How do I know if my child has experienced trauma?

When we hear the word trauma, we often think of acute trauma (like a car accident). But trauma can also be relationship-based, such as in cases of abuse, neglect, multiple foster placements, long-term hospitalizations, institutionalization, and having to leave the foster family that a child has grown to love.

<strong>My adoption social worker told me I need to find a TBRI therapist. Where can I find one?</strong>

If you are looking for attachment- and trauma-informed therapy, we would advise against holding out for a therapist who is also trained in TBRI. Therapy and TBRI can complement each other well, but they are two distinct approaches that meet different needs for families.

TBRI is a parenting intervention and not a form of therapy, and not all TBRI trainers are licensed therapists. While TBRI is one beneficial modality, therapists are often trained in a much broader range of therapeutic attachment and trauma modalities, such as the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), Theraplay®, ARC (Attachment, Regulation and Competency), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Brainspotting and Neurofeedback to name a few. 

In short, while finding a therapist who has also been trained in TBRI can be very beneficial, there are many other amazing and experienced therapists who could help you and your family. 

If you are specifically seeking TBRI and not therapy, TCU KPICD keeps a list of all TBRI practitioners on their website. 

<strong>I have read “The Connected Child” by Dr. Karyn Purvis and am using the techniques, but they don’t seem to be working. What am I doing wrong?</strong>

“The Connected Child” is extremely informative, but it is really only an introduction to TBRI. If you are facing challenges, it’s very important to receive the full TBRI Caregiver Training as it expands on the three principles outlined in “The Connected Child.” Without the training, many parents jump to the correcting portion of the model before truly understanding the connecting principle and doing their own personal work. For the intervention to be effective, TBRI also requires consistency, plenty of support for parents/caregivers and, if you’re part of a two-parent household, investment from both parents. 

For families in Illinois, Holt USA offers full, ongoing, in-person TBRI caregiver courses. If you don’t live in Illinois, TCU offers an online, go-at-your-own-pace TBRI course.

<strong>Our children came home to us several years ago and we already have a strong attachment. Can we just skip the “connecting” part and go straight to the “correcting” part?</strong>

No. We all want the quickest “fix,” right? But the heart and soul of TBRI is connecting. If you skip this part, you won’t be practicing trauma-informed, connected parenting, which is the foundation for behavioral change. TBRI is investment parenting; it’s a marathon and not a race.

<strong>My kids are adolescents now. Can I still use TBRI with them?</strong>

Absolutely. The strategies, techniques and tools can be adjusted to use with older kids and teens. There is also a TBRI for Teens video just for you!