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Trust Based Relational Intervention®

Foster Kinship hosts a TBRI® Caregiver Training Series every month with both online and in-person participation options!
TBRI®, short for Trust-Based Relational Intervention, is a well-founded approach that focuses on attachment, evidence-based techniques, and trauma-informed methods, specially designed to support vulnerable children with complex needs. The intervention incorporates Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles to foster attachment, and Correcting Principles to alleviate fear-based behaviors.
We offer both online and in-person options, so you can choose what suits you best. Our ultimate goal is to equip every family with the necessary tools for success in all their relationships. If you're curious and want to learn more about the training, don't hesitate to get in touch! 
We'd be delighted to provide you with more information on how you can be a part of this valuable training.

Video Resources

Web Resources

Book Resources for Adults

  • There Is Hope for Every Child, Every Parent, and Every Family

    Parenting under the best of circumstances can be difficult. And raising children who have come to your home from “hard places,” who have their own set of unique needs, brings even more challenges. You may have discovered that the techniques that worked with your birth children are not working with your adopted or foster child.

    Renowned child-development expert Dr. Karyn Purvis gives you practical advice and powerful tools you can use to encourage secure attachment in your family. You will benefit from Karyn’s decades of clinical research and real-world experience. Coauthor Lisa Qualls demonstrates how you can successfully implement these strategies in your home, just as she did in hers.

    You will learn how to simplify your approach using scripts, nurture your child, combat chronic fear, teach respect, and develop other valuable tools to facilitate a healing connection with your child.
    The Connected Parent will help you lovingly guide your children and bring renewed hope and restoration to your family.  

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  • The adoption of a child is always a joyous moment in the life of a family. Some adoptions, though, present unique challenges. Welcoming these children into your family--and addressing their special needs--requires care, consideration, and compassion.

    Written by two research psychologists specializing in adoption and attachment, The Connected Child will help you:

    • Build bonds of affection and trust with your adopted child
    • Effectively deal with any learning or behavioral disorders
    • Discipline your child with love without making him or her feel threatened

    "A must-read not only for adoptive parents, but for all families striving to correct and connect with their children."
    --Carol S. Kranowitz, author of The Out-of-Sync Child

    "Drs. Purvis and Cross have thrown a life preserver not only to those just entering uncharted waters, but also to those struggling to stay afloat."
    --Kathleen E. Morris, editor of S. I. Focus magazine

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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  • In Parenting from the Inside Out, child psychiatrist Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., and early childhood expert Mary Hartzell, M.Ed., explore the extent to which our childhood experiences shape the way we parent. Drawing on stunning new findings in neurobiology and attachment research, they explain how interpersonal relationships directly impact the development of the brain, and offer parents a step-by-step approach to forming a deeper understanding of their own life stories, which will help them raise compassionate and resilient children.

    Born out of a series of parents' workshops that combined Siegel's cutting-edge research on how communication impacts brain development with Hartzell's decades of experience as a child-development specialist and parent educator, this book guides parents through creating the necessary foundations for loving and secure relationships with their children.

    “Dan Siegel and Mary Hartzell have quite deftly managed to translate highly complex neuroscientific and psychological matters into lay strategies for effective parenting.”
    —Marilyn B. Benoit, M.D., former president, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

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  • “Simple, smart, and effective solutions to your child’s struggles.”—Harvey Karp, M.D.

    In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. The authors explain—and make accessible—the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain,” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain. No wonder kids throw tantrums, fight, or sulk in silence. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child’s brain and foster vital growth.

    Complete with age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The Whole-Brain Child shows you how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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  • “Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress and the scope of its impact on society.” —Alexander McFarlane, Director of the Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies

    A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this 
    New York Times bestseller

     
    Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.

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  • This book is going to change the way you see your life.

    Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my behavior?" Others may judge our reactions and think, "What's wrong with that person?" When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question.

    Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”

    Here, Winfrey shares stories from her own past, understanding through experience the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma and adversity at a young age. In conversation throughout the book, she and Dr. Perry focus on understanding people, behavior, and ourselves. It’s a subtle but profound shift in our approach to trauma, and it’s one that allows us to understand our pasts in order to clear a path to our future―opening the door to resilience and healing in a proven, powerful way.

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  • "All behavior makes sense"
    '"It most certainly does not!", is probably your first reaction.

    Parenting and neuroscience expert Robyn Gobbel is here to reveal how all behavior, no matter how baffling, can be explained and remedied. You just need to look past the behavior and understand what's going on inside.

    Robyn decodes the latest brain science into easy-to-understand principles and metaphors to help you become an expert in your child's behavior. She reveals simple ways to help you regulate and connect with your child, with brain-, body- and sensory-based strategies to overcome day-to-day challenges. She also provides you with the knowledge to understand and regulate your own brain so that you don't flip your lid when your child flips theirs.

    Let this be your lifeline for parenting or caring for any child with baffling behaviors and hidden challenges, including kids who have experienced adversity, or with additional needs.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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  • An attachment specialist and a clinical psychologist with neurobiology expertise team up to explore the brain science behind parenting.

    In this groundbreaking exploration of the brain mechanisms behind healthy caregiving, attachment specialist Daniel A. Hughes and veteran clinical psychologist Jonathan Baylin guide readers through the intricate web of neuronal processes, hormones, and chemicals that drive―and sometimes thwart―our caregiving impulses, uncovering the mysteries of the parental brain.

    The biggest challenge to parents, Hughes and Baylin explain, is learning how to regulate emotions that arise―feeling them deeply and honestly while staying grounded and aware enough to preserve the parent–child relationship. Stress, which can lead to “blocked” or dysfunctional care, can impede our brain’s inherent caregiving processes and negatively impact our ability to do this. While the parent–child relationship can generate deep empathy and the intense motivation to care for our children, it can also trigger self-defensive feelings rooted in our early attachment relationships, and give rise to “unparental” impulses.

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  • Shed your shame. Renew your hope. Rediscover the parent you know you can be.
    Is your adoption journey turning out differently than you imagined? You had so much love to give, but now you feel ashamed and bewildered by your lack of compassion.

    You may be experiencing blocked care—a self-protective mechanism in your nervous system that makes it difficult to connect with your child and maintain compassion. When it happens, it’s like your heart seems to have left the relationship. But the good news is you are not a bad parent. You can heal from blocked care, and compassion can be rekindled in your heart.

    Written by two adoptive parents who have overcome blocked care, Reclaim Compassion answers the questions, “How did this happen?” and “Will it ever get better?” You’ll recognize yourself in the honest stories from the authors and other parents and come to realize that you are not alone.

    Rooted in faith and backed by neuroscience, this practical and powerful guide offers a simple step-by-step process for reclaiming compassion for your child and yourself.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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  • This book provides a readable, narrative discussion of the neurobehavioral approach for working effectively with children, adolescents and adults with FASD. After a brief review of the diagnosis, the focus is on understanding behaviors differently - primary, secondary and tertiary behavioral characteristics. One section explores the most common behavioral symptoms by providing case examples, interventions, and improved outcomes.

    The neurobehavioral approach in Trying Differently Rather Than Harder is illustrated by stories of how alternative interventions lead to less frustration.

    Diane V. Malbin, MSW, is an internationally recognized authority on FASD. She is the founder of the nonprofit organization, FASCETS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Consultation, Education and Training Services, Inc.). She is the author of numerous papers and publications on FASD, and conducts trainings throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. She was principal investigator for a successful FASD interventive study and was expert consultant and educator for the British Columbia cross-Ministry approach to addressing FASD. The Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers named Ms. Malbin Social Worker of the Year in 2005, and she is in the NOFAS Hall of Fame for her work in the field of FASD.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

  • With a reporter’s eye and an insider’s perspective, Eric Garcia shows what it’s like to be autistic across America.

