The 16 girls in the Connecticut Touchstone Program — the North American Family Institute’s residential treatment program in Litchfield serving girls committed to the state Department of Children and Families — have a long road ahead of them.
But staff members like program nurse Deb Gundersen work daily to ease their transition back into society to help ensure a successful future for the girls.
Gundersen, who has worked with Touchstone for 15 years, takes care of all of the teens’ health care needs.
“I arrange their physicals, make specialist appointments for them and provide education about female health,” Gundersen said. “They need a lot of that. They need a lot of education about their bodies and taking care of themselves.”
Gundersen said the girls, who stay in the Touchstone Program an average of nine months to a year, need more guidance than one might expect.
“I realized I had to start with the basics,” she said. “Some kids were never taught how to brush their teeth. I show them how to floss. Even though they’re teenagers — you would assume they know how to do all this — no one taught them personal hygiene.”
It can be challenging for Gundersen to get through to the girls.
“These kids have gone through a lot in their lives, and it’s hard for them to come and trust somebody,” she said. “I have to really gain their trust.”
She said many of the girls resist her help, but it’s worthwhile when she breaks down those walls.
“The most rewarding thing is to have them come and trust me enough to tell me what is really going on,” she said. “What I’m told is confidential. I’m here to help them — I’m not here to judge them.”
The teens that initially seem to offer the most resistance often surprise Gundersen the most. Recently, she received a card from a former client, now 25 and living in California, who is married and working.
“They say they hate being here, but then they leave and they realize we’re here to help them,” she said. “It’s not a punishment. We’re here to help you make good choices so you can move on.”
Gundersen knows she’s getting through to the girls with her popular “Tea with Deb” program where, about once a month, she sits down for tea and cookies with five girls, and they talk about personal health.
“We talk about anything they want to talk about,” she said. “It’s all about education, and they just love it. They like to have the special attention.”
Gundersen said the five available slots fill up immediately for this special event.
Amy Lefebvre, director of training and development for NAFI Connecticut, nominated Gundersen for the Health Care Heroes award saying she is instrumental in the success of the girls who leave the Touchstone Program.
“She has been steadfast and at the core of making this program a safe and home-like place where girls often experience safety and care for the first time,” Lefebvre said. “She has been on-call 24/7 for 15 years, listening to complaints, healing broken hearts and offering support and kind words to all.”
Gundersen said she wants others to see the potential in the girls that Touchstone staffers see. She said people sometimes comment when the girls are taken off-site for doctor’s appointments.
“People will say they’re nice, they’re well-mannered,” Gundersen said. “And I say, ‘Yes, if you give them a chance.’ Yes, they have struggles but I would like people just to give them a chance.”
STATS
Name: Deb Gundersen
Title: Nurse
Workplace: NAFI CT, Touchstone Program
Address: 11 Country Place, Litchfield
Website: www.nafi.com
