Healing without Borders: The Trauma Resource Institute

Resiliency Within’s host, Elaine Miller-Karas, co-founded the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI).  She resigned as Executive Director in 2020 when she welcomed Dr. Michael Sapp as the CEO of TRI.

They will discuss the international organization's past, present, and future. The Trauma Resource Institute (TRI) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that cultivates trauma-informed and resiliency-focused individuals and communities worldwide.

TRI is known internationally for its innovative perspectives promoting individual and community well-being.

Two types of training, the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM)® and the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® have been developed by Elaine Miller-Karas. Both models are biologically based and teach wellness skills, cultivating well-being in mind, body, and spirit.

While TRM is oriented toward mental health professionals, CRM focuses on public health and has been taught to professionals and natural leaders of communities. 

TRI has brought its healing modalities to more than 70 countries.  Dr. Sapp and Elaine have traveled to many places worldwide, including China, the Philippines, Germany, Turkey, Northern Ireland, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Nepal.

TRI has built meaningful collaborations with diverse organizations such as the Center for Contemplative Science at Emory University, EdCamp Ukraine, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Fighting Back Santa Maria, and the Christopher Wolf Crusade. 

Dr. Sapp and Elaine will elaborate upon TRI’s values and its mission.

TRI’s mission is:

• To take people from despair to hope through simple skills-based interventions based on cutting-edge research about the brain.
• To expand access to biologically based treatments by training frontline service providers, community leaders, and clinicians to build local capacity in diverse communities nationally and internationally.

TRI’s values include:

• Every individual, child, and adult has a natural-born ability to cultivate well-being and can learn an array of self-help skills.
• When a traumatic event has resulted in symptoms, individuals are entitled to treatment that is gentle, effective, and culturally sensitive.
• Education and intervention about the common reactions to traumatic experiences must be available to diverse populations and cultures.
• Treatment of individuals suffering from traumatic stress reactions must be accessible and affordable to all members of society.

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About Dr. Michael Sapp

Michael Sapp serves as the Executive Director of the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI), where he has been actively involved since 2010, initially as Senior Faculty for both TRM and CRM.

His educational background includes an M.A. in General Psychology and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, both earned at The New School in New York, NY. Dr. Sapp is deeply committed to disseminating TRI's innovative healing approaches to a global audience.

In 2016, he assumed the role of Associate Executive Director, and his exceptional leadership skills led to his appointment as CEO in 2020.

A notable aspect of Dr. Sapp's work lies in his keen interest in neuroscientific approaches to trauma healing. This interest culminated in his co-authorship of the chapter "The Nervous System, Memory, and Trauma" in Ms. Miller-Karas' book, Building Resilience to Trauma: The Trauma and Community Resiliency Models, first published in 2015 and subsequently in its second edition in 2023.

In collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, Dr. Sapp played a crucial role in establishing a CRM Teacher Training program for Angola in 2023. This program aims to educate 180 Young Adult Social Mobilizers (YASM), impacting up to 6,000 Angolan Youth

 His humanitarian work was further shaped by experiences in Istanbul, Turkey, supporting Syrian refugees and assisting survivors of the "troubles" in Northern Ireland. He was instrumental in launching TRI's training programs in Belfast, Northern Ireland.