Risking Connection® (RC) reaches a big milestone this year – its 25th anniversary! Since its launch in 2000, tens of thousands of professionals have been trained in Risking Connection – creating ripples of healing and hope not only for clients, but also for families, workplaces, and communities.
Originally created by the Traumatic Stress Institute (TSI) and the Sidran Institute (now part of TSI), RC is the centerpiece of TSI’s Change Model to Trauma-Informed Care. Unlike “train and hope” approaches, Risking Connection ensures trauma-informed knowledge and practices reach every level of an organization — creating lasting, systemic change.
Over the years, RC has been revised and adapted across settings, most recently in 2024 to reflect the latest trauma research and to address racial trauma directly. Through all of this growth, one truth has remained constant: the most important aspect of trauma-informed care is connection.
This year we're honoring our milestone year with stories, testimonials, reflections, and trauma-informed content (follow us on LinkedIn), as well as through both a virtual gathering this December for those in our RC community and a series of RC Sampler Sessions this fall for those of you who are curious about Risking Connection:
The RC Sampler Sessions will cover 3 Risking Connection cornerstone concepts:
Session 1: The RC Trauma Framework | Supporting Trauma Healing
October 7, 2025, 3-4 p.m. ET
This Risking Connection® sampler introduces the Risking Connection® Trauma Framework – a practical map for understanding how past harm shapes present-day survival behaviors, fostering empathy in helpers for the challenging behaviors they face every day.
Session 2: Vicarious Trauma | Sustaining Healing and Hope
October 23, 2025, 3-4 p.m. ET
This Risking Connection® sampler examines how working with traumatized people poses risks to helpers also – the risk of secondary or vicarious trauma. It discusses how true healing connections require care and respect for both the survivor and the helper, ensuring that those who give support are supported themselves.
Session 3: R.I.C.H. Relationships | Strengthening Attachment
November 12, 2025, 3-4 p.m. ET
This Risking Connection® sampler explores the vital role of R.I.C.H. relationships – built on Respect, Information, Connection, and Hope – in healing from trauma. These relationships create the safety and trust survivors need to take the courageous risk that connection can heal rather than harm.
So join us as we celebrate the resilience of the past and imagine how far the ripple effect of trauma-informed care can carry us in the next 25 years.
