Maria Nyberg thought she was walking into a luncheon for her new boss. Instead, a crowd of several dozen appreciative clients, co-workers and women from across the state were on hand to honor Nyberg herself.

Nyberg, 51, is the bonding and attachment specialist at Florence Crittenton. For her work helping build the emotional bonds between the home's mothers and infants, she was recognized as Montana Woman of the Year by the Montana Woman Foundation and surprised with an award ceremony and lunch at the home on Friday.

Foundation director Cindy Branch said Nyberg was chosen for the honor from a field of 75 nominees across the state.

"We were really impressed with her coming from a background that could have given her every reason to be negative and bitter, but she chose a different route," Branch said. "She is a positive resource for other women throughout the state."

Prior to joining Florence Crittenton a year ago, Nyberg spent several years running God's Love Family Transitional Center, and before that worked at Shodair Children's Hospital.

"I wouldn't have anything to give if it wasn't given to me first," she said. "I have frequently said that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it also takes a village to keep adults going."

Florence Crittenton director Barbara Burton said Nyberg's position with the home is a new one, and said she can already see a difference in the strengthening of relationships between mothers and babies.

"We can teach the girls the skills of diapering and changing and feeding, but they still don't know what it means to be a parent," she said. "Often, our girls have not had that connection with their caregivers in their lives, and it's not something that comes naturally. The girls don't understand how important it is to be the primary caregiver in their child's life. They've never been shown that unconditional love, and Maria models that with both the children and their mothers."

Nyberg's tactics include videotaping the interactions between parents and children, then reviewing the films with the young moms to point out how the baby reacted to various gestures, cues and other contact.

"I should pay them -- I get to play with babies!" Nyberg said, laughing. She added that the most gratifying part of her job is "seeing people grow, watching them start to make decisions for themselves and utilize skills that make their lives better. I love it when people think and act in ways that give them more control in their lives."

The nacent, Kalispell-based Montana Women Foundation aims to support women across the state and encourage them to give back to their communities by helping other women in need. For more information, go to www.montanawoman.com.

John Harrington can be reached at 447-4080 or john.harrington@helenair.com.