TFA-Newsletter-Conference-Edition-2016

TFANewsletterVolume 42, No. 2 | December, 2016
SPECIAL CONFERENCE EDITION
INSIDE
Presenters from the Teaching-Family
Association’s 39th
Annual Conference
share their session slides and more. Miss
the conference or a particular session?
We’ve got you covered.

2 TFA Newsletter | Volume 42, No. 2
INSIDECONTENTS
Andy Altom’s President’s Message.
PAGE 3
Duane Horstman and Vivian Burdine
explore Spirituality as a Coping
Resource in the context of care.
PAGE 4
Emily Shields discusses how to
address emergencies & burnout, build
transparency & resilience through
Trauma-Informed Consultation.
PAGE 8
Four Case Studies: Huti Cooper
describes how Garfield Park Academy
marries the Teaching-Family Model
with Social Work Therapy, Art Therapy,
Biofeedback Therapy and and more in
a school setting.
PAGE 10
Kristin Duppong Hurley, Matthew
Lambert and Ron Thompson explore
Preliminary Findings from a
Randomized Trial on Boys Town’s in-
home family services.
PAGE 14
Michele Boguslofski shares the latest
ways of describing the Teaching-
Family Model as an Evidence-based,
Trauma-Informed Approach.
PAGE 16
YOUR
CHANCE
TO HELP
TFA
TFA staff, at the direction of the
Board, are developing a self as-
sessment resource based upon
the Model Standards.
It is a significant strategic goal,
and one which will require ed-
itorial oversight from Teach-
ing-Family Model experts.
That’s where you come in.
We are looking for volunteers to
read a draft chapter and provide
subject-matter expertise and
editorial suggestions.
Your limited time investment
will be invaluable for shaping a
resource that will hopefully ex-
pand the reach of the Model and
ultimately help more children
and families receive quality and
effective services and care.
LEARN MORE & VOLUNTEER NOW
www.teaching-family.org/projects/volunteer

3TFA Newsletter | Volume 42, No. 2
For those who were unable to at-
tend the Teaching-Family Asso-
ciation’s 39th
Annual Conference, or
for those who did attend and wished
they could be in two places at once,
this newsletter is for you.
For another year, our annual con-
ference schedule was full of excite-
ment. Researchers shared results
from their latest studies, and Model
practitioners shared their latest ini-
tiatives or unique perspectives from
different service deliveries.
It was also particularly exciting to
have a large number of attendees
from our host, Garfield Park Acad-
emy, who closed their school that
Monday to bring their entire staff
to the conference for a professional
development day.
Getting to meet everyone from
Garfield Park Academy and feel the
energy of full conference halls and
workshops was a special experience
for all of us.
Of course, many of us were still
somewhat jealous of the concept of
a professional development day.
In these pages, we share some of the
biggest highlights from the confer-
ence—preliminary findings from
a randomized trial of Boys Town’s
in-home family services, case stud-
ies from Garfield Park Academy’s
integration of the Model with other
forms of therapy, and much more.
This special edition of the TFA Newsletter
shares original articles and session slides
dervied from presentations at the TFA’s
39th
Annual Conference Oct. 31 - Nov. 2
in Philadelphia, PA. Brand-new, excellent
workshops from Model experts filled our
conference schedule and these pages.
President’sMessage
Another Exciting Conference
I’m willing to bet that even if you did
attend our conference, you likely
missed out on at least one of these
excellent sessions—there was just
so much to learn, see, do and dis-
cuss over those three days.
Fortunately, many of our present-
ers graciously put in some extra
time—and time is short around the
holidays—to provide us with these
illuminating companions to their
session slides and fill in the blanks
for those of us who couldn’t attend.
I hope you have a few moments of
peace this holiday season and can
read all five of these articles.
Two I have already mentioned, but
the other three also deserve your
time and attention:
Michele Boguslofski of Alpine
Academy shares how she and Kar-
en Olivier of Closer to Home have
shaped presentations to explain
how the Teaching-Family Model
provides trauma-informed care in
terms of brain science—something
that should be a part of any Model
adminsitrator’s toolkit.
I might be biased, but Emily Shields
of Methodist Family Health provides
an excellent perspective on deliv-
ering consultation in a trauma-in-
formed way, understanding that
our practitioners are also affected
by trauma and the traumatic stress
of those in their care.
Many TFA agencies, including my
own, are faith-based organizations,
and many practitioners everywhere
are called to this profession be-
cause of their faith. Duane and Viv-
ian from Indiana United Methodist
Children’s Home provide a valuable
best-practice perspective on faith
and its role in care.
And remember, you can follow
along with and learn more from the
session slides for each article which
are archived at:
teaching-family.org/projects/slides/
Hoping you have a very merry
Christmas and a happy New Year,
Andy
Andy Altom
CEO, Methodist Family Health

It was our pleasure to present at the
2016 Annual Conference on the
topic of Religion and Spirituality as
a Coping Resource. This is a topic
we are passionate about, because
we have seen in our personal lives,
as many of you have, how import-
ant it is to have a faith life that sees
us through our challenging days.
We work at Indiana United Method-
ist Children’s Home which provides
us the luxury of having a Christian
Education program. Having this
program allows a more structured
method of helping our clients with
issues of faith and spirituality.
We develop coping skills and strat-
egies with our clients to help them
cope with life day to day. For people
of faith, our spiritual practices are a
big part of how we cope, as shared
by practitioners in our workshop:
prayer, scripture, music, nature,
journaling, fellowship with other
believers, worship, and so on.
Through role modeling of staff, and
participation in youth group activ-
ities and worship, our clients be-
Spirituality
as a coping
resource
Duane Horstman & Vivian Burdine,
Indiana United Methodist Children’s Home
Follow along with
session slides online:
teaching-family.org/projects/slides

