Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a gold standard evidence-based psychotherapy originally developed for addressing behavior problems involving defiant, aggressive, and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors among children ages 2 to 11. In recent years, PCIT has been increasingly researched to address aggressive behaviors among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. PCIT has also been adapted for helping anxious children deal with their anxiety. Just like it sounds, PCIT involves treatment with both parent and child present for psychotherapy. On our PCIT page, we discuss the use of PCIT to treat behavioral problems.
PCIT has been found to be an effective treatment for these kinds of child behavior problems:
- Being aggressive to other children, parents, or teachers
- Talking back to parents or teachers
- Refusing to follow directions
- Impulsively talking out in class
- Impulsively getting out of one’s seat
- Impulsively touching other children
Baumrind Parenting Styles Research Foundation for PCIT
In treating behavioral problems, PCIT is built upon the parenting research of Diana Baumrind. Baumrind studied parenting outcomes along two dimensions:
Nurturing and Limit Setting
Baumrind found that parents’ approaches with their children could be categorized along these 2 dimensions:
Limit Setting
| High | Low | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Nurture | High | Authoritative Best Outcomes for Children
| Permissive Child Outcomes
|
| Low | Authoritarian Child Outcomes
| Neglectful/Uninvolved Worst Overall Outcomes for Children
|
Nurture = Warmth & Support
Limit Setting = Discipline & Consistency
PCIT works to help parents become high on both nurture/warmth as well as limit setting/consistency at the same time. PCIT teaches parents specific skills to produce these parenting outcomes. The parenting skills also reduce child aggressive, defiant, and/or hyperactive/impulsive behaviors.
Treatment Progression in PCIT for Behavior Problems
PCIT is mastery based. PCIT proceeds with parents and children in session together, rather than children attending sessions by themselves with a psychotherapist. During PCIT, parents are taught specific parenting skills. Parents then receive live parent coaching while working with their children.
Treatment proceeds broadly through two phases:
Child-Directed Interaction (CDI)
In the Child Directed Interaction Phase, parents are taught specific skills to help follow their child’s lead in therapeutic play and to “catch your child being good”. Parents practice these skills with live coaching in the therapy office or during virtual telepsychology sessions. Then, parents practice the skills during “one on one” practice times with their children between sessions. Some parenting skills are applied throughout the day in between psychotherapy sessions. In PCIT, CDI is strategically applied before PDI to help improve parents’ relationships with their children. As their relationships with their parents improve, children tend to want to behave better.
Parent-Directed Interaction (PDI)
In the Parent-Directed Interaction Phase, parents learn how to give effective commands to ensure child compliance with directions. Parents also learn how to effectively deal both when children behave in complying with parental commands, in response to noncompliance. Whereas CDI teaches parents to follow their children’s lead in therapeutic play, just as its name implies, PDI teaches children to obey their parents.
PCIT has been effective in treating child behavior problems in over 100 treatment studies. Psychotherapists receive certification in PCIT through PCIT International. Dr. Walker has been certified in PCIT through PCIT international. We deliver PCIT both in our office in Chesapeake as well as through virtual PCIT telepsychology appointments.
References:
Broll, et al. (2020). Parental Responsibility, Blameworthiness, and Bullying: Parenting Style and Adolescents’ Experiences With Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying. Criminal Justice policy review, 447-468.
Power, T. G. (2013). Parenting dimensions and styles: A brief history and recommendations for future research. Childhood obesity, https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2013.003.
Hoeve, M. et al. (2009). The relationship between parenting and delinquency: A meta-analysis. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37, 749-775.
Kurman, J., et al. (2015). How good am I? Implicit and explicit self esteem as a function of perceived parenting styles among children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders 22 (13), 1207-1217.