Child Advocates of Montgomery County, in collaboration with Texas CASA, is proud to announce the selection of 8 local CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) programs in Texas to participate in the first-ever Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) for CASA cohort. This initiative, offered by the TBRI® Ambassador Program in fiscal year 2025, represents a significant step forward in trauma-informed advocacy for children and families across the state.

This exciting opportunity enables selected programs to integrate TBRI® principles into their advocacy and communities, equipping CASA volunteers to provide support with greater understanding, empathy, and skills in trauma-informed care. By empowering, connecting, and correcting with these tools, the children and youth CASA programs are appointed to serve, along with their families, will experience enhanced levels of care and advocacy. The integration process will span approximately eight months and include a blend of in-person and virtual training commitments. The first in-person training session was successfully held in early February 2025 at the Child Advocates of Montgomery County office in Conroe, Texas, marking the official launch of this impactful program.

The selected programs include:

CASA of Galveston County

CASA for Kids – Brenham

CASA of McLennan County

CASA of the Coastal Bend

CASA of Hill County, Texas

Voz de Ninos, Laredo

CASA of West Texas

CASA of Walker County

Child Advocates of Montgomery County was inducted as a TBRI® Ambassador Organization by TCU’s Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD) in February 2024. As a TBRI® Ambassador Organization, Child Advocates of Montgomery County has been the hub of TBRI® activity in its geographic area, significantly impacting many sectors in the child welfare space.

“In the years that I have known the team at Child Advocates of Montgomery County, they have been dedicated to making a huge impact in the lives of the youth and families in that community,” said KPICD Training Specialist Troy McPeak. “They have branched out beyond simply being a trauma-informed agency and have touched so many other sectors through TBRI® education and ongoing support, including juvenile justice, courts, the schools, and others. It is an honor and a blessing to see all the movement in Montgomery County related to TBRI®, and Child Advocates of Montgomery County is the pulse of that movement, directly in the center of it all.”

Its ability to bring many sectors together in a common goal is what sets Child Advocates of Montgomery County apart as a TBRI® Ambassador Organization.

“We are thrilled to lead this initiative and bring TBRI® training to CASA programs across Texas,” said Child Advocates President and CEO Ann Marie Ronsman. “This program reinforces our commitment to understanding trauma, fostering connection, and empowering our Advocates to create meaningful and lasting change in the lives of vulnerable children.”

TBRI® Ambassador Organizations are key partners of the Purvis Institute, using TBRI® to bring systemic change in care and practice. TBRI® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. It employs empowering principles to address physical needs, connecting principles to address relational needs, and correcting principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. TBRI® prioritizes connection as a path to healing for children and families who have experienced trauma.

Child Advocates of Montgomery County is honored to be at the forefront of this transformative effort and looks forward to supporting participating CASA programs in implementing TBRI® principles to strengthen advocacy and build more resilient communities.

To learn more about childhood trauma and TBRI®, visit https://childadvocatestexas.org/children-at-risk/.