documentary about trafficking. The film was really touching because听her听grandson听was听the same age as the child in the film. She collapsed to the floor听in听pain and agony over what a terrible reality some of God鈥檚听children are forced to bear.听听
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 figure out why God would break my heart that tenderly,鈥� Daniels expressed.听
That one spiritual experience sparked in her a desire to learn more about the cause听of听opposing听human trafficking. On her mission trip and when she returned, God opened her eyes to the trafficking going on around the globe and even in her own city. Fifteen years ago,听Daniels said听it felt like no one was talking about human trafficking, but to听her, it had become impossible to ignore. God chased her with a听calling听and she started her journey in faith, not knowing where each new coalition meeting would lead. One of those听meetings eventually resulted in her becoming a member of the Christ Fellowship鈥檚 Hope听for听Freedom Ministry team, which听works听directly with trafficking victims听by providing a safe house.听听
The Toolkit of Education听听
While running the safe house, Daniels noticed the high turnover among therapists who worked with the听victims.听Motivated to provide a source of consistency for victims,听she returned to听higher education in her fifties by enrolling in graduate school at PBA.听In 2017, she graduated with听a听master’s听in听Clinical听Mental Health Counseling. Furthering her education gave her the tools to move from听administrative听roles听in听the safe house to providing individual care for those who have听experienced massive trauma to their minds and bodies.听听
Being Hope in a World of Despair听
Hosting听human trafficking seminars at a听university听level is critical in West Palm Beach as the most at risk population is the undergraduate age group.听By educating and raising awareness about the issue, not only can young people be inspired to start talking about it and听taking听action, but also, hopefully, help decrease the number of potential victims in the demographic.听
鈥淭he value of getting to the target group before the traffickers is priceless,鈥� Daniels said. 鈥淓ducation is priceless. Awareness is priceless.鈥�听
Daniels is aware that human trafficking is a heavy听topic听and听advises her new volunteers to pace themselves with their education. She recognizes that it is easy to be overwhelmed or exhausted by the amount of evil in the听world听and听emphasizes to her volunteers that they should still rest and enjoy life as they keep fighting.听听
Daniels听believes that,听at the end of the day, the hope in such听dire situation听is always found in Jesus, and听His followers听are called to be more than advocates fighting for social justice. By spreading the Gospel, Christians help fight back against the darkness with the joy of God鈥檚 love.听
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 go dabbling in the darkness without abiding in the light,鈥� Daniels stated.听听鈥淲e don鈥檛 want the darkness to wreck any soul in the process of doing good.鈥�听
To learn more about PBA鈥檚 Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, click here.
