Parent-Child Interaction Therapy

What is PCIT?

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically-supported treatment for conduct-disordered young children that places emphasis on improving the quality of the parent-child relationship and changing parent-child interaction patterns. In PCIT, parents are taught specific skills to establish a nurturing and secure relationship with their child while increasing their child’s prosocial behavior and decreasing negative behavior. This treatment focuses on two basic interactions: Child Directed Interaction (CDI) is similar to play therapy in that parents engage their child in a play situation with the goal of strengthening the parent-child relationship; Parent Directed Interaction (PDI) resembles clinical behavior therapy in that parents learn to use specific behavior management techniques as they play with their child.

For a summary of PCIT and information about the future research directions of PCIT see:

Herschell, A., Calzada, E., Eyberg, S.M., & McNeil, C.B. (2002). Parent-child interaction therapy: New directions in research. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 9-16. PDF.File

PCIT Conferences

Ninth Annual PCIT Conference

PCIT Information and Material

PCIT Manual/Protocol
Introduction to PCIT (ppt)
Assessment and Outcome in PCIT (ppt)
Child Directed Interaction Phase Overview (ppt)
Parent Directed Interaction Phase Overview (ppt)
Coaching In PCIT (ppt)
Coding in PCIT (ppt)

PCIT Room Setup
Audio Equipment Options for PCIT Labs (pdf)

UF Group PCIT Protocol (PDF.File)
It is ESSENTIAL to read this manual in full before conducting group PCIT treatment. Therapists should not conduct group PCIT unless they have been fully trained in the individual PCIT protocol and have experience working with families in this context.