Developing a trusting relationship with any child can be a challenge. For youth with traumatic backgrounds, it’s especially challenging for both the kids and the adults who care for them.
At Missouri Girls Town, we utilize TBRI® to help build healing relationships with the girls we serve. TBRI® is a trauma-informed approach designed to meet the unique needs of children who have experienced adversity. Its three core principles guide our team every day:
- Connecting
This principle is all about building strong, trusting relationships. Staff and caregivers use techniques like behavioral matching, playful engagement, healthy touch, and an authoritative (yet nurturing) voice to help each child feel seen, safe, and secure. - Empowering
This focuses on meeting each child’s physical and environmental needs—like creating predictable routines, supporting sensory needs, and teaching self-regulation. Empowering strategies help children feel more in control of their bodies and emotions. - Correcting
Guiding behavior in positive, respectful ways. Instead of punishment, we teach skills that help girls navigate relationships, express their needs appropriately, and develop healthier coping mechanisms.
These principles don’t just happen in therapy; they’re lived out in everyday moments. As one staff member shared,
“I enjoy the time I get to spend in the house with clients and staff—it allows me to engage and connect with them in different ways than my norm.”
And during group work, connection deepens through shared understanding and healing.
“Trauma group empowers the clients by giving them knowledge about trauma in order to apply it to their unique situation and background.”
