After a year of intentional growth and system improvements, we are excited to officially announce that Online ARTIC will reopen in July 2026.
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For the first time in our 20-year history, the Traumatic Stress Institute (TSI) engaged in a formal strategic planning process, resulting in a concrete strategic plan for the next two years.After 12 months of work, and under the wise guidance of Leading Culture Solutions, our entire team worked to identify specific strategic initiatives in 4 areas:
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Hospital-based behavioral health departments work tirelessly everyday to keep communities healthy and safe. However, many healthcare systems experience symptoms that transform healing spaces into re-traumatizing environments for patients as well as leadership, physicians, and staff. Patients with complex needs, larger system pressures, changes in leadership, and staff turnover all can evoke fear and stress, resulting in punitive and non-relational interactions. This kind of climate unwittingly replicates the abusive dynamics patients and staff may have experienced in their own lives, leading to poor outcomes.
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After 20 years as Director of the Traumatic Stress Institute (TSI), Dr. Steve Brown will be retiring in June.We are pleased to announce that John Engel, TSI’s Associate Director, will assume the position of Director effective June 29, 2026.
We were recently introduced to Laneita Williamson, founder of 18 Cairns Consulting, who led a system-wide implementation at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, a North Carolina health system. Her recent research article reinforces something we see every day: lasting impact requires more than training; it requires systems change.
The Traumatic Stress Institute gathers twice a year for staff retreat. The retreats last a few days and give us the space to step back from daily demands and reconnect as a team. These retreats are a time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, clarify our direction, and explore new ideas that will shape our work moving forward.
Our most recent retreat was online in January (see picture) and included a phenomenal learning session co-led by Tanji L. Donald, M.Ed., Program Coordinator, and Samm Winebrenner, Operations Coordinator.
Over the past year as we've celebrated Risking Connection's 25th anniversary, we’ve also been sharing something special on our LinkedIn page: the voices of our community.
Through testimonials from trainers, clinicians, educators, and leaders, one theme has emerged again and again – the enduring impact of Risking Connection (RC).
In honor of 25 years of Risking Connection®, this series explores the heart of the Risking Connection Change Model: R.I.C.H. relationships – those that exemplify Respect, Information, Connection, and Hope – and the real challenges of living them out. These are the areas where we struggle, stumble, and sometimes become less than helpful to our clients and each other.
In the final post of this series we turn to Hope.
Hope is the foundation on which all the other qualities rest. In the dictionary hope is defined as: “to cherish a desire with anticipation;” “to desire with expectation of obtainment;” and “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” A RICH relationship in itself creates hope, independently of the external reality.
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In honor of 25 years of Risking Connection®, this series explores the heart of the Risking Connection Change Model: R.I.C.H. relationships – those that exemplify Respect, Information, Connection, and Hope – and the real challenges of living them out. Join LaVerne Baker Hotep and Patricia Wilcox, LCSW, on November 12th to learn more about how R.I.C.H. relationships are healing relationships.
Now we turn to Connection.
Connection is the central concept in a trauma-informed approach. People heal within relationships. Our programs should offer our clients R.I.C.H. relationships and train staff how to utilize these relationships for the most powerful healing.
In honor of 25 years of Risking Connection®, this series explores the heart of the model: R.I.C.H. relationships – Respect, Information, Connection, and Hope – and the real challenges of living them out. Join LaVerne Baker Hotep and Patricia Wilcox, LCSW, on November 12th to learn more about how R.I.C.H. relationships are healing relationships.
In the first of the series, we discussed the role of Respect in R.I.C.H. relationships. Next, we'll focus on Information.