Trust-Based Relational Intervention

at Thrive Academy

Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®)

Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) is a holistic, research-based model designed to support children in overcoming social, behavioral, and emotional challenges.

TBRI is grounded in decades of research in attachment theory, sensory processing, and neuroscience. This approach is particularly powerful for students with ASD, as it aligns with their need for predictability, co-regulation, and relationship-based support. By focusing on connection, empowerment, and correction, TBRI helps students feel safe, understood, and supported.

Through intentional relationship-building, sensory-aware strategies, and consistent, responsive interactions, students begin to develop trust, regulate their emotions, and engage more successfully with others. Thrive Academy uses TBRI to help students build strong relationships, increase emotional regulation, and develop the skills needed for long-term success.

Empowering principles to address their physical needs

Connecting principles to establish and restore healthy relationships they can depend on

Correcting principles to disarm their fear-based behaviors

Fostering Safety and Co-Regulation Strategies

At Thrive Academy, we also infuse Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) into all aspects of the school day. TBRI is an evidence-based model developed at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University. This approach has been utilized across the world with thousands of children, adolescents, and families to create predictable, sensory-responsive environments that foster felt safety and emotional regulation. Our staff utilizes TBRI to build strong, trusting relationships ensuring each student feels secure, understood, and ready to learn.

Our team of TBRI Practitioners work alongside our behavior analysts and occupational therapists to ensure a consistent, multidisciplinary approach that meets the needs of each student. With this approach, we individualize supports, utilizing TBRI strategies to provide scaffolding around our other clinical interventions. With ongoing staff training and strong family partnerships, this comprehensive approach builds regulation skills, reduces behavioral challenges, and supports lasting academic and social success.

Creating a Culture of Felt Safety

We integrate TBRI’s concept of “felt safety” across the school environment by establishing predictable routines, visual schedules, sensory-friendly spaces, and consistent adult responses. Staff are trained to recognize students’ behavioral cues and to respond in ways that reduce anxiety and dysregulation. This approach allows students with autism to develop trust, remain emotionally regulated, and engage more deeply in learning.

Proactive Connection Strategies

Connection is essential for helping students with autism develop strong relationships and reduce behavioral challenges. Teachers and staff intentionally incorporate short, structured relational check-ins, co-regulation strategies, and shared activities that build rapport. These connection routines help students feel valued, understood, and supported—critical elements for learners who may struggle with communication or social processing.

Empowering Students Through Regulation Supports

We embed TBRI “empowering principles” by providing individualized sensory tools, movement breaks, hydration, nutrition access, and co-regulation strategies. Staff are trained in recognizing early signs of sensory overload or emotional escalation and intervene using calming, non-punitive methods. Empowering students with the tools and options they need reduces behavioral incidents and fosters independence in self-regulation.

Correcting Behaviors Through a Trauma- and Neurodiversity-Informed Lens

Behavior correction occurs through teaching rather than punishment. Using TBRI’s “levels of response,” staff guide students through choices, compromises, and re-dos that reinforce appropriate behavior while maintaining dignity and connection. This approach is especially effective for students with autism, who benefit from explicit, patient modeling of expected behaviors and opportunities to practice skills in real time.