Effective Therapy with Children: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
by Laurie Skow, LPC, LADC, CSAT-C and Brandon Schmidt, LMFT-S, PCIT
“Parent-Child Interaction Therapy has helped me be a more consistent and confident parent. I love the focus on the positive. It has taught me how to show love to my children in a way that builds trust. When done correctly, it does yield measurable positive changes in the child’s behavior. It is the best training I have received as a foster parent and would actually recommend it for all parents.”
-Lisa, mother of a child following her experience with PCIT while working with Brandon Schmidt, LMFT at TLCC. (Name changed to protect confidentiality)
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a short-term, specialized behavior management program designed for young children and their families experiencing behavioral and/or emotional difficulties. PCIT works with the child and caregiver to improve overall behavior and to reduce parenting stress. PCIT has been found to help children who have any of the following:
- frequent temper tantrums
- act defiantly and/or refuse to follow directions
- back talk or sass adults
- whine and/or cry easily
- are experiencing adjustment problems i.e. divorce, death or separation
- constantly seek attention
- interrupt others
- short attention span
- engage in power struggles with parents/caregivers
- difficulty behaving in school, preschool and/or daycare
- are aggressive, who hit, throw things and express great anger
- may already be on medication to manage behavioral problems
Benefits of PCIT
Children with challenging behaviors often have difficulty at home, in childcare, and within the school setting. Caregivers report problems going out in public i.e going to the store, restaurants, etc., thus creating increased stress/tension between them and their children. Unfortunately, children rarely outgrow many of the difficult behaviors. Should their behaviors continue or increase, they are likely to interfere with the children's learning abilities and development of appropriate social skills. Due to the clinical benefits of PCIT, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (2004) has determined “PCIT to be one of three ‘best practices’ for working with children with a history of behavioral problems.”1
“Positive changes in the children's behaviors have been seen in the home, in childcare, and within the school setting after beginning PCIT services. These same behavior changes have also been noted in the siblings of children participating in PCIT. PCIT has been proven to be highly effective in helping caregivers build warm and responsive relationships with their children, improving overall behavior, and reducing parenting stress. Upon completion of PCIT, parents report high levels of satisfaction, decreased aggression, and positive changes in their child’s attention to task and overall compliance to commands.”2
Deciding if PCIT is right for you as a parent...
PCIT is designed for young children between the ages of 2 and 7 years
PCIT has been successful with…
- Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and aggressive behaviors
- Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Children experiencing adjustment problems
- Children impacted by substance abuse or parental abuse/neglect
- Children in foster care placement or recently adopted or recently reunited with parents
PCIT is designed for…
- Parents who feel overwhelmed by their child's behavior
- Parents who feel angry at their child
- Parents who have a child with an opposing temperament from their own
- Parents who feel their child is out of control
PCIT is well-supported by research evidence as reported by the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (2011) and PCIT is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Goals of PCIT
- improve parent/caregiver-child relationships
- improve children's cooperation
- increase children's abilities to manage frustration and anger
- increase children's appropriate social skills
- improve children's attention skills
- build children's self-esteem
- increase parenting skills
- decrease caregiver's stress
A final goal for PCIT is to help the child learn to listen and mind. As a PCIT therapist, “Our goal is for your child to leave treatment minding you the first time you tell them to do something, and minding you quickly and nicely. I know that may be very hard to believe, and we do not mind a challenge. We have seen many, many children, and what we know is that if you are willing to work as hard as we are willing to work, then with rare exception this program can be extremely successful.”3
"PCIT works, hands down. My daughter, Emma, struggled for several years with extreme emotional outbursts lasting often up to an hour, in addition to other challenging behaviors. I knew we both needed help. Our counselor, Laurie, recommended PCIT and went over everything involved. The first part, child interactive therapy, heightened and gave me tools to engage more positively with Emma, and she has just eaten this up! The second part, parent interactive therapy, has been a tough but completely rewarding road. Emma has made amazing progress learning to listen and obey, and with both parts of the therapy working together, Emma has such a better handle on her emotions and so do I! We are so thankful for PCIT. " - Jennifer, (Name changed to protect confidentiality ) mother of a child, following her experience with PCIT with Laurie Skow, LPC, at TLCC.
1 Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. “Closing the Quality Chasm in Child Abuse Treatment: Identifying and Disseminating Best Practices. 2004. http://www.chadwickcenter.org/Documents/Kaufman%20Report/ChildHosp-NCTAbrochure.pdf
2Eyberg, S., & Robinson, E.A. (1982). Parent-Child Interaction Training: Effects on Family Functioning. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 11(2) 130-137.
3 Funderburk & Gurwitch, CCAN/OUHSC. “Introduction to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: A Sample description of PCIT for a new client.” 2006.
Authors: Laurie Skow, MS, LPC, LADC, CSAT-C. Laurie is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She is also a trained Parent-Child Interaction Therapist and Certified Sex Addiction Therapist Candidate. Laurie is a clinical member of Transforming Life Counseling Center. Brandon Schmidt, MA, LMFT-S, PCIT. Brandon is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an Approved MFT Supervisor in the State of
Oklahoma. He is also a trained Parent-Child Interaction Therapist and clinical member of Transforming Life Counseling Center.
Additional Parenting Resources:
Gary Chapman, Ross Campbell, M.D. (1997). The five love languages of children. Moody.
Elmore, Tim. (2014). 12 Huge Mistakes Parent Can Avoid. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers.
Faber, A., & Mazlish, E. (2002). How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk. New York: Harper Collins.
Nelson, J. (1996). Positive discipline. New York: Ballantine Books.
Tripp, Paul. (2011). Getting to the Heart of Parenting (Conference DVD). Paul Tripp Ministries, Inc.
