TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. At Strands of Compassion, we implement TBRI as our model of care. TBRI was developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross at the Child Development Institute at Texas Christian University. TBRI is a holistic intervention that meets the needs of the whole child. It is an approach to caregiving that is developmentally respectful, responsive to trauma, and is attachment-based. TBRI purports three principles are the foundation for working with kids from hard places – Connecting, Empowering, and Correcting. Randy and Rhonda Cummins, the founders of Strands of Compassion, are certified practitioners in TBRI. They provide education to those who are looking for insight on children who come from hard places and the courses allow those who want to be certified gain the hours needed to get their certification.
TBRI has equipped our staff, foster families, and all those who work with kids that come from hard places to meet the child where they actually are with regards to their emotional and mental health needs, and not where they assume they should be based on age. TBRI teaches with the “Connecting Principles” that through connecting with the child and building a trusting relationship, we can more adequately understand the child’s needs and work with them to be successful. It teaches to recognize any sensory needs the child may have, any triggers that could set the child off, and how to raise and lower the bar with their child from day to day. Those who work with kids that come from hard places are then able to accurately communicate all of this information to the child’s teachers so that they can work with the child at school to best maximize their potential. TBRI also teaches with the “Empowering Principles” how to meet the child’s nutrition and hydration needs by providing healthy meals and frequent snacks. The children are set up for success in school by being provided a nutritious breakfast, healthy lunch, and snacks to take to school to help them stay focused throughout the day. It is important to use TBRI consistently in order to build healthy connections with our children. Because our youth have such complex histories of trauma, we believe that even the smallest improvement in a therapeutic connection with a healthy adult is still improvement. Every child is unique, and TBRI focuses on meeting each child where they are. Each child has various needs and desires for connectivity, and TBRI allows us to interact with them in a way that fosters individualized growth. TBRI teaches that each child needs to establish positive, healthy relationships with their caregivers and we work hard to build trusting, nurturing relationships with the children in our lives. Not only are their basic needs met, TBRI goes a step further and teaches that these children need so much more – they need to have access to healthy foods and snacks 24/7, they need to have a voice and know that choices and compromises are a way that we give voice, they need to know that there are safe adults who will meet their needs, they need to feel connected to their caregiver and feel that they are safe with them. When we use TBRI, the children we work with are going to learn skills they didn’t previously have and they can continue building on what they’ve established. Strands of Compassion has been utilizing TBRI since 2016. All of our staff go through TBRI training, and receive coaching on a regular basis on how TBRI can help them better work with and connect with kids that come from hard places.