Trauma-Informed Classrooms with Dr. Casey Call

About Our Guest

Dr. Casey Call is the Assistant Director at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KP ICD) and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the TCU Department of Psychology. She serves in various capacities at the Purvis Institute including research, training, and outreach connected to Trust-Based Relational Intervention^® (TBRI^®). Casey also teaches, advises, and mentors TCU students in the Child Development undergraduate and graduate programs. Casey is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and is a registered Circle of Security^® parent educator. She has also received training in Theraplay^® Level One and in scoring the Strange Situation Protocol.

Casey earned her B.S. in psychology from the University of North Texas in 1997 and then worked as a milieu therapist in the in-patient psychiatric unit at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas before returning to school. She earned a M.Ed. in Elementary Education from TCU and worked as an elementary school teacher in Coppell and Ft. Worth. After teaching for several years, Casey returned to TCU to earn her M.Ed. in Counseling and then worked as a middle school and high school counselor in Birdville I.S.D. Through these experiences in the education field, Casey developed a passion for teaching, learning, and improving educational systems.

Captivated by the work of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, Casey returned to TCU once again and earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology under the direction of Drs. David Cross and Karyn Purvis. Through her work at the KP ICD, Casey combines her passions of serving children and families from hard places and bringing trauma-informed interventions into systems of care.

Casey is married to Brian, a lieutenant in the Fort Worth Fire Department. They have two children, Beckett and Betsy.

About the Host

Sarah Mercado is a Training Specialist with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD). As training specialist, Sarah’s main focus is instructing professionals working with children who have experienced trauma, in Trust-Based Relational Intervention^® (TBRI^®). TBRI^®, a holistic, attachment-based, and trauma-informed intervention designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children, offers practical tools for caregivers to help those in their care reach their highest potential.

Sarah earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Sweet Briar College in Virginia. She began her career as a direct care staff working with adolescent boys living in a Residential Treatment Center (RTC). After serving in the RTC for several years, she shifted her focus to foster care, where she was Regional Director for a foster and adoption agency.

Sarah spent 20 years serving youth and families within residential and foster care settings as a direct-care worker and trainer before beginning her work with the Purvis Institute in May 2016. Sarah lives near Austin, TX with her husband, AJ, and their two children.