gin to see the value
we have personally
found in our own
journeys of faith.
There were some
great studies refer-
enced for this pre-
sentation, and they
supported what we
know as people of
faith: our personal
walks and relation-
ships with God sus-
tain us through the
challenging times.
We take care of our clients’ basic
needs every day, and teach them
how to better care for themselves.
What a gift they receive if they have
found for themselves how import-
ant are the resources of faith: prayer,
scripture, worship and fellowship!
We encourage you to look at these
studies closer and see what you can
take from them to help encourage
your clients to find better, healthier,
more productive ways of coping.
Conversations came
out of the presen-
tation at the TFA
Conference because
not everyone is in
a place where they
can openly share
their faith. We thank
the administrators
of our host agency,
who helped share
with their teachers’
about answers to
questions of faith.
Bottom line for any
of us who have a personal spiritu-
al journey, we can role model every
day by the way we act and interact
with our clients, as well as how they
see us interact with others. When
we see something good, positive,
and healthy, we want to know how
to have find that in our own lives.
The same can be true with our cli-
ents: they will want to know more
about what helps us get through life
with a smile on our faces.
One final word: Pray. When we pray
in all circumstances, and when we
pray without ceasing, we walk as
warriors who face each challenge
and opportunity with a hope and
certainty not known by everyone.
We pray in our hearts, in our homes,
in our classrooms and group
homes; we pray for our clients, our
co-workers, and ourselves.
Prayer is the great connection we
have to our greatest strength and
resource. So whether we are in a
place where we can pray with our
clients, or where we can pray for
our clients at their request, or where
we can simply pray for our clients
when it’s just between us and our
Creator, we can all pray.
Prayer is what helps hold our days
together, and in whatever ways we
can share this coping resource with
those around us, we know the life-
changing impact to follow!
Continue reading the next two
pages for a selection of slides from
Duane & Vivian’s presentation, or
view the entire deck online.
“What a gift they
receive if they
have found for
themselves how
important are the
resources of faith:
prayer, scripture,
worship and fel-
lowship!”

Find the full slide deck online: teaching-family.org/projects/slides
Spirituality
as a coping
resource

Listen
Support
Strategize
Investigate
Revisit
Trauma-Informed
Consultation
Emily Shields, Methodist Family Health
addressing emergencies & burnout,
building transparency & resilience
through consultation
Follow along with

Working with at-risk people can be stressful and even
dangerous, at times. Practitioners can face unpredict-
able situations daily. It is important to implement trau-
ma-informed care strategies within your service de-
livery. This will allow you to better ensure safety, build
transparency, and inspire resilience.
When unsafe situations arise, there are two important
things that you can offer your team: availability and
competency. Being readily available to respond to a cri-
sis consistently will provide your staff with a sense of
safety and trust, because they know they can count
on you to be there when you need them.
Addressing emergencies
Being readily available and providing
competent advice will allow your
team to best address emergencies.
Here are some illustrative guide-
lines for responding to emergen-
cies with these ideas in mind:
1. Ask questions, listen carefully
to the answers, and take good
notes. This will be especially
beneficial if the emergency
arises after business hours,
when you might be away from
your office in a different frame
of mind.
2. Praise your staff right
away for the positive
steps that they have
already taken, and
offer support if they
are experiencing
high levels of
emotion. Also, if there
is potential liability involved in the incident,
ensure your team member that you are there
to support and protect them, and offer practical
steps for them to protect themselves.
3. Provide simple, tangible action steps for your
team to take right away. Having a plan to follow can
give a sense of calm and control that will ease stress.
4. Check back frequently. Even if your staff member
is able to repeat back to you exactly what they will
be doing to address the situation, it's vital that you
check back in with them often for updates. When
facing high-stress situations, one can easily become
distracted or overwhelmed.
In other words, listen, support, strategize,
investigate and revisit.
As you provide ongoing support over time, you will
build transparency with your team members. Trans-
parency can be defined as operating in such a way that
others are informed about your actions through open
communication and accountability.
Transparency comes in layers; there is an initial level of
information that your staff member will share with you
when you begin working together. As you train, con-
sult, give feedback, and share experiences, that open-
ness should continue to grow.
Addressing burnout
Building transparency can help prevent burnout. I call
burnout “the long, slow death.”
Some factors that contribute to burnout include: fa-
tigue—physical, mental or emotional; or disillusion-
ment—think of the staff member that comes to you
looking distraught and says, “This job is not what
I thought it would be;” communications break-
down—a lack of openness about profession-
al concerns, work practices, or work-life
balance issues; and greener pastures—
sometimes, when a team member is
unhappy, other positions or agen-
cies or even other careers can be
considered.
It is critical to be diligent in your
efforts to prevent the “us versus
them” mentality that can arise
between practitioners and su-
pervisors. Getting to know your
team members personally, while
maintaining careful professional
boundaries, can help.
I like to know each of my team
members' favorite drinks, fa-
vorite sports teams, what ac-
tivities their kids are into,
etc. Not only will this
help them know that
you are interested in
them as an individ-
ual, it will also better
inform your individual
consultation with them.
Modeling is also pivotal in your leadership of
your team. Never ask your staff to do something
that you aren't willing to do yourself. Try to keep in
mind that your attitudes, expectations, and practices
will trickle down.
Another important form of support you can offer your
team is helping them learn to manage secondary trau-
matic stress. Secondary traumatic stress, also known as
compassion fatigue, can be defined as the stress that
results from helping traumatized individuals.
Teach your staff ways to manage this stress daily,
through self-care techniques, deep breathing, exercise,
etc. It will also benefit you in the long run if you can en-
courage your team members to use their vacation time,
step away from work, and refresh.
When a team member is burnt out to the point that they
need to step away from their current position, imple-
ment a professional development plan that allows them
to transition to another position before they deteriorate
to the extent that they need to leave your agency.
A note about “open door” policies: If you tell people
Continued on page 22

