Raise the Future has been finding permanent homes for older children in foster care in Colorado for more than 40 years. They have proven they know how to find those safe, adult connections for children who’ve suffered from trauma. One important component of their work is providing support to family to strengthen their bonds. Trust based relational intervention, or TBRI, is a big part of that work.
TBRI is a trauma-informed set of tools designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children and help parents build trust, address physical and emotional needs, and guide appropriate behavior through compassionate caregiving. It was developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University. Raise the Future is certified in the practice and training of TBRI.
Katrina used TBRI methods to help her connect with her grandsons. Tristan, 12 and Timothy, 10 are living with their grandmother. It’s been an adjustment for the whole family.
“I come from, of course, respect and obey. Where they were not in that area, so we weren’t connecting at all, It was just a miscommunications,” Katrina told CBS News Colorado.
She said that she felt overwhelmed by the two boys. She felt like generationally they were on two different levels, and she felt like she was doing something wrong.
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“I felt like I was being disrespected, but it was them crying for that attention. I was missing the cues because I was in, ‘This was the way I was raised. This is the way that you parent,’” Katrina explained.
She sought help through Raise the Future. She took classes in TBRI and was paired up with a family support coach, Miss Jen. Miss Jen came into the home to work with the family directly.
“She came in, and she used puppets for teaching them how to do redo’s and to show them the right way and the wrong way how to talk,” Katrina said.
“When we’re super excited, she does the puppets and it calms us down, like we don’t get so excited. We all know what’s going to happen,” Timothy explained.
The redo’s are a very helpful tool for the brothers.
“When you do something that’s not good, you get another chance to try again,” Timothy said.
That second chance is important for resetting the moment and allowing everyone to deescalate.
“You could feel bad because you did it wrong the first time, but when you do it in a redo you feel good about yourself,” Timothy added.
The boys feel heard and seen for maybe the first time in their lives. Katrina feels more empowered to handle the situations that crop up in her household. She’s excited to see them start to thrive.
“Both of them are very outgoing and have a lot of friends which is a whole lot different that what they experienced in the beginning,” Katrina said.
LINK: A Day for Wednesday’s Child
You can support the work of Raise the Future by joining CBS Colorado for A Day for Wednesday’s Child. On April 16, 2025, CBS News Colorado will be doing a full day of awareness and fundraising for Raise the Future.
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