Trust Phase
A shift for workers in the trusting phase is moving from "fixing to this approach.
What is:
Partnering or walking alongside?
This part of the brain is like the body's alarm system- it reacts first when a parent feels unsafe.
What is:
The amygdala?
The most important task we do when we are replicating the attachment cycle.
What is:
Meet needs?
Parents who had inconsistent caregivers as children may need this from family advocates in order to foster healthy attachment with their own children.
What is:
Support modeling, and parent coaching?
A parent who is shutting down or becomes quiet might be feeling this.
What is:
Fear, overwhelm, unsafe?
Providing this in the beginning for parents is part of building trust
What is:
Psychoeducation?
When the brain senses threat, it moves out of "thinking" into these response patterns.
What is:
Fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and flock?
The bond between a parent and child that makes the child feel safe, seen, and cared for is called...
What is:
Attachment?
This is the most important thing to avoid when working with parents.
What is:
Fixing?
When a parent is dysregulated, name two ways a family advocate can help their nervous system settle.
What is:
Model a calm presence, offer grounding or breathing activities, slow the pace of the interaction, provide reassurance and predictability?
What is one way family advocates can demonstrate trustworthiness early in the relationship.
What is:
Follow through, listening without judgement, or being transparent?
When a parent is activated, you can do this to help bring their brain back to safety.
What is:
Regulate myself, lower my tone, offer choices, or slow the pace?
Name how a parent's ability to self-regulate affects their child's attachment.
What is:
Helps their child to feel safe?
When a parent's behavior is challenging the family advocates first step is...
What is:
Become a detective about what the behavior is communicating?
An intervention for parents who might be feeling shame.
What is:
Empathy
During the trusting phase, this is more important than giving advice or solutions
What is:
Being present and listening?
These 3 parts of the brain are most important to understand and teach parents about.
What is:
The amygdala, hippocampus, and Pre-frontal cortex?
This is one way a parent's attachment history might influence their child.
What is:
Inconsistency, overreacting, or avoiding closeness?
Name one reason why the family advocates role in ITS is not about "doing for them."
What is:
Undermining capacity for growth, breaking intergenerational cycles, encouraging confidence, creates dependency, distorts the role of the family advocate, limits opportunities of making meaning of patterns, activators, etc.
A Family Advocates trauma -informed intervention when facing a parent who is defensive and angry might be.
What is:
Validate feelings
When a parent begins to share their story, express emotion, or let their guard down, it signals this important milestone in the trusting phase.
What is:
The beginning of emotional safety and connection?
Overtime, safe and consistent interactions help strengthen a parent's brain's to do this.
What is:
Self- regulate?
When parents have experienced trauma or disrupted relationships, they may struggle with this key part of attachment-being able to stay connected even when the child's behavior is hard.
What is:
Co-regulation?
Ways to manage when a parent repeatedly says, " I can't do this."
What is:
Validate feelings, offer support, break tasks into manageable steps, focus on strengths?
This process helps restore trust after a rupture.
What is:
Repair? (Rupture and repair)