Joining Behavioral
Approaches with
Therapeutic
Needs

Teaching to behavior at Garfield Park Academy
When Garfield Park Academy first started, the need to
offer therapeutic support to the students of the school
was quickly recognized.
Originally, social workers handled only crisis manage-
ment and short-term counseling. Over the course of
the next few years, however, given the severity of the
problems facing the students—the non-academic side
of the program expanded.
A behavioral program was introduced—the Teach-
ing-Family Model—and more social workers were hired
so that there could be a social worker in every class.
Eventually, an occupation therapist, reading specialist,
art therapist and a biofeedback technician were also
borught on board.
The role of the in-school social workers
Today, social workers develop a therapeutic plan based
on the work and assessments undertaken by them with
the students, as well as by the reports and assessments
that were generated by other clinical staff in the field
prior to the student's entry into Garfield Park Academy.
The social worker starts engaging the student in coun-
seling by getting to know the student, listening to the
student's perspective of the problems that led to his
placement, and assessing his situation.
Diagnoses are reviewed, strengths and weaknesses are
documented, and initial counseling goals and objec-
tives are formulated. The means of reaching them are
outlined and a tentative prognosis is made about the
potential effectiveness of the plan.
Non-confidential portions of the plan are interpreted
by the social worker to all the staff involved with the
student. Care is taken to inform staff if there is any cur-
rent self-harm ideation so that staff can be vigilant and
report any action in that regard.
While specific diagnoses are deemed confidential, the
social worker is able to discuss manifestations observed
by the staff and give a simplified theoretical basis to its
origins and contextualize any suggestions she makes
that help staff manage student behaviors.
The behavioral Model & details of the behavioral plan
The behavioral Teaching-Family Model is the backbone
supporting student functioning and growth school-
wide. Each and every staff member in the school is
trained in the Model.
On-going in-service sessions ensure that information
and training is current. Every classroom has a trained
teacher, two aides called behavior managers and school
social workers qualified in both school social work and
the Teaching-Family Model.
The staff in every classroom have access to a behavioral
consultant who supports and evaluates at an individu-
al- and group-level with classroom staff. Regular meet-
ings are held to discuss cases and class functioning, as
well as to draw up support plans for every student.
Students are taught the steps to practicing an extensive
list of social skills needed to function in society. They
are also taught the importance of these skills.
These social skills are taught all day long, and all student
behaviors are addressed. Both positive reinforcement
and teaching interactions to address skill deficits are
continuously undertaken.
The therapeutic needs of students
The therapeutic needs are identified by the Social Work-
ers and integrated into the Behavioral Model. These
needs of students include:
1) staff empathy which includes a non-judgmental
attitude and emotional support,
2) effective praise from staff members,
3) acceptance of student’s limitations by staff
members' demeanor and words,
4) accepting that the student has multiple problems
rather than the student being the problem, and
5) allowing students space to recoup from negative
behaviors by having a cool-down period and
practicing relaxation techniques. These techniques
are taught to students to ensure the triggering of the
relaxation response, which is critical to calming.
These students' needs are recognized and included in
the behavioral Model and their inclusion is recognized
as vital to the plan's success.
FourCaseStudies—
HowGarfieldPark
AcademyMarries
theTeaching-Family
ModelwithSocial
WorkTherapy,
ArtTherapy,
Biofeedback
TherapyandMore
inaSchoolSetting
Huti Cooper, Garfield Park
Academy
Presented with Amanda
Rossi, Garfield Park Academy
Continued next page

Joining behavioral approaches with therapeutic needs,
example one: social work therapy
Social work is naturally integrated with the behavioral
Teaching-Family Model.
Sixteen year-old Castor* entered school towards the
end of the school year. Castor is on the spectrum and
had a low IQ test score. He had been moved out of his
home by DCP&P when family discovered that he had
been engaging in sexual intercourse with his nine
year-old sister over the course of the year. He was also
disrespectful to women of all ages, would call them de-
rogatory names and be physically intimidating.
In his previous school, Castor fought his peers, was
aggressive with staff, and defiant of rules. He had been
kept home for three months, as the district found it dif-
ficult to find an appropriate school placement.
When Castor entered Garfield Park Academy, he exhib-
ited the same behaviors. Within the first two days, he
disrespected male and female peers who reacted to his
disrespect by disrespecting him.
Staff had thoroughly oriented him to the school rules,
the behavioral Model and the academic regime. He dis-
regarded all of these things and argued that his behav-
iors were part of his nature.
Castor’s non-compliance and later overtly threatening
gestures were addressed by staff with the help of the
Model, but the behaviors kept escalating. Female staff
members were specially targeted in the school.
The situation was continuing to escalate, and as the
social worker, I tried to deescalate Castor with positive
reinforcement. I soon realized this would not work un-
til I could facilitate some staff insight into his psyche
without breaching confidential information.
Unknown to class staff, I had started therapy with Cas-
tor where I used the empathy piece of the Model to
emote about the difficulties he was fac-
ing. We discussed his feelings of anger
and frustration at the staff and students
responding to him negatively.
At the same time, I sensitized the staff to
the necessity of building a positive rela-
tionship in the face of negative behavior
and strongly encouraged them to desist
from initially using anything that could
be perceived by him as punishment.
The tone and content of staff members’s
interactions with Castor were to be
more conciliatory. The behavioral Mod-
el, while still being used to instruct, was
to primarily and overwhelmingly praise
and validate.
Class staff trusted the social worker's analysis without
asking for the basis, as they respected that confidential-
ity had to be maintained. They never did come to know
the history of the student, but his emotional needs were
soon being met.
Castor started having a good day or two. Staff were soon
marveling at how responsive he was to their instruc-
tions. There was some softening of his attitude towards
his peers, and he became cognizant of the need to be
polite with adults.
Castor was both surprised by and in need of the warmth
of the staff he encountered. It seemed that a lifetime of
what he perceived to be traumatic in-
teractions with staff—past and present—
had ceased, and this had given him
room to improve functioning. It was as
if permission was granted for him to act
like a human being.
There is a song that goes, “The great-
est thing you'll ever learn is to love and
be loved in return.” This song applies
to Castor and countless other students
who pass our way.
Joining behavioral approaches with
therapeutic needs, example two: art
therapy
Art therapy can also be integrated with
the Teaching-Family Model to actualize
a student's potential.
Seventeen year-old student Jake* is a classic example
of a student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disor-
der. He is a whirlwind of activity in the classroom, un-
able to focus his attention on any academic subject for
more than ten minutes at a time—his eyes darting from
one distraction to another, and his constant movement
out of his seat disrupting academic instruction.
*Student names are fabricated.
“It seemed that a
lifetime of what
he perceived to be
traumatic interac-
tions with staff—
past and present—
had ceased, and
this had given him
room to improve.”

