On Wednesday, May 7ththe Travis County Collaborative for Children (TCCC) convened an introductory seminar on Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI). The all-day event was held at Grace Covenant Church in Austin, TX and was co-sponsored by Greenlights , an innovative Austin-base non-profit that specializes in organizational development.
The TCCC is interested in reframing Texas’ approach to mental health and trauma, and is bringing Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross in as trainers from Texas Christian University (TCU) in Ft. Worth to Austin to spearhead this change with local support.
The day began with an introduction of the agenda by Judge Hathaway and a lively set of topics that enchanted, enlightened and visibly touched the audience. Attendees included clinicians, counselors, educators, RTC administrators, faith-based organizations, juvenile justice workers, attorneys, judges, lobbyists, associations, and many more!
The major framework for TBRI is Trauma-Informed Care. Trauma-Informed Care is a strengths-based approach to mental health care, and is especially valuable and indeed, crucial to equipping providers serving children with traumatic histories with tools to meet the needs of the clients. Break-out topics of the event were as follows: TBRI: Trauma-Informed Care; Sensory Needs; Behavioral Change; and Systems Change. The introduction to TBRI essentially began with the foundation of T-I-C, and moved from micro to mezzo to macro, tracking the application of TBRI and the many changes it can influence from an individual to a societal level.
One of the most striking aspects of TBRI is that it is moving away from cognitive approaches characterized by the mental health field in recent years, towards a holistic, person-in-environment approach that honors the development of attachment in consumers. TBRI provides an opportunity for clinicians, administrators and policy makers to nurture those they serve.
Dr. Purvis and Dr. Cross chose Austin as the site of TCCC strategically because they view Austin as an opportunity to introduce great change to Foster Care Re-design; strategically, Austin is a wonderful platform for legislative change as it’s the capital and already attracts many change agents. TNOYS is excited to bear witness to TCCC and to possibly participate as an advocate for youth empowerment and voice within the initiative.
TBRI and TCCC speak to the trends in Texas and the country. Along with TNOYS and the Hogg Foundation’s Creating a Culture of Care initiative, Trauma-Informed Care is indeed the next innovation to impact the delivery of social services. We at TNOYS are excited for the possibilities of TBRI and look forward to participating in many more collaborative initiatives that utilize strengths-based, solution-focused interventions.
– Jessa Glick
