Reach Hurting Kids Institute is an interdisciplinary team of researchers, mental health professionals, and children’s ministry experts. We provide trauma-informed children’s ministry resources that empower the Church to reach the hurting kids in our congregations and communities.
Two out of three children will experience at least one potentially traumatic event during their childhood—experiences that can leave lasting wounds on their minds, hearts, and spirits. These kids often feel afraid, out of control, rejected, and worthless.
At Reach Hurting Kids Institute, we believe God sees their pain and longs to bring healing and hope. He calls His Church to join in His restorative work by creating trauma-informed, faith-based communities where every child experiences:
🔸 Safety (Isaiah 41:10)
🔸 Peace (1 Peter 1:13)
🔸 Belonging (1 Corinthians 12:12)
🔸 Worth (1 John 3:1)
The need for trauma-informed children’s ministry has never been greater. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of childhood anxiety and depression have doubled worldwide. Many kids are quietly struggling—even those who seem fine on the surface—without safe spaces for healing, hope, and connection.
Left unaddressed, these struggles can spiral into despair. From 2000 to 2020, suicide attempts among children ages 10 to 12 increased by 450%. Today, suicide is the second leading cause of death for kids ages 10 to 14.
Suicide attempts by children aged 10-12 have increased 450%
We exist to change that.
Reach Hurting Kids Institute equips churches with evidence-based, trauma-informed training and resources designed specifically for children’s ministry. Our mission is to tear down the barriers that keep hurting kids from coming to Jesus—and to welcome the most vulnerable into the healing embrace of God’s family.
kids will experience at least one traumatic event during their childhood.
kids aged 4-17 have clinically elevated depression symptoms.
kids aged 4-17 have clinically elevated anxiety symptoms.
Suicide attempts by children aged 10-12 have increased 450%
Good intentions are not enough. Our hurting communities crave authentic churches that are fully equipped to reach all children. This powerful, groundbreaking book will help you cultivate caring relationships, eliminate challenging behaviors, encourage your team, and amplify your church’s impact in the community.
Trauma-Informed Children’s Ministry: A Practical Guide to Reaching Hurting Kids is the culmination of ten years of research in the field of children’s ministry science. Written by research psychologist Dr. Robert Crosby and play therapist Lori Crosby, this easy-to-read book is full of real-world stories and practical strategies for ministering to kids who have experienced trauma.
You want to equip your team to reach hurting kids. Unfortunately, you don’t know how to train them yourself, and you don’t have enough money to hire a professional. That’s why we created the Reach Hurting Kids Workshop, an engaging, evidence-based curriculum that allows you to teach your own team the principles of trauma-informed children’s ministry. Developed through a generous grant from the Louisville Institute, our curriculum includes everything you need to put on a professional-quality trauma workshop for your staff and volunteers.
Research shows that participants in the Reach Hurting Kids Workshop have a significantly better understanding of trauma, and they are more likely to respond supportively to problem behaviors. In an increasingly traumatic world, these skills are essential for every children’s ministry team. Don’t wait. Find out how you can bring the Reach Hurting Kids Workshop to your church or organization.
Reach Hurting Kids Institute is built on nearly ten years of scientific research by our dedicated collaborators. Our research has focused on the church as a context for child development, with an emphasis on the ways churches can foster resiliency in children and promote healthy spiritual, emotional, and social development. Our team’s research has been published in a variety of high-quality, peer-reviewed academic journals and has been cited repeatedly in dissertations, textbooks, and other research in the field of psychology of religion.
Reach Hurting Kids Institute represents a collective effort by Christian researchers, pastors, mental health practitioners, professors, authors, conference speakers, professional networks, and parachurch organizations to reach the hurting kids in our congregations and communities.