The image above is of an adult finger being held in a baby’s hand.
After graduating from college, I had the privilege of serving at Casa de Esperanza in Houston, Texas providing residential care to children in crisis. Despite some serious heartbreak that comes with good-byes and uncertainty, my two-year journey as an intern/foster parent was filled with such incredible joy and love. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t think about my kids and what I learned during that time…and it was a lot. I learned how to install car seats, navigate the pick-up/drop-off line at school, build a repertoire of bedtime songs, coordinate special deliveries from the Tooth Fairy, Santa, and the Easter Bunny, dance to the silliest of songs to get a smile, and kiss ouchies away. I also learned that having access to high quality resources and support, like therapy and evidence-based parenting programs, made a difference in our lives.
When I was feeling overwhelmed, challenged, and tired from handling tantrums, disruptive behavior, and a school system that didn’t have the resources to help meet a child’s needs, we started Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (http://www.pcit.org/what-is-pcit.html). This evidence-based parenting program helped me add the tools I needed at the time to my parenting toolbox. I think our parent-child relationship was strengthened and PCIT helped me learn how to provide structure and consistency in challenging parenting situations.
As a pediatric nurse, I am passionate about improving health outcomes for children and families. My positive and impactful experience on the receiving end of PCIT ultimately led me to my research interests around parenting and parent training. Parent training is one opportunity to provide education about child development and care, positive parent-child interactions, responsiveness, communication, behavior management, and teaching (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). As I continue my training in LEND and my PhD program in Nursing Science, I am looking forward to researching and learning more about the education needs identified by parents of children with medical complexity and how practitioners can help build on family strengths with evidence-based parent training programs.
Reference:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parent Training Programs: Insight for Practitioners. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control; 2009. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/parent_training_brief-a.pdfs
