parent-child interaction therapy

Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

PCIT is a specialized, evidence-based treatment program designed for parents and young children who are experiencing behavioral or emotional difficulties.

It’s not uncommon for us to hear parents say, “I love my child, but it’s hard, because everything’s a fight.”

From the moment you wake up in the morning to the last bedtime routine, it feels like you’re constantly at odds—whether it’s getting dressed, sitting at the table for a meal, or just trying to get through a simple task without a meltdown. It’s exhausting and leaves you feeling defeated, even when you know deep down that your child’s behavior is not intentional. You want to be able to support them and help them grow, but it’s hard to know how when every interaction feels like a battle.

Don’t worry. You’re in the right place.

Feel like yourself again.

Our team is passionate about helping parents gain a deeper understanding of their child’s behaviors so they can approach challenges with confidence and learn practical solutions, early on.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) helps you navigate those big behavior moments with strategies that actually work. No more feeling stuck or unsure if you’re doing things right. PCIT helps you gain the confidence and tools you need to manage your child’s behavior effectively, so you can enjoy more positive interactions and build a stronger, more supportive relationship.

pcit therapy in tampa, fl

What does PCIT treat?

Children who display any or all of the following:

  • Parent-child relational problems

  • Refusal and defiance of adult requests

  • Emotional dysregulation

  • Low frustration tolerance

  • Easy loss of temper

  • Touchy or easily annoyed by others

  • Deliberately annoying others

  • Being spiteful or vindictive

  • Blaming others for their mistakes

  • Destruction of property

  • Difficulty staying seated

  • Difficulty playing quietly

  • Difficulty taking turns

What is PCIT?

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a highly evidence-based treatment for children ages 2 to 7 who are exhibiting challenging behaviors, such as tantrums, defiance, and aggression. Unlike traditional sit-and-talk therapy models, PCIT is unique because it involves real-time coaching for you, the parent. Because let’s face it—your child isn’t going to listen to us either.

PCIT is hands-on, practical, and designed to help you learn and practice new parenting skills right then and there. We teach you to be the play therapist. This means you start seeing positive changes not just in your child’s behavior, but in your confidence as a parent, almost from the get-go.

What happens during PCIT?

Direct Parent-Child Coaching: During the first phase of PCIT therapy (the Child-Directed Interaction Phase), the golden rule is for the parents to "follow the child's lead." Children are encouraged to lead the play activity while their caregivers follow along using the PRIDE skills. The CDI Phase of PCIT aims to enhance the parent-child relationship by maximizing positive communication, attention, and imitation during child-led play.

Behavior Management Skills: In the second phase of PCIT therapy (the Parent-Directed Interaction Phase), parents learn to use effective commands and implement additional behavior management strategies for any remaining challenging behaviors (e.g., aggression, destruction). The overall goal for PDI is to create a supportive home environment by helping parents become consistent, predictable, and follow through with behavior management skills.

How does Internet-Based PCIT work?

PCIT works by empowering parents to improve a child’s behavior through methods that rely on the parent-child relationship and positive parenting strategies. It teaches parents traditional play-therapy skills to use as social reinforcers of positive child behavior and traditional behavior management skills to decrease negative child behavior.

Tampa Pediatric Psychology offer Internet-Based PCIT. In internet or video PCIT, we work with you remotely to do the same exact treatment we wold in-person. Using headphones or earbuds, we discreetly coach you through the structured sessions. Research shows the gains are as good or better when compared to in-office PCIT!

It’s like having a personal coach for parenting—right in your living room. This immediate feedback helps you correct and fine-tune what you’re learning so you can master these skills faster than if you were trying to figure it out on your own.

PCIT Therapy Format:

Parent Child Interaction Therapy services should only be delivered by mental health professionals who have been formally trained in PCIT. The average length of PCIT in Tampa Pediatric Psychology is 12-16 weeks, with PCIT services most frequently delivered once per week (60-minute weekly sessions).

Traditionally, Parent Child Interaction Therapy has been conducted in a mental health clinic using both a clinic room and observation room (and the PCIT therapist conducts services behind a one-way mirror). However, PCIT services have evolved and now trained therapists can deliver PCIT therapy using a wide range of formats, including but not limited to: (a) in-room coaching in a clinic or hospital; (b) home-based services; and (c) telehealth (commonly referred to as Internet-PCIT).

PCIT International is the certifying organization to ensure quality control in how PCIT is delivered. Multiple psychologists at Tampa Pediatric Psychology are certified PCIT Trainers in addition to being certified in delivering PCIT. Our team is committed to delivering PCIT at the highest level of integrity.

