Recently, weekly Trauma Competent Care trainings started, led by Back2Back staff to two different couples in the same area the ministry is located. A foster family couple and a missionary couple wanted to dive deeper into trauma-informed care and have a desire to share what they’re learning with others.

“Every Saturday, we all meet together for training,” explained Hope Garcia, Back2Back D.R. Co-Director. “It’s been good practice for our staff team as materials were recently updated.”

The foster family couple currently has a 17-year old girl in their care and really wanted to  focus on gaining skills to help create felt-safety in their home. “The foster mom shared there was a distance between her and their foster daughter,” explained Hope. “She wanted to try to bridge the gap and be a safe space for the young woman.” The mother attended medical appointments with the teen, showing her she wanted to be involved in her life – both the good and the bad.

“She came back the following week, after taking her foster daughter to appointments, and shared a note she received from the teen thanking her for being there,” shared Hope. “She was elated and said this sort of interaction had never happened before!”

The other couple, a Brazilian family serving the street kids in their area, lead a soccer team for the children and wanted additional training due to increased violence and aggression amongst the youth they serve.

After sharing about the behavior issues, Hope taught a lesson about empowerment and the importance of hydration for children every two hours. He took this information to heart, restructuring his soccer practices to include a set time for everyone to hydrate. He reported the following week just how much it helped the behavior on the team.  

This is the power of trauma-informed caregiving – we begin to better understand exactly what our bodies need, that often our reactions to things have a deeper root, and together, safe adults obtain proper techniques and skills to serve vulnerable populations.