Beyond Behavior: Trauma-Informed Care in Faith Communities with guest Andrea Corbridge

In this illuminating conversation, host Peter Voorhees and co-host Malissa Bertella welcome Andrea Corbridge to explore how trauma-informed care has transformed children's ministry at City Chapel of Bremerton. Andrea shares powerful stories of moving from behavior-focused approaches to relationship-centered care that honors each child's dignity, including the paradigm-shifting moment when a volunteer crawled under a desk to meet a struggling child where they were. Through practical examples and heartfelt insights, Andrea illustrates how understanding trauma changes everything—from volunteer recruitment to classroom management to the fundamental goals of ministry itself—and offers wisdom on creating safe spaces where healing can happen, the importance of allowing people to lament without correction, and why building resilience through simple, loving interactions might be the most powerful ministry we can offer.