TBRI | Trust-Based Relational Intervention
TBRI® is designed to meet the complex needs of children who have experienced adversity, physical or emotional harm, toxic stress, and/or trauma. Because of their histories, it is often difficult for these children to trust the caregivers in their lives, often resulting in perplexing behaviors. TBRI® offers practical tools for parents, caregivers, or anyone who works with children, to see the “whole child” in their care and help that child reach his/her highest potential.
Dwell is equipped with four TBRI practitioners on staff. Earning the title of TBRI Practitioner through the Karen Purvis Institute for Child Development, our team has the knowledge, tools, and background to bring this intentional and effective connection practice to our area. With more child-focused organizations and entities focusing on trauma-informed care, Dwell provides formal, certified training to caregivers to help bridge the gap.
Register for TBRI Caregiver Training:
What is TBRI?
“TBRI® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI® uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. While the intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research, the heartbeat of TBRI® is connection.” - KARYN PURVIS INSTITUTE OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Developed by Karyn Purvis and a team of researchers at Texas Christian University, TBRI focuses on three primary principles:
Empowerment—attention to physical needs.
Connection—attention to attachment needs.
Correction—attention to behavioral needs.
Impact of TBRI Training
"The most impactful thing about Dwell's TBRI training is the integration of the lived experience of the practitioner with the skills being presented. The presenters shared real-life examples of problems seen either in practice or family, and then showed how these theories have helped to change behaviors and perspectives." - Steve McQue | Licensed Social Worker
"While I am not an adoptive or foster parent, I do care daily for a child who experienced a complicated pregnancy and survived a traumatic birth that placed her life in jeopardy. It's important for me to be cognizant of the possible effects those factors may have on her ability to regulate her emotions - TBRI principles will help me do that. Initially, I was a bit concerned because I don't possess professional credentials or a connection to the adoption/foster community. I was initially afraid that I would be out of my depth. As the presentation commenced I relaxed; the content and information was presented in a way that was accessible and relatable." - Robin White | Full time Grammy, Board of Education Trustee
What are people saying?
“The information provided in Dwell’s TBRI Training will help shed much-needed light on why children behave the way they do when they come from trauma backgrounds. Some families struggle with behaviors because they feel it is a reflection of their parenting instead of the child’s background. This training teaches that trauma can impact the behaviors of children even if the only adversity they have faced was in-utero. Even if a baby is removed from the mother at birth, there can still be lasting impacts on the baby. It’s something that often gets overlooked.” - Mark Longenberger | Director of Support Services Lycoming County Children and Youth Services
"This training was an impactful reminder that connecting and empowering come before correcting. As foster parents, we feel the need to jump in with correcting from day one, but there is reassurance that it will become more effective as we continue to work on connecting and empowering. In addition, TBRI drives home the understanding that fear and lack of trust are the driving factors behind misbehavior. The training reiterated the importance of slowing down to respond calmly, checking my body language, making eye contact, and looking for the underlying issues that need to be addressed (not just the surface anger and irritability). TBRI will help me to empower my child so that we can make positive progress." - Laura Sproat | Foster Parent
“TBRI aligns to tools, curriculums, and processes that I already use and believe in within the early childhood field (Conscious Discipline, FLIP IT, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, etc.). I’ve studied ACES and taken a few trauma trainings, but I loved that this session went into depth with the attachment cycle and brain development, and also gave proactive strategies - strategies I can give when working with teachers who are struggling to meet a child’s needs in their classroom due to trauma.” - Elizabeth Marcello | Early Care and Education Coach and ECE Adjunct Faculty