TBRI: Building Trust and Healing Through Connection

What Is TBRI?

Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is a therapeutic model that equips caregivers and educators to provide effective support for at-risk children, especially those who have experienced trauma, neglect, or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

Developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (Texas Christian University), TBRI is grounded in neuroscience, attachment theory, and child development. It is designed to help children feel safe, connected, and capable of regulation; the foundation for emotional healing and academic growth.

The Three Core Principles of TBRI

TBRI rests on three interwoven pillars: Empowering, Connecting, and Correcting principles. Together, they form a holistic framework that meets both the biological and relational needs of the child.

1. Empowering Principles: Meeting Physical Needs First

When a child feels unsafe or dysregulated, learning and connection cannot occur. Empowering principles help caregivers meet the biological and sensory needs that allow the brain to calm and focus.

Key strategies include:

• Ensuring regular nutrition and hydration to stabilize mood and attention.

• Maintaining consistent routines that provide predictability.

• Offering a sensory-rich environment that helps the child stay regulated (e.g., movement breaks, soft lighting, quiet spaces).

When physical safety is restored, emotional safety becomes possible.

2. Connecting Principles: Building Attachment and Trust

Connection is the heart of TBRI. These principles guide caregivers to nurture attachment and build trust through intentional, attuned interactions.

Examples include:

• Maintaining eye contact and using a warm, gentle tone.

• Offering nurturing touch (when appropriate and safe).

• Practicing empathetic listening, hearing the feelings behind the behavior.

• Using playful engagement to strengthen bonds and lower defensiveness.

Through consistent connection, children learn that adults are safe, predictable, and responsive.

3. Correcting Principles: Guiding Behavior Through Teaching

Instead of punishing misbehavior, TBRI helps caregivers teach regulation and social skills. These principles focus on guidance, not control; helping children understand expectations and repair relationships after mistakes.

Core practices include:

• Using Life Value Terms (simple, repeated phrases) like “gentle hands” or “safe body.”

• Practicing proactive interventions, meeting needs before they escalate into conflict.

• Modeling calm and emotional regulation during challenging moments.

• Reinforcing positive choices with immediate, specific praise.

TBRI replaces fear-based discipline with relational teaching, empowering both child and caregiver.

The Science Behind TBRI

TBRI’s framework is deeply informed by decades of research in neuroscience, attachment theory, and developmental psychology.

• Neuroplasticity: The brain can rewire itself. Through safe, consistent interactions, TBRI helps children form new, healthy neural pathways in areas affected by trauma.

• Attachment Theory: Originally developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, this theory highlights the critical role of secure bonds. TBRI fosters those bonds through repeated, trust-building experiences.

• Regulation: Traumatized children often operate in a constant state of “fight, flight, or freeze.” TBRI teaches caregivers to co-regulate with children, helping them return to calm and readiness to learn.

(Explore more from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development or Empower to Connect).

Practical Applications of TBRI

TBRI is not theoretical, it’s profoundly practical. These strategies can be implemented at home, in classrooms, and in therapy settings:

• Consistent Routines: Provide stability and predictability.

• Playful Engagement: Use humor and shared play to disarm fear.

• Proactive Interventions: Notice triggers and address needs before escalation.

• Life Value Terms: Teach values through short, repeated phrases (“kind voice,” “safe space,” “gentle hands”).

Every small moment of attuned care contributes to healing and resilience.

Training and Support

Caregivers, teachers, and professionals can participate in TBRI training through workshops, videos, and certification programs. These trainings provide the why (science) and the how (practice) of relational caregiving, ensuring participants can implement TBRI confidently and sustainably.

For those working in schools, integrating TBRI principles with trauma-informed classroom management creates a culture of empathy and regulation, not control.

Stories of Success and Hope

Families and educators worldwide report powerful transformations after applying TBRI. Children once labeled as “defiant” or “unreachable” begin to:

• Demonstrate empathy and self-control,

• Form healthy attachments, and

• Thrive emotionally, socially, and academically.

Healing begins not with control, but with connection, and TBRI makes that healing tangible.

Conclusion

TBRI is more than a method; it’s a mindset. By meeting physical needs, building trust, and teaching self-regulation, caregivers give children the foundation to heal and grow.

When we change the way we see behavior, we change the way we respond, and we open the door to lifelong transformation.

Written by Derek Setser, educator and founder of Turning Scholars Into Leaders. Explore related insights on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Trauma-Informed Classrooms.