Laurie Leitch and Elaine Miller-Karas met in Thailand in January of 2005.  They were part of an international team that provided treatment and training to survivors of the Asian tsunami of December 2004.   They had a shared commitment to bring clinical interventions to the global community, based upon current science about the impact of traumatic experiences upon the body and mind.  They were also concerned about the lack of brief training models in biologically-based intervention. This lack created an accessibility issue for many front-line workers who did not have the time or funding to spend receiving other longer models of training. Further, in cases of natural and other large scale disasters skills are need quickly. A brief training program could equip first responders and other caregivers with stabilization skills which could be appropriate to use both in the acute as well as the longer-term phases of disaster recovery.

In December of 2006, Laurie and Elaine co-founded the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI).  TRI is a nonprofit corporation that promotes innovative, brief training models, nationally and internationally, to heal individuals (children and adults) from the ravages of traumatic experiences, whether from developmental or shock trauma, and natural or human made disaster.      

Laurie brings her extensive experience as a clinician, teacher, and researcher to TRI’s projects, designing the research and evaluation which helps to build the needed evidence base for TRI’s resiliency models of intervention. Elaine brings her clinical expertise, teaching background, and conceptualization of a short term, biologically based, model based upon her work at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, as the Associate Director of Behavioral Sciences.  read more. . .