Mission Statement, Strategies, Vision, and Values

The mission of Nurturing Change is to empower caregivers with insight and proficiency in trauma-informed care, in order to provide emotional healing and behavioral transformation to kids.

Nurturing Change works to fulfill this mission through 3 strategies:

1. Provide trauma-informed care training to biological, kinship, foster, and adoptive parents, and to the professionals who serve them
2. Provide trauma-informed implementation support to parents and professionals
3. Provide trauma-informed resources

  *Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) will be the primary intervention   utilized during training and implementation support sessions, with additional complimentary  trauma-informed interventions and services being introduced as needed.

Nurturing Change envisions a future where:

   Every child…

• Experiences compassionate understanding, felt safety, and deep connection with their caregiver
• Develops the ability to self-regulate and appropriately express their needs
• Returns to a typical developmental trajectory and experiences deep healing, so their true self can emerge

   Every caregiver…

• Gains deep understanding into their child's behaviors to they can identify the underlying need
• Responds to behaviors calmly, compassionately, and confidently so they can connect with their child and respond to underlying needs
• Effectively shapes their child's behavior through playful interaction and a balance between structure and nurture

Children: Every child is precious, even in the midst of their most challenging behaviors. No matter how severe their behaviors or diagnosis is, every child is capable of deep healing. When a child feels safe and their needs are met, the real child can emerge and flourish.

Trauma and the Brain: Trauma affects the developing brain’s ability to feel safe, attach, learn, process sensory information, self-regulate, and weigh consequences. A trauma-informed approach that focuses on connection and felt safety can heal the brain and return the child to a typical developmental trajectory.

Behaviors: Every behavior serves a purpose, and how we view behaviors will determine our response to them. Most challenging behaviors are fear-based, survival behaviors, rather than willful disobedience. Traditional parenting responses that focus on modifying behaviors through rewards and punishments can increase fear and fear-based behaviors. When a child feels safe and their underlying needs are met, fear-based behaviors subside.

Caregivers: Caregivers love their children and do the best they can with the tools they have been given. While therapy and other resources can help support the healing journey, it’s caregivers that have the greatest power to heal their children. Since our caregiving approach is always influenced by our own histories, we can only bring healing to our children through increased self-awareness and by participating in our own healing journey.

Caregiver/Child relationship: Although a child’s behaviors may be viewed as the cause of family unrest, significant improvement can occur when there is change in a caregiver’s understanding and approach. No matter what has occurred in the child/caregiver relationship, healing and restoration are possible.

Cultural Sensitivity/Inclusion: We will be most effective in our work when we are sensitive to the unique cultural experiences and needs of our clients, while fostering a culture of diversity in our leadership and staff.

Integrity: Our actions are determined by what is in the best interest of our clients. We empower them while honoring their dignity and right to self-determination. We conduct business in a way that is honest, responsible, transparent, and ethical.

Innovative Excellence: We value bold creativity that is responsive to the changing needs of our clients and community. We continually seek ways to improve service delivery through continued education and evaluation of outcomes.