Parent-Child Interaction Therapy

Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) is an intervention developed by Sheila Eyberg in 1988 to treat children between the ages of 2 and 7 with disruptive behavior problems. It is an evidence-based treatment for young children with behavioral and emotional disorders that emphasizes improving the quality of the parent-child relationship and changing parent-child interaction patterns. Disruptive behavior is the most common reason young children are referred for mental health services and can range from minor infractions such as talking back to significant acts of aggression, most commonly classified as oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder depending on severity, and often co-occurring with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. PCIT uses a combination of behavioral therapy, play therapy and parent training to teach more effective discipline techniques and improve the parent-child relationship, typically administered once a week in one-hour sessions.