Program Overview

Program Overview

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a manualized parent-training intervention with extensive research demonstrating its efficacy and long-term maintenance in treating young children with disruptive behavior disorders. With foundations in attachment and social learning theories, PCIT was designed to alter the pattern of parent-child interaction and thereby change child disruptive behavior.

Program Structure

Treatment progresses through two distinct phases:

• Child-Directed Interaction (CDI) resembles traditional play therapy
• Parent-Directed Interaction (PDI) resembles clinical behavior therapy

Child-Directed Interaction (CDI)

During CDI, parents follow their child's lead in play by using the non-directive PRIDE skills:

• Praising the child
• Reflecting the child's statements
• Imitating the child's play
• Describing the child's behavior
• Using Enjoyment They learn to apply PRIDE skills to the child's appropriate play and ignore undesirable behaviors, and are taught to avoid verbalizations that take the lead away from the child during the play, including questions, commands, and negative statements.

Parent-Directed Interaction (PDI)

During PDI, parents set limits to reduce child noncompliance and negative behavior. They learn to use effective commands and consistently follow through with timeout for noncompliance. Parents are also taught variations of the PDI procedure to deal with aggressive behavior and public misbehavior.

Program Delivery

As a PCIT trainer, Dr. Graziano oversees a PCIT year-round practicum for FIU's Professional Mental Health Counseling Program. Additionally, he trains doctoral students as well as other mental health providers in the community. Dr. Graziano has adapted PCIT to be delivered in a more condensed intensive version (I-PCIT) where families are seen 5 days/week over the course of 2 weeks.

Research and Outcomes

An open trial of I-PCIT has documented its feasibility and initial promise. A comparative randomized trial where 60 young children and parents were assigned to receive either I-PCIT or the more traditional weekly PCIT model showed that improvements in parenting skills, discipline practices, and children's behavior problems were comparable across treatment groups at both post-treatment and a 6-month follow-up. However, families who completed I-PCIT had better attendance and lower dropout rates compared to traditional PCIT.