MCH Family Outreach in Waco brought together several members
of the community for the Empowered to Connect conference simulcast April 7-8 at
the Waco campus. The conference was hosted by The Karyn Purvis Institute of
Child Development at Texas Christian University and Show Hope, a nonprofit
organization based in Franklin, Tenn.
Methodist Children’s Home (MCH) has a partnership with the
Purvis Institute in utilizing Trust-Based Relational Intervention techniques
into its childcare practices. Show Hope is an international movement to care
for orphans through adoption aid, care centers, adoption support and student
initiatives. The two agencies joined together for the Empowered to Connect
conference which is designed to give professionals and adoptive and foster parents
insight into connecting better with children who have experienced emotional or
physical trauma and help them to heal.
The conference was held in Tennessee, but many agencies,
including MCH, hosted simulcasts in their communities. Around 40 people
attended the MCH simulcast including foster and adoptive parents, social
workers, school staff, counselors and local nonprofit case managers.
“We believe that the information provided in this training
and other trauma-informed care trainings we offer at MCH have the power to
offer hope and transformation to families,” said Brooke Davilla, director of
MCH Family Outreach in Waco. “We desire for everyone who is a caregiver or
works with children to be exposed to this information and be equipped with
practical tools which can assist them in their different roles with children.”
The two-day conference provided presentations to explain the
effects of trauma on the brain, how to form healing connections, helping
improve behavior, and other helpful trainings.
“One of the biggest impacts is to witness the relief and
understanding that washes over caregivers when they hear the effects of trauma
on children and adults,” Davilla said. “Many of our caregivers feel at a loss
or don’t know how to explain what they are experiencing with their children, so
when they hear they are not alone and that there is hope for healing, it is
transformative.
“Overall, we think it was a huge success,” she continued.
“We hope to continue to offer opportunities such as this in the future for our
community.”
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