The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare

This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cebc4cw.org/

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) - Summary

Scientific Rating:
1
Well-Supported by Research Evidence
See scale of 1-5
Scientific Rating:
1 - Well-Supported by Research Evidence

Relevance to Child Welfare Rating:
2
Relevance to Child Welfare Rating:
2 - Medium

Child Welfare Outcomes: Safety and child/family well-being.

Type of Maltreatment: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse

Target Population: Children ages 3-6 with behavior and parent-child relationship problems. May be conducted with parents, foster parents, or other caretakers. Adaptation available for physically abusive parents with children ages 4-12.

Brief Description:(The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff.)

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) has been rated by the CEBC in the areas of Infant and Toddler Mental Health (0-3) and Parent Training. PCIT was developed for families with young children experiencing behavioral and emotional problems. Therapists coach parents during interactions with their child to teach new parenting skills. These skills are designed to strengthen the parent-child bond; decrease harsh and ineffective discipline control tactics; improve child social skills and cooperation; and reduce child negative or maladaptive behaviors. PCIT is an empirically supported treatment for child disruptive behavior and is a recommended treatment for physically abusive parents. Since PCIT is highly rated on the Scientific Rating Scale, information on available pre-implementation assessments, implementation tools, and fidelity measures was requested from the program representative. Please see the program's separate Implementation Information page for details.


Contact Information

Show Contact Information

Contact name: Sheila M. Eyberg, PhD

Affiliation/Agency: University of Florida, Department of Clinical & Health Psychology, Gainesville, FL

Email: pcit@phhp.ufl.edu

Phone: 352-273-6145

Fax: 352-273-6156

Website: http://www.pcit.org



Detailed Report

Click here for a detailed report which includes Essential Components, Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research, Education and Training Resources, etc.


Date reviewed: December 2009 (originally reviewed in March 2006)