The same is true of his interaction patterns with staff
and students. When staff sought to teach to and im-
prove his behavior, he would share with all who could
hear him that he was hyperactive and could not control
his thought or action.
But what a change came over him when
presented with a blank sheet of high
quality art paper. He worked with the art
therapist, reliving and working through
the various traumatic experiences he
had and gradually gave himself permis-
sion to take the paper out of his art bag
in class whenever he needed to calm
himself down.
As a social worker, I had to interpret this
permission that he had as being thera-
peutic and the importance of not using
it as a reward but a therapeutic tool.
The most poignant of all of Jake’s draw-
ings was his self-portrait—a young man
standing with ball chains around his ankles. I believe
he had a pair of half-open wings on his back. He felt he
could not take flight in spite of them.
The Teaching-Family Model and the loving, empathet-
ic staff around him made a difference. He had severe
difficulties showing his art work to anyone but his ther-
apists, but with the introduction of self-expression as
a calming technique, the behavioral staff in the room
enveloped him in warm exclamations of admiration.
The river of their love and admiration floated Jake
through his myriad troubles, and he finally gave him-
self permission to hold a one-man art exhibition in the
classroom. The class decided that they would have a
celebration to mark the occasion.
The enitre class earned the privilege of having the cel-
ebration—the collective positive behavior in the class-
room that week was impressive.
There was a palpable sense of occasion and excitement
in the class when staff and students helped him prop up
his art pieces on their desks.
And then one warm summer day, during the extend-
ed school year, Jake’s work was taken out of the school
and displayed in a public place. I was not working that
summer, but was invited by him to see it.
When I arrived, around the corner came Jake, sur-
rounded by staff and students. He looked nervous and
uncertain, and as I reached him I asked him, “Are you
OK?” He paused for a second, looking at me and then
said simply with a smile that chased away the nervous-
ness, “I am now.”
Granted, I am given to tearing up as life does touch me
quite often, but that day I was certain it was not just be-
cause I was a softy. The young man humbled his older
social worker with his recognition of her support.
Joining behavioral approaches with therapeutic needs,
example three: biofeedback therapy
Bio-feedback can be integrated with the Teach-
ing-Family Model through the biofeedback technician.
She has this wonderful way of addressing students, oh-
so-softly and with a smile, but make no mistake—there
is not a single behavior she does not address. And she
does it seamlessly while students engage in their bio-
feedback apparatus.
One student, Harry*, stands out in my
mind. Harry had an extremely aggres-
sive streak in him that would manifest
and wreck havoc in his and his peers’
lives.
But Harry loved biofeedback sessions.
He would wait to visit with our tech-
nician and spend many a happy hour
learning breathing techniques to ma-
nipulate the computer relaxation pro-
gram.
Now, sometimes it takes a student to
help staff to link their services. Harry
was having a hard time maintaining
self-control one day and asked his be-
havioral staff, “Why can't I use my biofeedback program
to calm down? Staff asked him to explain and they saw
the value of his request.
Permissions were obtained and soon Harry would, with
permission, quietly go to the computer to use the pro-
gram when he felt the need. The important element of
self-determination that is often reviewed with students
Continued on page 22
*Student names are fabricated.
“What a change
came over him
when presented
with a blank sheet
of high quality art
paper... the loving,
empathetic staff
around him made
a difference.”

