Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW, the host of Resiliency Within, will interview Inez Tiger, LMFT, who has over 30 years of experience as an educator, school leader, and mental health professional.

They will discuss how educational systems worldwide are increasingly confronted with the impact of natural and human-made crises, including wildfires, immigration enforcement, and community violence, including armed conflicts.

These events disrupt the stability of children, families, and educators, with profound implications for learning and psychosocial well-being. Elaine developed the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® and contributed to the Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning (SEE) of Emory University.

Elaine and Inez will discuss how the Community Resiliency Model and its applications can be implemented as a systemic, phased approach to supporting resilience in schools.

They will discuss recent empirical findings, pilot projects, and theoretical underpinnings relating to how CRM-aligned self-regulation practices not only stabilize student emotional states but also buffer stress contagion between educators and students.

Implementation recommendations will be elaborated upon, emphasizing training adults first (teachers, administration, staff, and parents), followed by age-appropriate applications for children from preschool through high school in programs like the Disaster Relief Management-Community Resiliency Model (DRM-CRM), the Family Resiliency Program-CRM, and programs like SEE Learning. Implications for trauma and resiliency-informed education and systemic recovery will be discussed.

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About Our Guest : Inez Tiger

Inez Tiger, LMFT, brings over 30 years of experience as an educator, school leader, and mental health professional. She has served as an elementary and middle school teacher, counselor, principal, and most recently as Director of Wellness at The Pressman Academy.

Inez is a certified teacher of the Community Resiliency Model® (CRM), a practitioner of the Trauma Resiliency Model® (TRM), and a longtime facilitator and trainer in the practice of Council.

Specializing in self-regulation, trauma healing, and the power of storytelling, Inez recently transitioned from her role as a school-based educator to focus more deeply on healing and wellness.

A collector of stories, she finds meaning in listening to the resilience of students, parents, and teachers as they navigate their school journeys.

Originally from South Africa, Inez lives in Los Angeles with her partner and their two children. She finds joy in art-making, meaningful collaboration, and long walks with their dog, Chase.

One of her guiding mottos comes from Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Elaine Miller-Karas, host of Resiliency Within, welcomes back Kevin McLeod, Director of Business & Community Development at the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI), for a powerful conversation about teens, healing, and hope.

In this episode, Kevin addresses the Trauma Resource Institute’s inspiring work bringing the Youth Ambassador Program (YAP) to teens in Georgia’s Juvenile Justice System—and how this innovative program can be brought to schools, teen centers, and community clubs everywhere. YAP has recently been applied to the Disaster Relief Mobilization-Community Resiliency Model Program.

YAP empowers teens with simple, science-based wellness skills from the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)—tools that help calm the nervous system and restore well-being after stress or trauma. Through hands-on, experiential training, youth become CRM Teen Ambassadors (CRM-TAs) and learn six easy-to-use skills they can apply for self-care and peer support.

What’s more, these young leaders go on to share the skills with their friends and classmates through short, engaging “share-backs” that bring the skills to life in everyday settings—from classrooms to living rooms.

YAP is more than a program—it’s a movement to build resilience, foster connection, and inspire hope—one teen at a time.

Erin Kennedy and Scott Dinits are deeply embedded in the communities affected by the wildfires in Northern California. With the recent firestorms on Maui and Southern California, learning how to support children and adults is essential. They were direct responders after the 2018 Campfire that devastated Butte County Communities and the town of Paradise, California.

As Boys and Girls Club employees, they share what is essential to help children and adults heal. Both Erin and Scott are trained in the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® and will share how this model and other interventions helped their community as part of their care of their community. This broadcast was first aired after the firestorm on Maui.

They address what was not helpful in the recovering process even though it was extended with good intentions. They discuss the challenges, the hope, and healing as they continue to journey through the aftermath of this tragedy and destruction.

This dialogue can provide further information and support for those responding to disasters.

