Starr Commonwealth’s National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC)
Starr’s TLC program is a key component of the many trainings and materials it provides professionals around the world. It serves to equip professionals and caregivers with the right tools to help guide children, adults, families, and communities through the devastating effects of trauma – and heal.
TLC is one of the three training and coaching programs of Starr Commonwealth. The other two programs are Reclaiming Youth International (RYI) and Glasswing. All of the programs draw on the Circle of Courage® model of positive youth development, which is based on the universal principle that to be emotionally healthy all youth need to experience Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity.
About the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children
Today’s educators and childcare professionals are on the front lines of a battle they may not even know they’re in: the fight against trauma in children. Our mission is to bring out the best in every traumatized child by training professionals to create environments where children can flourish. We have trained thousands of professionals to help children overcome the trauma in their lives, and are working to share our knowledge with teachers, social workers and more throughout the world.
Why: Trauma Devastates Lives
Children who have experienced trauma behave in ways that defy logic, reason and the best intentions of the adults in their lives. These kids are labeled as “unreachable” or “bad” because of trauma. This is why Starr’s TLC program was founded ‐ to show that childhood trauma is the root cause of many behavior issues that were beyond the reach of traditional cognitive therapies, and to try and help.
What: Helping Those Impacted by Trauma
Starr’s trauma-informed approach is supported by published evidence-based research, and has been used following many natural and man-made disasters, including:
- The Gulf War in Kuwait
- The Oklahoma bombing
- Wedgewood Baptist Church killings in Texas
- 9/11
- The tsunami in Southeast Asia
- Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
- The killing of school staff in the presence of students in Iowa and Texas
- The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary
How: Resources, Counseling, Training, Courses, and Coaching
2,000 trauma practitioners have been certified to provide Starr Commonwealth’s interventions and resources to children, adolescents, families, schools and other organizations.
Learn more about childhood trauma and Starr’s Structured Sensory Intervention Program for Traumatized Children, Adolescents and Parents (SITCAP) using these links:
TLC’s Story
Founded in 1990 by Dr. William Steele (MSW, PsyD), TLC has trained thousands of Certified Trauma Practitioners to provide resources to children, adolescents, families, schools, and communities on a daily basis. Today, Starr’s TLC training programs are in place in hundreds of schools, community-based programs, treatment centers, and childcare facilities across North America and internationally.
TLC and Starr Commonwealth
TLC became a program of the Starr Commonwealth in 2009, which helped us to further our work with children of trauma in communities across the world.
