Colorado's Raise the Future gives parents tools to heal trauma

Krystle has an affinity for tough jobs. Not only does she work to place kids with foster families, she is also a mom, adoptive mom and a foster mom. She is quick to admit that those roles come with extra challenges.

"Some of my children, their trauma response is to fight." Krystle told CBS News Colorado.

When a child suffers abuse, neglect, or loss, it can disrupt their development. Research tells us that these kids struggle with understanding their own needs, and knowing how to get those needs met, which leads to acting out behaviors. That is where Trust-Based Relational Intervention or TBRI can help. Krystle learned about Raise the Future's TBRI training program through her own workplace.

"It's a way to help your children process their trauma and parent them well."

TBRI teaches caregivers how to respond when kids act out, instead of simply trying to make them stop.

"The shift that we teach oh they're trying to tell me there's something they need." Amanda Purvis said. She is a Training Specialist with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development  at Texas Christian University, which developed the TBRI methodology.

"There might be a teenager who when they're hungry they get mad and punch the wall because when they were hungry when they were little maybe no one could give them food or they didn't have access to food in the ways most of us did."

TBRI teaches caregivers to reassure kids that they can ask for what they need and creating situtations where the child feels safe, valued, heard and seen. That allows families to start building a foundation of trust back up. Krystle says the training has helped her see all of her children more completely.

"You are able to see that what is underneath that behavior, meeting that child's need first. If I just corrected a behavior like i would probably naturally do before all of this i would have totally missed the inner hurts."

Raise the Future recently hosted large training sessions for people across many differect sectors. The training was geared toward  those who play an important role a child's life, like educators, healthcare workers and more. Raise the Future also offers longer form classes, and even in-home coaching for adoptive and foster parents in Colorado.

Kari Dady is a regional Training Consultation Specialist with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development she travels all over the world teaching TBRI. She says that the program gives families the tools they need to help kids overcome their trauma and that the results seen from Raise the Futures work is proof.

"Families are feeling hope they are feeling i know how to care for this child who has experienced developmental trauma. Raise the Future is a fabulous partner because they have been doing this work on the ground for years."   

CBS Colorado is celebrating families created from adoption on A DAY FOR WEDNESDAY'S CHILD. Find out how you can help Raise the Future this week.