Developed by Sheila Eyberg, PhD, of the University of Florida, Gainesville, PCIT is a parent-focused behavioral training program developed to treat disruptive behavior disorders in young children. One of the defining features of PCIT is that the parent and child are seen together, with a focus on restructuring their interaction patterns to strengthen the bond between parent and child, and to provide parents with appropriate discipline strategies.1

PCIT has also been shown to improve parenting skills, decrease child behavior problems, and enhance parent-child relationships,2 thereby mitigating the risk of recidivism in parents with a history of child physical abuse.3

PCIT Website

PCIT of the Carolinas Learning Collaborative

In 2009, the Duke Endowment funded the PCIT of the Carolinas Learning Collaborative, designed to disseminate Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) in community-based agencies throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. Duke EPIC has partnered with CCFH clinical faculty and trainers to execute this Learning Collaborative. Despite the proven efficacy of PCIT, however, relatively few clinicians have been trained to the model with fidelity.

Seven community-based agencies are currently enrolled in the project, with 25 clinicians and seven agency administrators. The training cycle ends in June 2011, and a roster of clinicians graduating from the project  will be published.

Goals:

  • Establish a network of therapists who meet the national training standards set by the PCIT National Advisory Board
  • Assist agency administrators and supervisors in establishing an organizational infrastructure that supports and sustains the provision of PCIT to the families who need it

References

  1. Eyberg, S.M., Nelson, M.M., & Boggs, S.R. (2008). Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for children and ado lescents with disruptive behavior. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 37(1): 215-237
  2. Zisser, A., & Eyberg, S.M. (2010). Parent-child interaction therapy and the treatment of disruptive behavior disor ders. In J.R. Weisz & A.E. Kazdin (Eds.) Evidence-based psychotherapies for children and adolescents. 2nd ed. (pp. 179-193). New York: Guilford Press
  3. Chaffin, M., Silovsky, J.F., Funderburk, B., Valle, L.A., Brestan, E.V., Balachova, T., et al. (2004). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy with physically abusive parents: Efficacy for reducing future abuse reports. Journal of Consulting Clinical Psy chology, 72(3), 500-510