ExaminingEffectsofanIn-HomeFamilyServices
ProgramBasedontheTeaching-FamilyModel:
PreliminaryFindingsfromaRandomizedTrial
Follow
along
with
session
slides
online:
Kristin Duppong Hurley, PhD and Matthew Lambert, PhD
University of Nebraska—Lincoln
Ron W. Thompson, PhD
Boys Town National Research Institute

Boys Town In-Home Family Services
(IHFS) is an intervention designed for
families involved with child welfare agen-
cies or at-risk for significant family and/
or child behavior problems. The program
is based on the Teaching-Family Model
(TFM) , and it has shown promising results
in preliminary studies (e.g., Duppong Hur-
ley, Griffith, Casey, Ingram, & Simpson,
2011). It had not been tested in a rigorous
trial, however, prior to the current study.
The program was originally developed
more than twenty-five years ago and has
hadongoingdevelopment,evaluation,and
dissemination to Boys Town sites around
the country (Ingram, Cash, Oats, Simpson,
& Thompson, 2015). It includes helping
parents in regard to family functioning,
parenting, social supports, and concrete
resources. Because families served often
present with significant family stressors,
the intervention begins with an emphasis
on engagement of family members in the
intervention and an assessment of family
strengths and stressors.
Based on this assessment, the interven-
tion is tailored to each family’s priorities
and needs. At case closure families are
encouraged to identify specific resourc-
es and supports that could be available to
them after the formal intervention ends.
Services are provided by Boys Town staff
members called family consultants.
Families who participated in the cur-
rent study were recruited through a
state-funded family helpline designed to
connect families who have children with
behavioral health challenges with com-
munity-based resources. Three hundred
families were recruited over a four year
period, and more than 90% of these fam-
ilies remain in the study. Families were
randomly assigned to either a treatment
(IHFS) or services as usual comparison
(telephone counseling and referral) group.
Intake assessments indicated families and
children in these two groups were not sig-
nificantly different and that families and
children from both groups presented with
significant risks. For the most part, fam-
ilies were not receiving formal services
when they were enrolled in the study.
Model fidelity assessments included vid-
eo-taped in-home sessions which were
coded for fidelity to core program com-
ponents and transcription of a sample
of these video tapes to do a more fine-
grained analysis of parenting skills taught
and teaching strategies used by family
consultants.
Results indicated that the core compo-
nents of the intervention were imple-
mented during the study, but more TFM
parenting skills (e.g., preventive teaching)
and effective teaching strategies (e.g.,
modeling and role play) could have been
integrated into these sessions.
Outcome data were collected at intake and
case closure, and follow-up data are cur-
rently being collected at six and twelve
months after case closure. Intent to treat
analyses of proximal outcomes indicated
that families and children had significant
treatment effects for caregiver strain, par-
enting skills, family resources, and child
behavior problems. There were no sig-
nificant treatment effects for family func-
tioning, however. Follow-up data will be
analyzed during the next year to assess
maintenance of effects over time. These
initial results continue to suggest program
efficacy in this rigorous trial.
A unique feature of this study is that it
was funded by the service provider out of
a commitment to improving services for
families. The study was conducted as part
of a long-standing partnership between a
university research center and a large, na-
tional service provider. The research was
directed by university scientists, and ser-
vices were provided by provider agency
staff. This required considerable collabora-
tion and communication between scien-
tists and practitioners, but it also allowed us
to conduct this trial in a setting more close-
ly related to settings where it has been and
will be scaled up in the future.
Theagencyalreadyservesmorethan8,000
children across the U.S. each year with this
program, and there is great potential con-
tinue to scale the program up due to the
current demand for evidence-based pro-
grams to serve families and children in the
community.
In addition, the close working relation-
ships between scientists and practitioners
will hopefully benefit translation of find-
ings to practice. This type of universi-
ty-service provider partnership is sug-
gested as a promising approach for other
service providers who may want to build
their capacity to conduct applied research
that can be easily translated into practice
settings (Thompson, Duppong Hurley,
Trout, Huefner, & Daly, in press).
Inadditiontoongoingdatacollection,next
steps will include conducting pilot studies
to examine the impact of increasing the
frequency of parenting skills taught and
effective teaching skills employed in the
program. The long-term goal is to provide
high-quality in-home services to more
children and families in the future.
References
Duppong Hurley, K., Griffith, A.K.,
Casey, K.J., Ingram, S., & Simp-
son, A. (2011). Behavioral and
emotional outcomes of an in-
home parent training interven-
tion for young children. Journal
of At-Risk Issues, 16(2), 1-7.
Ingram, S. D., Cash, S. J., Oats, R.
G., Simpson, A., & Thompson, R.
W. (2015). Development of an ev-
idence-informed in-home fami-
ly services model for families and
children at-risk of abuse and ne-
glect. Child & Family Social Work,
20(2), 139-148.
Thompson, R.W., Duppong Hur-
ley, K., Trout, A.L., Huefner, J.C.,
& Daly, D.L. (in press). Closing
the Research to Practice Gap in
Therapeutic Residential Care:
Service Provider-University
Partnerships Focused on Evi-
dence-Based Practice. Journal
of Emotional and Behavioral
Disorders.
Examining
Effects
ofanIn-
Home
Family
Services
Program
Based
onthe
Teaching-
Family
Model
Duppong Hurley,
Lambert,
Thompson

Advocating
for the
Teaching-
Family
Model as
a Trauma-
Informed
Approach
Michele Boguslofski,
Utah Youth Village,
Alpine Academy
Presented with
Karen Olivier,
Closer to Home
Community Services
Follow along with

