Trust-Based Relational Intervention for TCKs Bethanie Skipper
Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is a program designed for parents, caregivers, and teachers to help build trusting relationships with children. By definition it “is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children.” When a baby cries in a normal, healthy environment the parent says, “I will comfort you.” The parent continues to provide comfort for the child’s needs until the child learns for himself that he has a voice to express his needs and learns to trust the parent to meet those needs. This is one of the key lessons that children learn during their first year of life. But when this cycle of needs expressed and consistently met is interrupted by any form of neglect, abuse, illness, or trauma the healthy mental, emotional, and physical development of the child can be interrupted. TBRI can be used to address third-culture kid (TCK) issues from a developmental perspective. Most TCKs who struggle with transitions and emotional health have experienced some form of trauma early in their development due to their many life transitions. TBRI’s framework can be applied to support TCKs as they navigate different life seasons and can aid in their experiencing healthier, smoother transitions.
Overview of TBRI Dr. Karyn Purvis, co-founder of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas, and co-creator of Trust-Based Relational Intervention, explains it in this way: “Many children today come from difficult and painful backgrounds. As a result, their capacity to trust has been severely damaged. When children cry and nobody comes, it dramatically alters the brain chemistry of a child. The child who has experienced loss, abuse or trauma has no hope of healing without experiencing a nurturing relationship with parents or other significant adults. Whenever I make time and space for a child or give them touch or my words, I’m taking him/her back to the beginning and empowering them. I’m giving them what they should have received from loving parents who said to them, ‘When you cry, I will come.’” Continues Purvis, “The phenomenal thing about TrustBased Relational Intervention is that when we connect with the child, build a relationship and create a safe environment for him or her, we actually change the chemistry of their brain and how it is wired. This is the foundation of what we are and what we do. When the child talks, do I stop what I am doing and listen to them or talk with him/her? Do I make eye contact with him/her and connect? This is the essence of mindfulness. When the child is cold, hungry, or afraid, this is all balanced when the caregiver comes and gives warmth. All regulation occurs first with an outside, external regulator.
December 2020
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