What is TBRI®? (feat. Mitzi McBride)
You may have heard of the term Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI) or trauma-informed care before, but you may not know what it is or how it can help transform how we care for children in foster care.
To help us dive deeper into this topic is Mitzi McBride. Mitzi is not only well-versed in TBRI® but is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience guiding children and families through their journey to emotional healing. She has an extensive background in foster care, community mental health, school-based counseling, and years of international orphan care in Zambia, Africa.
Mitzi currently runs her own practice called Soul Care Magnolia in the north part of Houston. She is also a dedicated wife and mother to seven children, both biological and adoptive.
In this episode, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of TBRI®, why it’s important to shift from traditional parenting methods, the impact of being attuned to a child’s needs, and much more.
You can also find this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and more.
Key Takeaways
- It’s all about trust. Children who have experienced trauma, don’t have a sense of safety and require you to build back the trust that has been broken. TBRI® works to do this through the use of Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors.
- Children don’t all have the same foundation of attachment. Traditional parenting methods aren’t as effective for children who have experienced trauma because their foundation of attachment has been severely damaged or doesn’t exist at all. We have to work to help them create a stable nervous system. This requires that we fluctuate between providing structure and nurture depending on what a child needs in a given situation.
- Take care of yourself first. When parenting a child who is dysregulated, you are automatically dysregulated. We need to regularly practice asking ourselves, “What do I need in order to be the external regulator for my kid?” This might be going on a walk, seeing a therapist, journaling about your feelings, or making sure you are drinking enough water.
Resources
- Trauma-Informed Training From The Riverside Project
- Trust-Based Relational Intervention®
- The Baffling Behavior Show
- The Baffling Behavior Show Start Here
- [BOOK] Low-Demand Parenting
- [BOOK] Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors
- [BOOK] Being a Brain-Wise Therapist: A Practical Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology
- Connect with Mitzi through her website or on Instagram.
Meet the Guest
Mitzi McBride is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience guiding children and families through their journey to emotional healing. She runs her own practice called Soul Care Magnolia and has an extensive background in foster care, community mental health, and school-based counseling. Mitzi is also a dedicated wife and mother to seven children – both biological and adoptive. When she isn’t working you can hear her cheering on the sidelines at her kids’ sporting events and she has a love for sports, traveling, drinking tea in the early evening, writing, and letting her feet touch African dirt as much as possible.