The Teaching-Family Model (TFM) provides compre-
hensive care as a program model for children, youth
and families focused on building relationships and ser-
vices that are client-centered, strengths-based, trau-
ma-informed, and outcome driven.
The TFM is an evidence-based model, researched
since the 1970s, rooted in Behavioral Principles and So-
cial Learning Theory. Relationship-based care is paired
with a cognitive behavioral approach that promotes
best practice for creating positive, sustained change
and healing.
Developed in 1967 at the University of Kansas, the TFM
is the result of the efforts of a strong team led by the
founder of applied behavioral analysis, Dr. Montrose
Wolf. Dr. Wolf, alongside Dr. Lonnie Phillips, Dr. Dean
Fixen, Dr. Gary Timbers, and Dr. Karen Blasé, collected
and studied data, informed and refined best practices,
and developed fidelity measures, approaches, and sys-
tems to strengthen practice and improve outcomes for
children, youth and families.
With a focus on developing people (practitioners), they
had a remarkably strong effect on practices and pro-
cesses, and were able to establish systems of training,
consultation, and evaluation leading to essential and
authentic replication and dissemination of the TFM
across practitioners, administrators, programs, and re-
gions, leading to a full system-of-care approach.
This approach focuses on fidelity and recognizes that
practitioners are the key to successful implementation.
Hence, tools for practitioners, organizational systems
for supervisors, trainers and administrators, a culture
supporting philosophy and values, and quality assur-
ance are built into the TFM to ensure congruence and
help all persons be the best they can be.
The research history behind the TFM encompasses the
evolution of the Bureau of Child Research and the De-
partment of Human Development and Family Life at the
University of Kansas. The National Institute of Mental
Health provided research funding for two decades and
remains intimately involved and interested in the TFM.
Following the opening of the initial program for boys
in Lawrence, Kansas, over 200 individual experimen-
tal studies were conducted in Teaching-Family group
homes. These studies were employed within subject
experimental designs and focused on direct obser-
vation of youth behavior and the behavior of practi-
tioners, with the first priority always being the benefit
and effectiveness for youth being served.
Recent research findings incorporate significant longi-
tudinal studies and research by Elizabeth Farmer and
others support improved outcomes and overall effec-
tiveness in TFM programs. Examples of research and
strong outcome data and findings include:
1. Improvement of Psychiatric Symptoms with
significantly better Strengths and Difficulties
Questionnairescorespost-discharge(Farmeretal.,2016).
2. Decrease in Negative Post-Discharge Outcomes
with clients five-times less likely to be readmitted to
residential care and three times less likely to drop-out
of school (Trout et al., 2013).
EVIDENCE-
BASED,
TRAUMA-
INFORMED
TEACHING-
FAMILY
MODEL
Additional research papers and
data can be accessed via a TFM
bibliography at:
teaching-family.org/bibliography/
Michele Boguslofski,
Utah Youth Village,
Alpine Academy

The TFM is comprised of best practice standards, all of
which are least invasive and most inclusive. These
standards serve as benchmarks for exceptional service,
programming, and care, and include Goals, Elements,
and Integrated Systems. Every agency and organization
associated with and accredited by the Teaching-Family
Association must demonstrate their adherence to and
implementation of every standard that comprises the
TFM. Goals include:
Humane. Teaching-Family programs demonstrate
compassionate, considerate, respectful, and
unconditional positive regard for all clients with no
tolerance for abuse or neglect.
Effective. Outcomes are observable and measurable.
Clients and staff acquire skills necessary to achieve
their goals. The quality and stability of staff are
maintained to ensure effectiveness.
Trauma-Informed. The Model ensures the realization
of the prevalence of trauma, recognizes how trauma
affects all individuals involved in the program
including staff, and responds by fully integrating
knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures
and practices. Trauma-informed practices for
practitioners, clients and families are woven into the
fabric of the TFM.
Individualized. Services provided by Teaching-
Family Association agencies are client-centered,
strength-based and directly related to the unique
needs of the client. Services are culturally sensitive,
developmentally appropriate, and provided based on
an individual’s unique characteristics, strengths and
vulnerabilities.
Consumer Satisfaction. Opportunities are provided
for client and stakeholder input. Clients and
consumers express a high degree of satisfaction with
the services provided. Quality assurance processes
incorporate consumer feedback.
3. Adult Rate of Interpersonal Violence for youth who
had experienced significant childhood trauma up to 16
years post TFM is on par with the general population
(normative) breaking the intergenerational cycle of
violence (Huefner, et al., 2007).
4. Positive Impact on School Performance evidenced
by improved grades – in most cases by a full grade
point average, higher rate of school graduation, and
increased likelihood to access secondary education
(Thompson et al., 1996).
TFM agencies and programs provide solid evi-
dence-based solutions for treatment and care as recog-
nized by the California Evidence-Based Clearing House
(CEBC), the National Registry of Evidence Based Pro-
grams, and Practice (NREPP), and the American Psy-
chological Association. The TFM is a prime example
research that has successfully been “transmitted to the
field” to benefit large numbers of children and families.
BEST
PRACTICE
STANDARDS
Goals5

Elements of the TFM are at the core of the work and
treatment being done. Elements include:
Teaching. Observe, describe behaviors in an
objective, supportive manner; identify strengths and
areas of skill deficits; role-plays; strategies to manage
intense and maladaptive behaviors; pro-social skill
development and acquisition; support emotional
expression; regulation skills and anxiety management
and related skills. Cognitive behaviorally-based
interventions; safe, nurturing interactions that are
predictable and consistent.
Therapeutic Relationships. Healthy, nurturing
relationships focused on belonging, connectedness,
identity, safety, trust, respect, consistency and
caring. Positive interaction, sensitive and responsive,
encouraging; not judgmental. Supportive role
models, teachers, and mentors. Time spent doing and
being together.
Self-Determination. Provides and promotes
empowerment over personal choices, consequences
of decisions; personal contributions and the ability to
have impact; leadership; personal control, input into
decisions, treatment, goals, and their future; builds on
abilities, strengths, interests, and passion.
Family-Sensitive. Promotes and advocates for client
and the client’s family; family involvement to the
extent it is appropriate (safe); facilitation of family
interaction and connectedness; family-welcoming
and inclusive environment; ongoing communication
and involvement.
Diversity. Ethnic and cultural connections,
celebrations and ceremony; respect for and of
differences; opportunities to participate in activities
and events that promote and reflect diversity of
individual clients.
Professionalism. Ongoing training and consultation
for skill acquisition and development of practitioners;
association certification of and for practitioners;
participation in and leadership on treatment team
and as an advocate for clients’ needs.
Elements6
Follow along with

