Children at Risk

WHO IS IT FOR AND WHO SHOULD USE IT?

TBRI® is designed to meet the complex needs of children who have experienced adversity, early harm, toxic stress, and/or trauma. Because of their histories, it is often difficult for these children to trust the loving adults in their lives, which often results in perplexing behaviors. TBRI® offers practical tools for parents, caregivers, teachers, or anyone who works with children, to see the “whole child” in their care and help that child reach his highest potential.

WHY USE IT?

Because of their histories, children who have experienced trauma have changes in their bodies, brains, behaviors, and belief systems. While a variety of parenting strategies may be successful in typical circumstances, children with histories of harm need caregiving that meets their unique needs and addresses the whole child. That said, we’ve found that any child benefits from a nurturing, trusting relationship with a safe adult.

WHERE IS IT USED?

TBRI® is used worldwide in homes, residential facilities, group homes, schools, camps, juvenile justice facilities, courts, with survivors of sex trafficking, in faith communities, courts, with law enforcement, in clinical practices, and beyond.

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

If you’d like to get started right away, we encourage you to visit and explore the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD) site for more information and resources. Reading the KPICD’s book, The Connected Child, or viewing any of its DVDs are both great places to start. TBRI 101: A Self-Guided Course in Trust-Based Relationships also provides nearly eight hours of instruction on the intervention. Through its parent resource page, the KPICD offers a few ideas for parents to start learning how to implement trust-based parenting in a variety of ways. Professionals can apply to attend the Institute’s TBRI® Practitioner Training.