Touchpoints Project Director Shares Excitement

(from Baby TALK Dialogue, Spring 1996)

The goal is to help parents feel more competent and able to anticipate problems and deal with them.

As the Touchpoints Project director, Dr. Maureen O'Brien of the Boston Children's Hospital's Child Development Unit is excited about the relationship between Baby TALK and Touchpoints. "We saw this as a perfect opportunity to take Touchpoints and enhance what Baby TALK is already doing," says Dr. O'Brien. "We were very impressed with Baby TALK's structure and how well it is received by the community. We hope to provide skills and tools to enhance the relationship side of things-how to connect more with families."

The recent Touchpoints training session in Boston brought together professionals of varying backgrounds from across the nation with the common goal of improving relationships between providers, parents and children. "We had only worked with nurse practitioners in the past and it was powerful having providers from different perspectives," says Dr. O'Brien. "It was spectacular and exceeded our expectations. People were thoughtful and motivated. We learned as much from them as they learned from us."

Part of what the Touchpoints Project hopes to bring to providers is increased competency in working with parents and help in evaluating effectiveness. Dr. O'Brien shares that some nurse practitioners they have worked with come in feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. Touchpoints offers them a sense of revitalization and specific help in relating better with parents.

"Sometimes expectations get out of whack with what they are doing," she says. "We help them refocus and understand that you don't have to do everything in one visit. Parents will come back to you if they missed something. The goal is to help parents feel more competent and able to anticipate problems and deal with them."