The TFM builds sustainability and resilience in agen-
cies, programs, staff, and clients via its Integrated
Systems. These systems provide the framework for
quality assurance and model fidelity, support practi-
tioner skill development and therapeutic outcomes,
ensure program and agency accountability, and pro-
vide process and outcome data.
At the heart of the model are children, youth and fam-
ilies, followed by practitioners, and then by the organi-
zational approach of four Integrated Systems. Qualified
trainers, consultants and supervisors, evaluators, and
administrators provide oversight and comprehensive
integrations of these systems within agencies, pro-
grams, and within the association. Systems include:
Facilitative Administration ensures the values
and principles of the TFM permeate all levels of the
organizational culture and adherence to its Standards
of Service. Those responsible for Facilitative
Administration at their agency work to provide the
resources necessary for all the goals, systems, and
elements to work together to support best practice
and client-centered outcomes.
Training is competency-based and is designed to
build practitioner skills, knowledge and expertise.
Training includes theory and application of
knowledge in classroom discussion, testing, role-
plays, and homework. Staff are empowered to focus
on the mastery of required skills and the selection of
staff is key to ensuring both quality and integrity of
practitionersandprograms.Trainingmaintainsmodel
fidelity at the direct care level and provides a basis for
ongoing training, consultation, and evaluation.
Consultation/Supervision is a systematic approach
to skill development and safeguards against drift.
Direct observation and feedback are used to provide
valuable knowledge regarding implementation of
training and treatment. Support and crisis response
are delivered 24/7 to ensure treatment continues at all
times. Individualized treatment planning is overseen,
with input from the client, family, and entire treatment
team. The consultant/supervisor pays careful
attention to the environment, relationships, and the
TFM’s evidence-based practices provided in training.
Evaluation upholds quality of care for practitioners,
programs, and agencies culminating in an
International Certification of Practitioners (annually)
and International Accreditation of Agencies
(triennially). Evaluation of Model implementation and
Standards of Service are reviewed by independent
reviewers; program outcomes are also examined.
Systems4

TRAUMA-
INFORMED
Every TFM Standard of Service has compliance in-
dicators and measures. Evaluation activities, cul-
minating in Certification of Practitioners and Agency
Accreditation, are conducted by formally trained and
vastly experienced teams. Review teams are on-site at
the agency undergoing review for several days, exam-
ining all the compliance indicators and measures es-
tablished for every Goal, Element, and System, laying
eyes on clients and practitioners, and reviewing data.
Specifically examining the application of the TFM
with persons who have been exposed to trauma,
and in trauma-informed environments, underscores
the conclusive, positive outcomes that are realized and
achieved with the implementation of a research- and
evidence-based model. The effects of trauma exposure
are vast and may include indicators in the areas of at-
tachment, biology, mood regulation, dissociation, be-
havioral control, cognition, self-concept, and develop-
ment, and impact long-term social, emotional, health
and overall well-being.
Responses to the same or a similar event may vary
greatly based on factors such as age, developmental
stage, previous trauma history, status as a victim or wit-
ness, relationship with the perpetrator or victim, per-
ception of danger faced, and the presence of an adult,
or adults, who can help and provide support. Further-
more, separation of the family following traumatic
events causes greater impact, grief and loss. Individ-
ualized assessment, care, and strategies are necessary
to effectively attend to the child or youth’s trauma and
to address possible historical trauma as it relates to the
collective and cumulative emotional wounding across
generations, and the cumulative exposure to traumatic
events that not only affect an individual, but continue
to affect subsequent generations.
The TFM is designed to work with the brain, repairing
trauma’s negative impact through positive, corrective
experiences. Taking advantage of the brain’s plasticity,
the TFM is able to train the brain, build new connec-
tions, and help individuals establish strong synapses
through repeated exposure to enhance brain develop-
ment around healthy behaviors and skills helpful in ad-
dressing and working through trauma.
Extensive and ongoing brain research proves that brain
development continues through adolescence and
young adulthood, and that regardless of a person’s age,
the brain changes. Neural pathways that are used most
often become the strongest, and with repetition, role-
plays, teaching and doing, learning and practicing the
brain can learn new ways of responding.
This supports emotional regulation and enables an in-
dividual to from maladaptive coping strategies (based
on their response to trauma) such as sleeping and eat-
ing disruption, emotional detachment, depression,
anxiety, heightened fight or flight, acting out and ex-
cessive risky behaviors to more beneficial and helpful
behaviors that promote safety, permanency, well-be-
ing, and build sustainable resiliency while increasing
positive opportunities.
Continue on page 23

