Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

PCIT is a treatment that has been shown to:

• Reduce serious child behavior problems
• Help children cope with anxiety and regulate emotions
• Increase parenting skills
• Build parent confidence
• Improve parent-child communication and relationships

PCIT teaches parents and children new and positive ways to relate to each other. During the sessions, children and parents play together while the PCIT therapist coaches the parent on strategies that help reduce the child’s behavior problems. The therapist helps the parent learn and practice new skills.

PCIT can be helpful for children ages 2 to 10 and their parents. (In our Early Childhood Clinic, PCIT is only offered for children ages 2 to 4 and their parents.) PCIT is most helpful if your primary concern is your relationship with your child, or if your child has behavior problems including aggression and noncompliance. PCIT can also be adapted for children with anxiety or problems regulating their emotions. PCIT is for children living with biological or adoptive parents, foster parents and kinship caregivers.

PCIT treatment lasts 14 to 20 sessions and works best when families attend weekly sessions and complete the “special play” homework outside of visits. There are two phases of PCIT:

• Child-directed interaction – In this phase you will learn to praise positive behaviors, practice selective ignoring, and have positive interactions with your child while starting to decrease your child’s disruptive or non-compliant behaviors. This helps create or strengthen a positive and mutually rewarding relationship between you and your child.
• Parent-directed interaction – In this phase you will learn skills to help you manage your child’s behavior such as clear, positive, and direct commands and consistent consequences for non-compliant behavior.

If your child is older than 4 years, you will need to seek services beyond Seattle Children's. For PCIT providers in WA State, go to pcit.org website.