TCI TRAINING CORNELL EXAMINATION TEST
2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
◉The goal of TCI is... . Answer: To create safe, developmentally
appropriate, non-confrontational, trauma sensitive environments that are
supported at all levels of the organization
◉Child Outcomes associated with TCI . Answer: 1. trust and use adults
to help regulate emotions
2. demonstrated increased emotion regulation skills
3. use adaptive behaviors in response to stressful events
4. develop ability to learn through reflecting on experience
◉6 Domains of the TCI System . Answer: 1. leadership and program
support (leadership knows and implements TCI principles)
2. child and family inclusion (active participants in choice and voice)
3. clinical participation (ICSPs)
4. supervision and post-crisis response (support staff)
5. training and competency standards (refreshers and training)
6. documentation, incident monitoring, and feedback (review of
incidents)
,◉Therapeutic milieu . Answer: a safe, nurturing environment in which
children can heal and continually learn and practice important life skills
◉Spaces in the Therapeutic Milieu . Answer: 1. Ideological (culture
and climate of the organization)
2. Physical (physical environment)
3. Cultural (human diversity)
4. Social (relationships, activities, routines)
5. Emotional (pain-based behavior and emotional competence)
◉Cultural Space in the Milieu . Answer: 1. develops culturally
competent staff
2. accepts and celebrates cultural differences
3. supports family connections and involvement
4. allows for culturally diverse staff-child interactions
◉Setting Condition . Answer: anything that makes a challenging
behavior and traumatic stress response more or less likely to occur
◉A trauma-informed organization supports and facilitates trauma-
informed care through... . Answer: Policies, procedures, and practices
that understands what trauma is and how it impacts everyone within the
, system, recognizes behaviors and patterns that represent past or present
trauma, and responds in ways that avoid re-traumatization
◉Characteristics of a developmental relationship . Answer: 1.
attachment
2. reciprocity
3. progressive complexity (challenging them just enough to set them up
for success and help them progress)
4. balance of power
◉Foundations for intentional use of self . Answer: 1. self-awareness
(know your own values, beliefs, culture, view of trauma)
2. self-regulation (focus attention, awareness of physical and emotional
state, ability to manage own behavior, draw on memory and experience
to adapt)
3. relationship skills and attunement (listen and respond to the child)
4. self-care (monitor levels of stress and health, reflective supervision)
◉The triune brain . Answer: 1. the thinking brain (neocortex,
responsible for higher functions such as reasoning, language, creativity,
and abstract thought)
2. the emotional brain (limbic system, center for emotions and emotional
behavior and motivation; the amygdala, or sentry, is part of this and
determines whether or not things are threats)
2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
◉The goal of TCI is... . Answer: To create safe, developmentally
appropriate, non-confrontational, trauma sensitive environments that are
supported at all levels of the organization
◉Child Outcomes associated with TCI . Answer: 1. trust and use adults
to help regulate emotions
2. demonstrated increased emotion regulation skills
3. use adaptive behaviors in response to stressful events
4. develop ability to learn through reflecting on experience
◉6 Domains of the TCI System . Answer: 1. leadership and program
support (leadership knows and implements TCI principles)
2. child and family inclusion (active participants in choice and voice)
3. clinical participation (ICSPs)
4. supervision and post-crisis response (support staff)
5. training and competency standards (refreshers and training)
6. documentation, incident monitoring, and feedback (review of
incidents)
,◉Therapeutic milieu . Answer: a safe, nurturing environment in which
children can heal and continually learn and practice important life skills
◉Spaces in the Therapeutic Milieu . Answer: 1. Ideological (culture
and climate of the organization)
2. Physical (physical environment)
3. Cultural (human diversity)
4. Social (relationships, activities, routines)
5. Emotional (pain-based behavior and emotional competence)
◉Cultural Space in the Milieu . Answer: 1. develops culturally
competent staff
2. accepts and celebrates cultural differences
3. supports family connections and involvement
4. allows for culturally diverse staff-child interactions
◉Setting Condition . Answer: anything that makes a challenging
behavior and traumatic stress response more or less likely to occur
◉A trauma-informed organization supports and facilitates trauma-
informed care through... . Answer: Policies, procedures, and practices
that understands what trauma is and how it impacts everyone within the
, system, recognizes behaviors and patterns that represent past or present
trauma, and responds in ways that avoid re-traumatization
◉Characteristics of a developmental relationship . Answer: 1.
attachment
2. reciprocity
3. progressive complexity (challenging them just enough to set them up
for success and help them progress)
4. balance of power
◉Foundations for intentional use of self . Answer: 1. self-awareness
(know your own values, beliefs, culture, view of trauma)
2. self-regulation (focus attention, awareness of physical and emotional
state, ability to manage own behavior, draw on memory and experience
to adapt)
3. relationship skills and attunement (listen and respond to the child)
4. self-care (monitor levels of stress and health, reflective supervision)
◉The triune brain . Answer: 1. the thinking brain (neocortex,
responsible for higher functions such as reasoning, language, creativity,
and abstract thought)
2. the emotional brain (limbic system, center for emotions and emotional
behavior and motivation; the amygdala, or sentry, is part of this and
determines whether or not things are threats)