    Garcia began writing about autism because he was frustrated by the media’s coverage of it: the myths that the disorder is caused by vaccines, the narrow portrayals of autistic people as white men working in Silicon Valley. His own life as an autistic person didn’t look anything like that. He is Latino, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, and works as a journalist covering politics in Washington, DC. Garcia realized he needed to put into writing what so many autistic people have been saying for years—autism is a part of their identity, they don’t need to be fixed.

    In We’re Not Broken, Garcia uses his own life as a springboard to discuss the social and policy gaps that exist in supporting those on the spectrum. From education to healthcare, he explores how autistic people wrestle with systems that were not built with them in mind. At the same time, he shares the experiences of all types of autistic people, from those with higher support needs, to autistic people of color, to those in the LGBTQ community. In doing so, Garcia gives his community a platform to articulate their own needs, rather than having others speak for them, which has been the standard for far too long

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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  • “One of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read. It’s truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid.”—Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

    You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within.

    Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Naoki’s answer: “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”) With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights—into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory—are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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  • A groundbreaking book on autism, by one of the world’s leading experts, who portrays autism as a unique way of being human—this is “required reading...Breathtakingly simple and profoundly positive” (Chicago Tribune).

    Autism therapy typically focuses on ridding individuals of “autistic” symptoms such as difficulties interacting socially, communication problems, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. Now, this updated and expanded edition of Dr. Barry M. Prizant’s Uniquely Human tackles new language such as shifting from “person-first language” to “identity-first language,” diversity of identity in the autism sphere, and the future of autistic advocacy by amplifying the voices of autistic and neurodivergent individuals.

    “A must-read for anyone touched by autism…Dr. Prizant’s Uniquely Human is a crucial step in promoting better understanding and a more humane approach” (Associated Press). Instead of classifying “autistic” behaviors as signs of pathology, Dr. Prizant sees them as part of a range of strategies to cope with a world that feels chaotic and overwhelming. Rather than curb these behaviors, it’s better to enhance abilities, build on strengths, and offer supports that will lead to more desirable behavior and a better quality of life.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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Books for Teens and Children

  • Help your little one unlock their inner courage!

    Riley the Brave is the story of a little bear with big feelings! Join this super-cool, cape-wearing cub as he embarks on a journey to face his fears.

    Riley is joined by all of his animal friends who care for him as he faces his difficult feelings. Along the way, Riley learns how sometimes, being tough or loud isn't the bravest thing to be - sometimes it's asking for help, or being brave enough to let someone into your heart.

    Written for any child who is looking to unlock their inner courage, and particularly those healing from difficult life experiences or trauma, this book creates a safe space for conversations about complex thoughts and feelings. It also features an educational afterword for grown-ups which explains how the book helps children, and how to get the most out of it.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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    More from Jessica Sinarski ==> CLICK HERE

  • Parents, educators, therapists, and social workers alike have declared The Invisible String the perfect tool for coping with all kinds of separation anxiety, loss, and grief. It's also been joyfully embraced as a year-round celebration of love--gifted at births, graduations, weddings, Valentine's Day, and beyond. In this relatable and reassuring contemporary classic, a mother tells her two children that they're all connected by an invisible string. "That's impossible!" the children insist, but still they want to know more: "What kind of string?" The answer is the simple truth that binds us all: An Invisible String made of love. Even though you can't see it with your eyes, you can feel it deep in your heart, and know that you are always connected to the ones you love. Does everybody have an Invisible String? How far does it reach? Does it ever go away? This heartwarming picture book for all ages explores questions about the intangible yet unbreakable connections between us, and opens up deeper conversations about love.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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  • Shout it from the mountaintops! Everyone of us is connected to those we love by Invisible Strings. Since everyone we care about is connected to countless other people, ultimately we are all connected by love… in a universal Invisible Web. "It breathes as we breathe, pulsating all over our Earth, the single heartbeat of life. And do you know what that makes us all? One Very Big Family!"

