Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a relatively new behavioral therapy method for children with severe behavior issues (Niec, 2005). It was developed in 1988 by Sheila Eyberg (Duffy, 2009). Although there are many child therapies that focus on increasing prosocial behaviors and eliminating asocial behaviors, PCIT is unique in that it focuses on developing mutual parent and child skills in the relationship—both must work diligently for the desire outcome(s). There are 8 to 12 total sessions and recommended booster sessions after at one month, three month, six month, and one year intervals. The therapy focuses on play therapy and disciplinary sessions with the parent and child together (Saunders, 1997). The therapist will coach the parent

Nieter et al. (2013) looked at PCIT with community families and whether the behaviors of the children changed after the 12 sessions. The sample of 27 families was in low socioeconomic statuses, and the children were between 2-8 years of age. Only 17 of these families completed the entire treatment. The families that were in the PCIT program exemplified that the parents and/or caregivers gained skills to help their children’s behavior. The caregivers also in the experimental (PCIT) group believed that their children’s behavior improved by the end of treatment and the parents’ stress level decreased as well. Not only did the children’s behavior improve, but the parents also felt like they did not exhibit inappropriate behaviors (e.g. critical statements) as much and used more prosocial behaviors. The study’s results also may show that the fact that the treatment was in a group setting may have been beneficial, because it provides a support system, and they are able to problem solve together. Even after treatment ended, the parents reported that they kept in contact, creating a strong community. However, on the other hand, the problem with the group setting was the because there were so many groups, each caregiver only received 10-15 minutes of coaching which is shorter than the individual sessions. Thus, the therapists could not ensure that each family fully mastered each session before moving on to the

For 12 weeks, the researcher administered group PCIT in different areas of Alabama. The parent(s) were observed the interactions and the researchers measured the stress levels of the parent and the children’s behavior. They found that across sessions, there was a significant decrease in child behavior problems (frequency and the number of disruptive behaviors). Because of this, parental stress also decreased and the parent-child relationship significantly improved by the end of the treatment. However, the caregiver did not engage in more prosocial behaviors or decrease negative ones, which are inconsistent with previous findings and the basis around PCIT. All in all, the study exemplifies how PCIT can be effective in group formats; the parents were very satisfied with the group. It is also beneficial, because it is more cost-effective which may entice more families to seek PCIT treatment. However, because the actual behavior (of more prosocial and less negative behaviors) did not decrease, it is important to look adapt PCIT when implementing them in group formats. For example, next time, the findings may be stronger if the researchers extend the length of the group, so that each family has adequate