Listen
Support
Strategize
Investigate
Revisit
Trauma-Informed
Consultation
Continued from page 9
Joining Behavioral
Approaches with
Therapeutic
Needs
was put into action by Harry.
Introduction to self regulation and
the emotional zones
This year, increasing importance is
now being paid to foster self regu-
lation and emotional control in our
students. The Zones of Regulation
program, written and created by
Leah M. Kuypers, was introduced
school-wide to help this process.
A start was made when social-emo-
tional learning was introduced last
year, where students were helped
to organize sensory input from the
environment and respond appro-
priately.
Students’ executive functioning is
enhanced by self-regulation, cogni-
tive flexibility, shifting attention and
other methods. Visual teachings
like poster boards help reinforce
abstract concepts to become more
concrete. Students are encouraged
to be cognizant of their feelings and
their antecedents of the feelings.
Social workers and staff members
help students to respond appro-
priately to their feelings. They are
shown options to handle difficult
feelings.
For example, one of my students
was demonstrating a disruptive,
abrasive attitude in class. He had in-
formed me that he had been arrest-
ed by the police and spent a week-
end night in prison.
that your door is always open, literally or figuratively,
then be mindful about the way that you interact with
your team. Be open to feedback and willing to give
your undivided attention, even if it's inconvenient.
Inspiring Resilience
At this point in our conversation, if you were sitting
across the table from me, I would hand you a colorful
plastic egg with Silly Putty inside and ask you to take
out the Silly Putty and manipulate it with your hands.
You should go and get some; it's therapeutic. Silly Putty
is an amazing chemical; it can stretch, break, bounce,
float, and mold to other objects. If you place Silly Putty
on a newspaper print, it will mirror the image.
Resilience is defined as the ability to recover from dif-
ficulties; elasticity, or toughness. Resilience is the key
to building a strong team that can work together over
extended periods of time.
In order to develop resilience in your team, you will
want to implement these four strategies:
1. Training. Equip your staff to do their work
competently and confidently.
2. Team-Building. Help facilitate relationships and
improve morale by offering activities and supportive
feedback.
3. Self-Care. Guard your staff from fatigue, model and
teach coping strategies to deal with stress
4. Growth. Provide ongoing opportunities for your
team members to practice their strengths, learn
innovative approaches to treatment, and develop
professionally.
In summary, when you take active steps to ensure safe-
ty, build transparency, and inspire resilience in your
practitioners, you will experience more success in your
service delivery.
Your team will benefit beyond measure from your dili-
gence in providing trauma-informed support in stress-
ful times. Most of all, your youth will be provided the
best possible level of care by supportive practitioners.

EVIDENCE-BASED,
TRAUMA-INFORMED
TEACHING-FAMILY MODEL
The TFM creates positive change and healing from the
effects of trauma through relationship development
and teaching, using a “serve and return” approach with
people they trust and know care about and value them.
Drilling down into the Trauma-Informed Standard,
indicators of compliance that are included in for-
mal review include:
• Agency and program environments assure the safety
of and respect for all clients.
• Program participants are screened for histories and
symptoms of trauma.
• Staff are trained about the impact of trauma and
the prevalence of traumatic histories in the lives of
persons and populations they serve. Training includes
understanding caregiver perceptions, responses and
what is helpful.
• Program participant histories inform the planning
and delivery of services in order to strengthen their
resilience and protective factors, and help guide the
pathways to address grief and loss when appropriate.
• Behaviors are addressed through teaching and
relationships with a trauma-informed lens, ensuring
healthy responses that promote increased positive
social and emotional development and connection.
• Programs work collaboratively with clients in a way
that empowers them and meets their need to be
informed, connected and hopeful.
• Agency has an established environment of care that
increases staff resilience.
• Staff respect and value all children, youth, and families,
meeting them where they are and embracing self-
concept and identity.
The TFM is not proprietary; it is designed to inform
and respond. Program quality, quality of practi-
tioners, and sustained outcomes for children, youth,
and families are priorities for those who deliver this ev-
idence-based model. Agency Accreditation and Prac-
titioner Certification are based on quality of care – for
clients and caregivers, and fidelity, integrity, effective-
ness of services, and treatment outcomes.
A replicable and sustainable model—with certified
sites across the United States, in Canada and New Zea-
land—and developing sites in Albania, Denmark, the
Netherlands, and Japan—the Teaching-Family Model
continues to adapt successfully to new treatment en-
vironments and populations. TFM agencies are com-
mitted to evolving the knowledge, practice, and adapt-
ability of this model to a broad range of populations,
programs, and cultures.

Clearly, his class behaviors were in-
fluenced by the trauma he had un-
dergone. Once his current actions
were linked to his feelings, he was
able to cognize that he was now
in a safe, therapeutic place, and he
managed to correct his action and
work through his feelings.
He used the Zones of Regulation
poster to place himself first in the
yellow, anxious zone, and then
he helped himself to move to the
green, calm zone.
The behavioral Teaching-Fami-
ly Model, social work therapy, art
therapy, and zones of regulation—
threse remain just words until life is
breated into them by the staff mem-
bers who practice care, and by the
students for whom they are.

Join us in San Francisco for the Teaching-Family Association’s annual
mid-year meeting—focusing on leadership and management topics as
well as the TFA business agenda.
APRIL 24-26
Marine’s Memorial Club & Hotel
609 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 673-6672
ROOM RATES
Standard Room: $199.00
Deluxe Room: $219.00
MAKING RESERVATIONS—CALL (415) 673-6672, FAX (415) 441-3649, or EMAIL
reservations@marineclub.com. Ask for the Teaching-Family Association group rate.
RATES INCLUDE—full American breakfast and a two-hour hosted cocktail recep-
tion daily, entrance to on-site health club, complimentary use of a business center,
highspeed internet access in guestrooms and function space at no charge.
REGISTRATION FEES
Management training, one day: $175
Management training, two days: $300
Leadership training, one day: $175
A&E, Board meeting, Strategic planning only: $0
TFA DESK
NOTES
The Teaching-Family Association
PO Box 2007
Midlothian, VA 23113
P: 804.632.0155
E: kurt@teaching-family.org
S a n F r a n c i s c o
TFAMID-YEARMEETING2017
REGISTER ONLINE AT:
www.teaching-family.org/conferences
PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE
Tuesday, April 25
9AM - 1PM
• Management Training Program
• A&E Meeting
2PM - 5PM
• Management Training Program
• Board Meeting
Wednesday, April 26
9AM - 12PM
• Leadership Training Program
• Best Practice Presentations
12PM - 1PM
• Appreciation Lunch
1PM - 6PM
• Strategic planning

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