    This uplifting story for all ages not only inspires readers readers to recognize, nurture, and celebrate the infinite bonds of humanity, it is also a powerful call for peace and compassion worldwide.

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    Read the Rest of the Series ==> CLICK HERE

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  • This perennial, award-winning book offers parents a lifetime of rituals and practices to incorporate into daily life with their children. These positive nursery rhymes, interactive finger plays, soothing games, and physical activities can be played with children from infancy through age eight. In only minutes a day, these powerful rituals:

    • Prime a child's brain for learning
    • Help children cope with change
    • Enhance attention, cooperation, and self-esteem
    • Help busy families stay close
    • Affirm the parent-child bond that insulates children from violence, peer pressure, drugs, and much more.

    Easy to learn and especially effective in stressful situations, I Love You Rituals gives parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers inspiring tools to help children thrive.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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  • Between the ages of twelve and twenty-four, the brain changes in important and, at times, challenging ways. In Brainstorm, Dr. Daniel Siegel busts a number of commonly held myths about adolescence—for example, that it is merely a stage of “immaturity” filled with often “crazy” behavior. According to Siegel, during adolescence we learn vital skills, such as how to leave home and enter the larger world, connect deeply with others, and safely experiment and take risks.

    Drawing on important new research in the field of interpersonal neurobiology, Siegel explores exciting ways in which understanding how the brain functions can improve the lives of adolescents, making their relationships more fulfilling and less lonely and distressing on both sides of the generational divide.

    Order from Amazon ==> CLICK HERE

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  • In this journal We've included a lot of funny items. When you feel bored or unhappy just open this journal and start your activity.

    Each page contains a prompt, which is usually very simple and often very silly. And you're challenged to "give it a shot." Wearing your journal as a shoe or spilling (ahem, spitting?) coffee on a page... just join in. Have some fun. And then see where the prompt leads you. It encourages you to tear out pages. And then put them back in. To decorate them with stickers or to float them in water. It's silly and crazy, but it's a lot of fun.

Contact our Practitioners!

MRupe@FosterKinship.org
Email Michelle to register for a 
class session.

Michelle Rupe

Michelle Rupe is a passionate child welfare professional who has been advocating for foster youth since she graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 2012. Michelle moved from Colorado in December of 2019 to be closer to her family who also live in Las Vegas.

She earned the title of a TBRI Practitioner in November of 2020 from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development through Texas Christian University. Since this time, she is very passionate about TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) and believes that this is the change that is needed in the child welfare system as well as other systems in our communities.

Michelle works with families at the Kinship Training Institute and in the Child and Youth Program. She manages support groups and nurture groups to better connect caregivers with their children. She also looks forward to helping families better understand trauma and how this affects brain development.

Aine Monoghan

Born in Colorado, Aine graduated high school in Las Vegas. Her family began fostering three kids in 2018 and later adopted them in 2019. They went on to foster and adopt a 6-year-old boy in 2021. Currently, Aine’s family is still a foster resource. 

She is passionate about children and youth and is an advocate for youths’ mental health and pushes to empower children while they navigate their lives. Aine has years of experience working with and babysitting children, as she volunteered with Canyon Ridge Christian Church’s childcare program and helped her parents care for her younger siblings. She became a TBRI® Practitioner this year, and looks forward to using it to empower children from hard places.
Aine@FosterKinship.org
Sasha@FosterKinship.org

Sasha Ritchie

Sasha started at Foster Kinship as an intern in 2017. She has a Bachelor's in Human Services with a focus on Child and Family Therapy and a Master's in Social Work specializing in clinical social work. She is passionate about helping children and families who seek support and resources. Her background consists of working in education, healthcare, and adoption recruitment.

Sasha manages the Kinship Training Institute for the kinship navigator program including the child welfare training program, TBRI® programming, and ongoing, enhanced caregiver emotional supports. She earned the certification of TBRI® Practitioner this year and looks forward to educating more people on its principles.
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