Elaine Miller-Karas, the host of Resiliency Within, welcomes back Dr. Michael Sapp, the Executive Director of the Trauma Resource Institute.

Dr. Sapp and Elaine will acknowledge the profound challenges many people in our worldwide community have been navigating during 2025.

The weight of witnessing so much uncertainty, fear, and suffering can feel overwhelming, especially for those who have dedicated their lives to serving and protecting vulnerable individuals and families.

The need for healing is urgent — not someday, but right now.

Taking time to care for our hearts, bodies, and minds is a necessity if we are to continue the vital work of healing with compassion and sustainability.

They will highlight their recent trip to the United Kingdom and the work they are doing internationally to promote the healing of our planet.

They will share the compassion, dedication, and resilience they are honored to witness every day. Skills that nourish our mind and body will be shared to help those who are suffering.

Helping Survivors of Natural Disasters: Lessons From Hurricane Florence

In the wake of the recent flood in Texas, our hearts are heavy with sorrow for all who have suffered unimaginable losses. To those grieving the death of children, family members, friends, and neighbors, we extend our deepest condolences.

As the full magnitude of this tragedy continues to unfold, we are reminded of the profound challenges ahead.

Extreme weather events are closely tied to a range of adverse mental health outcomes.

Common mental health conditions that arise in the wake of such disasters include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, suicide, and substance abuse disorders (Cianconi et al., 2020).

While emergency mental health workers and first responders provide initial support, the lasting impacts on the mental health of a disaster-stricken community often persist for weeks, months, or even years.

Mental health systems can face severe strain as the demand for services frequently exceeds local capacity, compounding the challenges survivors must overcome.

Bo Dean and Jvanete Skiba of Wilmington, North Carolina, join Michael Sapp, CEO of the Trauma Resource Institute, and Elaine Miller-Karas, host of Resiliency Within, to discuss valuable lessons learned to enhance the well-being of survivors from Hurricane Florence and other disasters.

Their reflections and the interventions they have adopted offer crucial insights for the people of Kerr County, Texas.

As the current administration takes away funding for school-based mental health interventions, now is the time to amplify the good works done by school districts around the country, including Cleveland County Schools in North Carolina.

In this encore episode, Ryan Etheridge will describe how his school district prepared the staff and teachers for helping children during the transition from home to school after COVID-19 school closures.

In a time of deep division, uncertainty, and crisis, Finding Light in the Darkness will explore how we can maintain our well-being, integrity, and hope.

Hosted by Elaine Miller-Karas, an internationally recognized trauma expert and resiliency advocate, she will illuminate practical strategies for navigating today’s complex social and political landscape.

Elaine hopes this episode will provide a beacon of light—insights on staying grounded, fostering compassion, and building resilience in the face of adversity.

Elaine is dedicated to empowering listeners to cultivate inner strength and create ripples of change for themselves, their families and their communities.

Join Resiliency Within as Elaine uncovers pathways to healing, unity, and action—because light can be found even in the darkest times.

*This encore episode was first broadcast February 4, 2025.

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About Elaine

Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW, is a social worker, trauma therapist, author, lecturer, consultant, VoiceAmerica podcast host, Psychology Today blogger, and social entrepreneur.

She has been called an "ambassador of hope" in the fields of trauma therapy and community resiliency.

As a co-founder of the Trauma Resource Institute, Elaine serves as the Director of Innovation. She has led the development of the Trauma and Community Resiliency Models, which have left an indelible global footprint, impacting over 75 countries.

Her book, "Building Resiliency to Trauma: The Trauma and Community Resiliency Model, Second Edition (2023)," has been recognized by the United Nations and Taylor and Francis. She is a regular contributor to Psychology Today.

She has presented internationally at Oxford University's Skoll World Forum, the United Nations, Resiliency 2024, Medscape, Psychotherapy Networker, the Global Fund, the Carter Center, and the Centers for Disease Control.

Elaine believes in a world where every person is treated with dignity and our differences are acknowledged and respected.

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.