As many of you have read, several MLJ staff members attended the TBRI® training in Texas earlier this year. I hope that all MLJ families will benefit from the blogs we have written over what we have learned. For me, TBRI® was more than part of my job, it was personal. I am an adoptive mother of 4 Ukrainian children and three out of the four were older. The training I received has been a great help in understanding my children and a much needed tool to help on a daily basis.
- February 14-15, 2014 – Birmingham, Alabama
- April 4-5, 2014 — St. Louis, Missouri
- September 12-13, 2014 — Washington, D.C.
For more information or to register online, please visit www.etcconference.org.
Below is a summary of the TBRI blog series…if you missed one, I would highly encourage you to go back and read!
- The Power Of Choices And How To Share It by Brooke Randolph – shares how to use choices and compromises to help give your children a voice and allows them to feel that they have some control in their lives.
- Early Risk Factors And Deficits by Brooke Randolph – shares how even before birth, your child was impacted by their surroundings and how a difficult pregnancy, difficult birth, early hospitalization, abuse, neglect and trauma can impact how our children can process the world.
- Teaching Self-Regulation by Angela Simpson – informs us that children rely on parents to help regulate themselves until they can learn the tools to self-regulate. Deep breathing and visual tools are just a few examples to help your child self-regulate.
- Hydration, Blood Sugar, Behavior, and Learning by Brook Randolph – reminds parents that proper hydration enables focusing, problem-solving, and short-term memory, as well as controls appetite and reduces fatigue. Also, if blood sugar levels are not controlled it can contribute to over-reacting, grumpiness, or unclear thinking.
- Working Through Transitions by Angela Simpson – shares how routines are helpful for any child or family dynamic, and that children from “hard places” particularly benefit from having a consistent routine. Talking children through transitions and using storybooks to explain transitions are just a few ways to help your children cope with new ideas and events.
- Sensory Processing and the Adopted Child by Nicole Skellenger – informs parents that for many children adopted internationally, the development of one or more of the senses may be delayed or have a higher risk of having a delay. These delays may be considered Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), which can result in confusion for the child in how they experience their world through their senses.
- Felt Safety by Brooke Randolph – shares that although children may be in a safe environment, it is necessary for them to feel safe in order to properly learn and attach. Felt safety means that a child knows and believes that he or she will not be harmed, will have enough food, will be comforted when scared, will not be rejected, is valued, and that his or her desires are important.
- Trust-Based Relational Interventions for Every Child by Brooke Randolph – clarifies to parents that the science behind TBRI® is sound and applicable to all children, not just adopted children. For some children, there may be no other strategy that will result in the same positive outcomes, but it is clear all children (and their parents) can benefit from TBRI®.
Due to my TBRI® training and the impact I have seen in my personal and professional life, I have become a strong advocate to make sure families are informed. I hope you will take the time to read the blogs listed above and that you will feel as strongly as I do that to have a successful adoption, you must equip yourself in every possible way.
Photo Credit: Luca Rossato
Lydia Tarr
Lydia Tarr works as the International Program Director for MLJ Adoptions’ programs in Bulgaria and Ukraine. She is the adoptive mother of four children from Ukraine and was recognized as a 2013 Angel in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s (CCAI) Angels in Adoption Program.
Lydia Tarr
Lydia Tarr works as the International Program Director for MLJ Adoptions’ programs in Bulgaria and Ukraine. She is the adoptive mother of four children from Ukraine and was recognized as a 2013 Angel in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s (CCAI) Angels in Adoption Program.