The TBRI Podcast

This episode not only kicks off a new season of the podcast, but also the start of new era at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU. Effective January 1, 2023, Dr. Danica Knight stepped into the role of Rees-Jones Director of KPICD. In this episode, you'll hear all about Dr. Knight's journey to the Institute, her connection to Dr. David Cross, and what she hopes for the fu...

Dr. David Cross, co-founder and Director of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU, has announced his retirement. In this episode, Sarah Mercado talks with Dr. Cross about leadership, legacy, and memories from career at TCU and KPICD. 

Ann Marie Ronsman is the President and CEO of CASA Child Advocates of Montgommery County in Montgommery, TX. CASA, stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates, and Ann Marie tells us about the role of CASA and what is unique about CASA Child Advocates of Montgommery County. We also chat about Ann MArie’s TBRI Journey as a parent, and what organizational implementation has looked like for CASA.&nb...

We’re back for part two of our conversation about TBRI and Teens with Scott Watters. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to the previous episode, go ahead and pause this one, go back and listen to our first episode with Scott, and then meet us back here for this week’s episode. Last week we talked about the teen brain and how to apply the TBRI Empowering and Connecting Principles with teens, a...

Today we're tackling one of our most frequently asked questions: "How do I do TBRI with Teens?"  In this episode, Scott and our host, Sarah Mercado, talk about the teenage brain, the needs of teens vs. those of younger children, and what each set of TBRI Principles looks like when applied to teenagers. This conversation is another 2-part episode, so be sure to meet us back here next week to l...

Dr. Casey Call is the assistant director of education at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, and has seen the evolution of our therapeutic camps over the years. Dr. Call not only leads our undergraduate and master’s programs, and also oversees the Hope Connection 2.0, a reimagined therapeutic camp that is based on TBRI Principles. If you are a professional who is considering a therape...

This episode continues the conversation from season 4, episode 1. Dr. Debbie Rhea joins us once again to talk about the difference between unstructured and structured play and why outdoor play is so important.  For more information about Dr. Rhea's work and research, visit https://liinkproject.tcu.edu/ 

Today’s guest is TCU Faculty member, Dr. Debbie Rhea. Dr. Rhea is the creator and director of the LiiNK Project. LiiNK, or Let’s Inspire Innovation N Kids, is an initiative to address the needs of the whole child by incorporating more unstructured, outdoor play as part of the school day.  Our host, Sarah Mercado, sat down with Dr. Rhea to talk about LiiNK and the importance of unstructured, o...

What happens when one parent is on board with TBRI and one isn’t? What does raising and lowering the bar for behavior actually mean? Are there consequences in TBRI? On this episode of the TBRI Podcast, Sarah Mercado and Kimberly Glaudy discuss these questions and more. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this one - this laid-back conversation is full of TBRI wisdom for professionals and parents...

Last week we heard from Dr. Melody Aguayo about parenting in the trenches. Today, we hear from her son, Yohannes Aguayo. Yohannes is an alumnus of our Hope Connection Camp and joins us on the podcast today to share his experience growing up in his family, his struggles, and his experience as an adopted person. child.tcu.edu/podcast 

Dr. Melody Aguayo is a wife, a mom, and a parent consultant for overwhelmed parents who are looking for support and solutions to navigate their parenting journey. Melody is a longtime friend of the Institute. She is both a TBRI Practitioner and an alumnae of our Hope Connection Camp. Today we’ll hear a little about her TBRI journey, some insights about implementing TBRI in a family setting, and a...

Today’s conversation is just in time for National Foster Care Month. Jamie Finn is the author of the book, Foster the Family, founder of the Foster the Family Organization, and a sought after speaker for foster and adoption conferences and events. Her popular social media accounts offer a glimpse into the real life of a foster parent and provide encouragement to thousands of foster parents. Jamie...

Today’s guest is Raya Shelashska, a TBRI Practitioner and a PhD candidate and Research Assistant here at our Institute at TCU. Raya currently lives here with her family, in Fort Worth, TX, as she’s completing her PhD, but her home is Ukraine. Since the war broke out in February, Raya’s studies have shifted to helping her people through her clinical experience and trauma research background. Our ho...

Today we are continuing the conversation with Dr. Jamie DeLuna about Adult Attachment patterns. Last week we talked about Dismissive Attachment in adults, and this week we’re diving into the Preoccupied/Entangled Attachment pattern. Our host Sarah and Jamie talk about what this pattern looks like in adulthood, how it shows up in caregiving, and how to become mindful about attachment and move towar...

Today we are excited to welcome Dr. Jamie DeLuna back to the podcast for more conversation about adult attachment.  For many years, Jamie was a research scientist for TCU's Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development who specialized in administering and the Adult Attachment Interview. Dr. DeLuna has administered thousands of interviews and she speaks with so much wisdom and nuance on the topi...

Today we’re kicking off season three  with Anjali Van Drie and David Brown from Family Initiative, a nonprofit organization in South Florida providing clinical and support services for at-risk children and children on the Autism Spectrum. David and Anjalie are the co-founders and and President and Vice President (respectively) of Family Initiative where they work closely with individuals with...

Today on the podcast, Dr. Jana Hunsley shares her research regarding adoptive siblings and gives insight into how to use TBRI with every member of the adoptive family.  For complete show notes, visit: https://child.tcu.edu/ tbri-podcast-s02-e06 /

This episode is all about TBRI and how it intersects with law enforcement. Sarah Mercado sat down with Randy Kaiser, who serves as a Special Agent within the Criminal Investigators Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Randy shares about taking a trauma-informed approach to law enforcement, particularly in his work with children and youth rescued from sex trafficking.  For links...

On this episode of the TBRI Podcast, we talk with Kimberly Glaudy and Ally Matteson who work specifically on a partnership between our Institute and the Texas Office of the Governor: Transforming Cultures of Care, Trauma-Informed Care for Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth (CSEY). Kim and Ally share a bit about this partnership, but more specifically about how TBRI can be best adapted to serv...

Today our guest is Marti Smith, OTR/L. Marti is a TBRI Practitioner, ChildTrauma Academy Fellow, and new author of the book "The Connected Therapist: Relating Through the Senses."  For linked references from this episode, visit child.tcu.edu/tbri-podcast-s02_e03

In this episode, David Randall shares his experience in implementing TBRI across various cultural contexts.  For the linked references in this episode, visit: https://child.tcu.edu/ tbri-podcast-s02-e02 /

Today's episode is just in time for back to school season. Amy Abell of Hope Alight, LLC joins us to talk about practical ways that schools can become more trauma-informed. For links to the resources mentioned in this episode, visit child.tcu.edu/podcast-s02-e01

We’re wrapping up season 1 of the TBRI Podcast with a conversation with Dr. David Cross all about the origins of TBRI and the history of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development. https://child.tcu.edu/ podcast-s01-e08 /  

On this episode, we continue our front porch conversation with Daren Jones and Troy McPeak. In this episode Daren and Troy talk about the progression of using TBRI professionally to its impact on personal relationships and family life, as well as Troy's experience using TBRI in the juvenile justice setting. Linked Resources: TJJD: https://www.tjjd.texas.gov Wilco: https://www.wilco.org/Depart...

This episode is the first of a two-part conversation with Daren Jones and Troy McPeak. Daren is the Associate Director of Outreach at the KPICD, and Troy is the Associate Director of the Texas Model with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. A few months ago Daren and Troy sat down to talk about their TBRI journeys.  If you’ve joined us for other episodes, you may have picked up on the theme...