Over the years, we have heard from many caregivers and parents of vulnerable children who have completed Trauma-Informed and/or TBRI® Caregiver Trainings that they struggle to implement the strategies of within their own homes and community contexts. They believe in the method, have learned the skills in concept and in theory, and want to see their child experience healing through these new practices.
Many of these caregivers experience challenges in the journey from attending a Trauma-Informed and/or TBRI® Caregiver Training to experiencing healing. Sometimes, the family’s patterns, interactions, and behaviors take a long time to re-set. Some are so overwhelmed that they are struggling to identify where to start implementing Trauma-Informed and/or TBRI® principles in their own homes. They may lack confidence or don’t feel equipped to implement the Trauma-Informed and/or TBRI® principles, and need situation-specific coaching and encouragement.
Additionally, there are individuals who want to help families and vulnerable children at the ground level but feel they are not able to utilize their Trauma-Informed and/or TBRI® skillset without becoming TraumaWise Trainers or TBRI® Practitioners, which can be cost-prohibitive and time-intensive. They have skills, knowledge, and experience to help support caregivers, now.
The goal of the TraumaWise Advocate Program is to provide individualized practical application experiences to families and caregivers so that they can develop greater capacity for implementing Trauma-Informed and TBRI® Principles and Strategies in their homes or other contexts. The program will accomplish this through the equipping and development of TraumaWise Advocates – community members who have are ready to provide practical coaching, support, and advocacy.
The TraumaWise Advocate process is a journey of relational and community learning that will take place over a 3-6 month span of time where participants will dive deeply into the understanding and application of Trauma-Informed and/or TBRI® Practices and Strategies, as well as training in advocacy and strengths-based support.