On Flagler College Week: How do we show up for children with histories of trauma and neglect?

Justin Forbes, assistant professor of Religion and Director of the Center for Religion and Culture, takes a communal look.

After graduating from Flagler College in 2002, Justin spent ten years in youth ministry. During that time, he was responsible for building and leading teams that worked with middle school, high school, and college-aged students from a broad spectrum of racial, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds.

In 2012, Justin attended Princeton Theological Seminary. At Princeton, Justin discovered his love for teaching and developing future leaders in youth ministry. Justin continued his education, completing his PhD in Divinity at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

He joined Flagler College in 2015 and serves as assistant professor of Religion, the Director of the Center for Religion and Culture, and the faculty advisor for the Youth Ministry program. His research interests include the intersection of trauma and theology, disability studies, and adolescent culture. Justin is married to Bethany Forbes and they have six children together.

Every year in the United States, hundreds of thousands of children experience foster care due to neglect, abuse, or other forms of relational harm. Research also shows that healing happens through safe, consistent connection — through people who show up and stay.

Our work explores how communities of faith can better welcome, love, and serve children who have experienced trauma. We draw on Trust-Based Relational Intervention, a research-based model of care, developed at Texas Christian University that equips caregivers to build trust, help children regulate their emotions, and ultimately recover a sense of belonging. We hope to unearth new possibilities for the most vulnerable children in our communities.

This work is deeply rooted in the academic life of our college. We place these insights at the intersection of child psychology, practical theology, and pastoral counseling, inviting students to explore how trauma affects development — and how communities of care can support healing. In courses across various disciplines, students examine both the data and the human stories behind it, learning what it means to translate research into practice.

We believe local communities of faith can play a vital role in healing. Not by offering easy answers, and not by assuming we can “fix” kids — but by becoming relationally safe spaces. In our work, we train ministry leaders to recognize the impact that trauma has, to respond with compassion rather than punishment, and to create rhythms of hospitality that honor the dignity of every child.

When communities learn to embody this kind of presence, they tell a counter-story: that every child is more than their past, that they are wanted, and that love can outlast fear. Trauma may shape someone’s story — but it doesn’t have to define it.

Through our work, we are forming scholars and practitioners who believe this: healing is possible and it happens in relationship.

Read More:[Flagler] – Fostering Congregations Initiative

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Justin Forbes, Flagler College – Trauma, Theology, and Healing in Relationship

The Academic Minute

Justin Forbes, Flagler College – Trauma, Theology, and Healing in Relationship