TRAINEES’ NARRATIVES IN THE REFLECTIVE PRACTICE PROCESS OF INDIVIDUAL LEVEL TOUCHPOINT TRAINING: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

The Brazelton Touchpoints (TP) is a theoretical and practical approach that focuses on the baby/child and the family, and that aims to enhance parental skills built upon the parent-child relationship and to create an alliance between parents and professionals operating within this systems. The Brazelton TP Sites develop and apply knowledge of early childhood development to practice and policy, throughout training programs for Infant-Parent Health providers. TP is listed in the SAMHSA National Registry of Evidence-based Programs as a “Promising intervention”. In 2016, the first Italian Touchpoints Site, started to offer a 3-day individual training course, followed by a 6 months Reflective Practice (RP) process. The RP provides tools and strategies for providers in order to help them integrate TP approach in their daily practice. In this work we present a qualitative analysis of the written narratives of the trainees in applying TP approach. The goal of this presentation is: 1. to explore trainees subjective experience of improvement, changes and challenges in their practice over the 6 months of TP training process; 2. to determine the relevance of Reflective Practice process as an important tool for Infant Parent Mental Health providers training. One hundred twenty five trainees interviews were collected at the beginning and at the end of the RP Process. The interviews were analyzed by three independent coders, focusing on providers’ goals, improvements and challenges in the application of TP approach in their work with families. Key themes and specific aspects of their clinical strengths and challenges will be discussed. Reflective Practice supports providers’ integration of new skills and strategies into their clinical practices.