RFK

and TBRI Partnership

RFK Partnership plan with Texas Christian University (TCU) regarding the
implementation of Trust Based Relationship Intervention (TBRI)

RFK and TCU are building a partnership to implement TBRI training materials within our
Camp and Mentoring programs. This material would replace much, but not all, of the
material and understanding that we have under the title of Behavior Management.

Behavior Management techniques are designed to help manage poor behaviors of
children at Camp or Club. TBRI is designed to better understand why the behavior is
happening and then to have better techniques to deal with those behaviors through the
relationship.

TBRI is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to
meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI uses
Connecting Principles for attachment needs
Empowering Principles to address physical needs
Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors
While the intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and
neuroscience research, the heartbeat of TBRI is connection.
http://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/
When you connect to the heart of a child, everything is possible.
Dr. Karyn Purvis
It will not be as simple as just writing a new section for our manual. It will require
additional training and understanding of the children we serve and implementing the
new techniques when dealing with the children we serve.

Several Camps have already begun to use TBRI and have had significant success.

Some personal testimonies are provided on this page.

http://holtinternational.org/blog/2014/11/tbri-the-latest-and-greatest-tool-for-
adoptive-parents/

INSERT link from RFK CO promo VIDEO HERE


Because this information is valuable, but more complex, we will be implementing it in a
3-phase approach.

NOTE:
The TBRI materials were designed for parents and professionals who deal full
time with children from hard places such as adoptions, Fostering and Special
needs teachers, etc. The approach can at times be more therapeutic.

Our Camps are only one week, and our Club / Mentoring programs are only a
few hours per month over 9 months. We do not want to become therapeutic.
We just want to do a better job managing any behaviors that surface, and
helping the children be more successful.

We estimate that 20-40% of the material could be applicable to running a one-
week camp or 9-month mentoring program. We want to pull out that 20-40% of
what we can use to get through the week of camp or through the mentoring
with better success.

Our version of TBRI should look like this:
Help Volunteers to better Understand where the kids are coming from.
Give volunteers better ways to Connect with the kids.
Give volunteers better ways to Empower the kids to correct themselves, i.e. behavior
self-management.
Give volunteers better ways to Correct poor behavior that works effectively while
acknowledging their history of abuse or neglect.

There are a number of Free Resources provided at the end of this document

What can be done before Camp and Club this season, 2016?
Phase One:

1.

Read the book, The Connected Child by Karyn Pruvis, David Cross and
Wendy Sunshine. It was written before they coined the term TBRI, but
all of the information is relevant. The book is a mixture of
understanding and techniques. http://child.tcu.edu/resources/
($8-12) Amazon or TCU store etc.
A brief review - http://empoweredtoconnect.org/book/

Free downloadable version of Chapter 4:




2.

http://child.tcu.edu/resources/
Video (free) An Introduction to TBRI video (1 hour)
http://child.tcu.edu/resources/ or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vjVpRffgHQ&featu
re=youtu.be

3.

DVD's TCU has produced several DVDs that can be

viewed for a better understanding of TBRI.

Options for use: Have your Social Worker / Psychologist or your
response team that handles trauma issues, view these
materials, and then they can implement or train on what they
have learned.
Or show the applicable DVDs during Camp / Club training.

DVDs average $30 to $50 each.
http://child.tcu.edu/store/healing-families-dvds/
These dvds are being repackaged, so they are temporarily out of stock. The new
packages should be ready during the first 2 weeks of March.

We recommend starting with the following videos:
Free Intro to TBRI (above)
TBRI Overview
Children from Hard Places and the Brain
Trust-Based Parenting
Various video clips available by topic:
http://empoweredtoconnect.org/content-types/video/

Phase Two:

For 2016 or 2017.

Phase 2 is more appropriate for your Social Worker / Psychologist or your Response
Team to gain additional knowledge and then implement or train your volunteers locally.

1.
Attend an in-person or a simulcast, the Two-day Empowered to Connect
Conference presented by Show Hope (another partner of TCU). They will discuss
TRBI for parents and professions. You can gain great insights for Camp or Club.

2.

3.

Not necessarily for all volunteers, but great for leaders or response team
members.

A church can host the broadcast for $200-300. Two days (Friday & Saturday).
Last year they had 14,000 viewers. http://empoweredtoconnect.org/
Put together at a local level, an in-person 2-day training that is geared more
specifically to the Camp and Club needs. TCU has authorized trainers around the
country who can meet with you and put on a TBRI training that is geared more
directly towards Camp and Club exposure. It would most likely require teaming
up with multiple Camps and Clubs in order to split the costs. RFK Inc. can
provide an authorized trainers list that has been pre-selected by TCU for this
purpose.
RFK Inc. may be able to host several 2-day TBRI trainings in conjunction with the
Regional trainings in 2017. No guarantees, but we are exploring the idea.

Phase Three:

For 2017 / 2018 and beyond.

1.

RFK Inc. selects 3-4 Train-the-Trainers to go through the 1-week TBRI training at
TCU. This training requires 10 weeks of pre and post homework assignments.
These RFK Trainers would then be able to update written materials and present
very specific TBRI training that is geared towards the RFK model, language and
culture.

Free Resources on TBRI

Article:
o Purvis, K.B., Cross, D.R., Dansereau, D.F., & Parris, S.R. (2013). Trust-Based
Relational Intervention (TBRI): A Systemic Approach to Complex
Developmental Trauma. Child & Youth Services, 34(4), 360-386.
o http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3877861/

Article

o TBRI Practice Briefs and then click on Weighted Items: Tools for Helping
Children Learn to Regulate
o http://child.tcu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ICD-Weighted-Items-
final.pdf

Article:
o Purvis, K.B. & Cross, D.R. (2013). The Healing Power of Giving Voice.
Adoption Advocate No. 61. Alexandria, VA: National Council for Adoption.
http://www.adoptioncouncil.org/resources/adoption-advocate
o https://www.adoptioncouncil.org/files/large/f7bb17e8fba418b

Articles: Various

http://child.tcu.edu/resources/articles/

Book Chapter 4:

o To download The Connected Child book Chapter 4

o http://child.tcu.edu/resources/

Study Guide: Biblical principles that serve as the foundation for the philosophy and
interventions detailed in The Connected Child.
Free of charge, a pdf file of the entire study guide, or chapter-by-chapter.
Printed copies of the study guide are also available for purchase from
Empowered to Connect
o http://empoweredtoconnect.org/guide/



Conferences and Simulcast: Produced by Show Hope

http://empoweredtoconnect.org/conferences/

Video Intro to TBRI
An Introduction to TBRI video (1 hour)
o http://child.tcu.edu/resources/
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vjVpRffgHQ&feature=youtu.be

Video Shorts: http://empoweredtoconnect.org/content-types/video/

Video:

Children from Hard Places and the Brain Preview

o https://youtu.be/nAkZxYjCkB4
o YouTube (10:32)

Videos on Youtube: Various listed short videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vjVpRffgHQ&feature=youtu.be