An Open Letter to Parents of Children From Hard Places

by: Amanda Purvis

Editors Note: At this year’s Empowered to Connect Conference, Amanda Purvis,Training Specialist, shared this letter she wrote to fellow adoptive and foster parents. We’ve published the letter here in hopes that it letter will encourage parents doing some of the very hardest work of caring for children from hard places. 

 

To my fellow sojourners on the journey to true identity and health:

If you decide to join me and others like us on this journey, you will not regret it, but it will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. Being part of something that requires all of you means you will have to release many things that have carried you thus far on your journey. You will have to release strategies that have served you well but have now become weights as you attempt to become the truest form of who you were meant to be all along. You will have to release these weights so you can help the ones to which you were called. (more…)

The Connected Child in Latvian!

by: Emmelie Pickett

Here at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, we often say that we are learning to change the world for children – and we do mean the world. Sadly, there are vulnerable children across the globe needing trust-based relationships to help them heal. We design trainings and resources, but we rely on our international partners to help us take Trust-based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) to non-English speaking countries.

Vesma Sandberg, a TBRI® Practitioner, recently worked to have our book, The Connected Child, translated into Latvian. The book was released in February 2018, and we sat down with Vesma to learn more about her experience through the translation and publication process. (more…)

Building Resilience in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters

by: Katie Thornton

In light of the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida and the wildfires in several Western states, we wanted to offer some ideas for helping families cope in times of natural disaster. We’re mindful that many of our partners and TBRI Practitioners have been affected by these events, and our hearts are with you as you navigate this difficult time.


While we most often focus on relational trauma in our work, recent news has turned our focus to another risk factor of childhood trauma: natural disasters. (more…)

TBRI® Classrooms

by Emmelie Pickett

Because millions of American school-aged children have experienced abuse, neglect or trauma, we have developed many resources to help educators create healing learning environments to meet the unique needs of these vulnerable children. While some of these resources are not geared specifically to a classroom setting, our hope is that anyone who works with children from hard places can glean insights about how trauma affects the brain and how to bring deep healing to the children they serve.

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TBRI® Life Values Free Printable!

TBRI Life Values are short scripts designed to guide children toward optimal behavior. What we love most about the TBRI Life Values is that they create a language of respect in families, groups, and classrooms. Remember that TBRI Life Values are most effective when they’re taught proactively during moments of calm when children are ready to learn.

Feel free to print the set of 10 TBRI Life Values and hang them on a classroom bulletin board, on a refrigerator at home, or in an office to remind yourself to use the TBRI Life Values with the children you serve. As the children learn these short scripts, these signs can be a great reminder for them, too.

For more information about the TBRI Life Values, check out Chapter 5 of our Trust-Based Parenting DVD or this article.

Click here to download the TBRI Life Values Printable

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