Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is an attachment-based, trauma-informed approach developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross at the Texas Christian University (TCU) Institute of Child Development. This therapeutic model is designed to meet the complex needs of children who have experienced trauma, neglect, or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). These experiences often result in attachment difficulties and fear-based behaviors.
TBRI recognizes that a child’s history of early harm can disrupt typical development, leading to difficulties in emotional regulation and trust. The model provides caregivers—including parents, teachers, and professionals—with practical tools to see the “whole child” and respond to their needs with empathy and consistency. TBRI is built upon three interconnected sets of principles: Empowering, Connecting, and Correcting, which work together to create an environment of trust and felt safety.
Empowering Principles
Empowering Principles focus on addressing the child’s physical and physiological needs, which are often dysregulated due to early trauma and toxic stress. This foundation of bodily regulation is necessary before a child can effectively engage in relational or behavioral work. The principles are divided into Physiological Strategies and Ecological Strategies, designed to help the child achieve an internal and external sense of safety.
Physiological Strategies
Physiological Strategies directly target the internal physical needs that influence a child’s emotional state and behavior, such as blood sugar stability, hydration, and sensory input. Caregivers are encouraged to offer protein-rich snacks and water frequently to maintain stable blood sugar levels and prevent dysregulation. Sensory needs are also addressed, recognizing that many children process sensory information differently, often requiring activities like deep pressure or movement to help organize their nervous system.
Ecological Strategies
Ecological Strategies involve arranging the child’s environment to promote felt safety and predictability. Establishing consistent routines and daily rituals helps to build a sense of control and security for children whose lives were previously unpredictable. Caregivers also focus on managing transitions, which can be challenging for fear-driven children, by providing clear communication and scaffolding. Creating a structured, predictable environment reduces the child’s need to remain in a heightened state of alert, allowing their brain to shift away from survival mode.
Connecting Principles
The Connecting Principles form the relational core of TBRI, focusing on building secure attachment and creating “felt safety” by disarming a child’s fear-based behaviors. This set of strategies emphasizes nurturing interaction and dyadic attunement, which help repair relational disruptions caused by early adversity. Connection is achieved through two main strategies: Mindful Awareness and Engagement.
Mindful Awareness
Mindful Awareness requires the caregiver to be fully present and self-aware, recognizing their own emotional responses and relationship history. This self-reflection allows the caregiver to look past the child’s outward behavior and understand the underlying need or fear driving it. The caregiver aims to respond with empathy and understanding, fostering a secure environment.
Engagement Strategies
Engagement Strategies utilize playful interaction, non-verbal cues, and proximity to build trust. This includes using an authoritative voice that is warm and firm, valuing eye contact, and employing healthy, nurturing touch to reduce stress hormones. Behavioral matching is a specific technique where the caregiver mirrors the child’s physical position or play to increase their feeling of safety and build rapport. Playful engagement helps to ease fear and limit the fight, flight, or freeze response, making the child more receptive to connection and trust.
Correcting Principles
Correcting Principles provide a non-punitive, trauma-informed method for guiding behavior and teaching children self-regulation and prosocial skills. This approach operates on the understanding that misbehavior is often a symptom of fear, dysregulation, or a lack of skills, rather than willful defiance. The goal is to provide discipline that maintains the connection established through the previous principles.
Correction is implemented through both Proactive and Responsive Strategies. Proactive strategies involve setting clear expectations, teaching behavioral scripts like “gentle and kind,” and encouraging positive behavior before an issue arises. Responsive strategies are used when misbehavior occurs, focusing on structured, non-shaming interactions that teach a new skill.
The primary responsive technique is the “IDEAL Response” acronym. The response should be:
- Immediate, occurring within about three to five seconds to facilitate learning.
- Direct, engaging the child face-to-face.
- Efficient, using brief phrases instead of lecturing.
- Action-based, giving the child an opportunity for a “redo” to create a positive body memory.
- Leveled, directing the correction at the behavior, not the child’s character.
Caregivers also share power through offering two acceptable Choices or facilitating a Compromise. This allows the child a sense of control and participation in the resolution while still maintaining authority.