Staff attend TBRI training

MCH staff are ready to share their knowledge on Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) after a five-day training in Fort Worth Oct. 13-17.  Twenty-one staff members from Waco, Boys Ranch and the outreach offices attended the TBRI Professional Training Program on “Empowering, Connecting, and Correcting” children from hard places which prepares participants to train others in the childcare method.

TBRI is an intervention model of care for a wide range of childhood behavioral problems designed for children who have experienced relationship-based trauma. MCH partnered with Texas Christian University’s Institute of Child Development to implement TBRI into our everyday care. Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross of TCU developed the strategies and principles of TBRI and led the five-day training.

Before attending, each participant took a neurotransmitter lab test and submitted to a two-hour phone interview about their childhood in order to determine their adult attachment style. This allowed them to see what each child in the program goes through while also providing insight into their own lives in order to help prepare them to care for traumatized children.

All staff who attended the training in Fort Worth began pre-coursework from July 28-Oct. 6 and will also be responsible for 11 weeks of post-training beginning in November. After completion, the staff will be certified to teach TBRI to other staff.

“It was a wonderful experience and we all walked away with more knowledge about TBRI and new skills to bring back to our programs,” said Philana Hollingsworth, case manager for MCH Family Outreach in Tyler. “It was a time to get to know others working in our line of work and to reflect on the true purpose of why we do what we do... to offer hope to children and families.”