The immense success of PCIT is widely recognized by major organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the National Association of Social Workers, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (whose mission is to advance the implementation of evidence-based practices for children and families involved in the child welfare system) has given PCIT their highest rating "1 - Well-Supported by Research Evidence."

pcit therapy in tampa, fl

PCIT is regarded by national expert panels as a gold standard treatment because for most families:

  • it works (50+ years of research showing huge gains)

  • the gains last over time

  • the gains generalize to school settings

  • the gains generalize to siblings

  • it includes all the key elements found by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to be essential in helping parents with disruptive kids

    • teaching parents emotional communication skills

    • teaching parents positive interaction skills

    • live in-session practice with your child during the session while the coach/therapist gives live, in-the-moment feedback

    • teaching correct use of safe time-out procedures

    • teaching and reinforcing parental consistency

Learn more about Parent-Child Interaction Therapy!

Is PCIT right for you?

Do you want to…

  • Build a closer relationship with your child using positive attention strategies

  • Help your child feel safe and calm by fostering warmth and security

  • Increase your child’s organizational and play skills

  • Decrease your child’s frustration and anger

  • Enhance your child’s self-esteem

  • Improve your child’s social skills such as sharing and cooperation

  • Learn how to communicate with your child who has a limited attention span

  • Learn specific discipline techniques that help your child listen and follow directions

  • Decrease problematic behaviors by learning to be consistent and predictable

  • Develop confidence in managing your child’s behaviors at home and in public

Frequently Asked Questions About Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

  • PCIT normally lasts 12-20 sessions, although there is no standard time frame for treatment. The exact treatment length will vary based on the needs of the child and family. Treatment is considered complete when a positive parent-child relationship is established and the parent can effectively manage the child’s behavior.

  • The main difference is that in PCIT, parents receive live coaching and feedback while interacting with their child.

  • In order for sessions to be effective, parents must have a phone with wired or bluetooth headset, a separate laptop or tablet, and an internet connection fast enough for video chat.

  • PCIT is typically appropriate for families with children who are between 2 - 7 years old and experience emotional and behavioral problems that are frequent and intense.

  • The reality is improving parenting skills is the most effective way to improve children’s behavior problems. The take home message here is that YOU, the parent, are the most important ingredient to your child’s success.

  • PCIT teaches parents relationship-building skills that are like those used by a play therapist. What differs in PCIT is that we teach you to use these skills with your own child. While a play therapist would only be with your child for about an hour a week, you are with your child far more often than that. If a therapist was to work with just your child for one hour a week without you present, the therapist could improve your child’s behavior for that one hour; however, this would not result in big improvements in your child’s behavior once the therapist returned your child to you.

    You will learn to work together with your child in new and wonderful ways. As you begin to practice these skills, you will naturally begin to use these skills as part of your daily routines with your child. In this way, we have seen many families make positive life-changes through our PCIT program.

  • PCIT changes a child’s behavior by teaching parents new approaches for responding to their child’s actions. During PCIT, parents will learn:

    • How to reinforce good behaviors so they keep happening

    • How to pay less attention to problem behaviors so that they decrease

    • How to help children identify and regulate their emotions

    • How to improve their child’s play and social skills

    • How to decrease hitting or other forms of aggression

    • How to get their child to obey them without yelling

    • How to build a trusting, safe relationship

  • PCIT is recommended by the following organizations:

    • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

    • The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

    PCIT is considered a best practice for the prevention and treatment of child conduct problems by the following organizations:

    • SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices

    • California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare

    • Federal Administration on Children, Youth and Families in the Child Welfare Information Gateway

  • There are 40+ years of high-quality research supporting the effectiveness of PCIT.

    • PCIT reduces problem behaviors

    • PCIT reduces parenting stress

    • PCIT reduces sadness/anxiety

    • Gains from PCIT last over time

    • Siblings of children who received PCIT also improve

    • Children’s behavior improves in school

  • Children getting PCIT typically have one or more of the following diagnoses:

    • Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)

    • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

    • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

    • Other disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs)

    • Anxiety disorders

    • Selective mutism

  • PCIT was developed in the 1970s by Dr. Sheila Eyberg and remains a trusted approach in both research and clinical practice. It is based on three key traditions:

    • Attachment theory research (Bowlby)

    • Parenting practices research (Baumrind)

    • Social learning theory (Bandura)

    PCIT International is the certifying organization to ensure quality control in how PCIT is delivered. Multiple psychologists at Tampa Pediatric Psychology are certified PCIT Trainers. Our team is committed to delivering PCIT at the highest level of integrity.

  • Adaptations of PCIT

    PCIT started as a treatment only for disruptive behavior in young children. The clinical reach of PCIT has greatly expanded. Adaptations of PCIT have been tested and found to be effective for:

    • Selective Mutism

    • Autism

    • Trauma-exposed children

    • Abusive, maltreating parents

    • Child Anxiety

    • Language-delayed children

    • Infants/toddlers

    • Hearing impaired and deaf families

As a parent, it can be hard to know when your child’s behavior is just part of “being a kid” or a sign of a bigger issue.

All children are different, and even the most typical child may engage in “problematic” behaviors from time to time, especially when they are tired, stressed or sick; however lots of research has shown that children with repeated behavior problems continue to have these problems until the family receives effective help. If your child repeatedly engages in inappropriate or challenging behaviors, complete our consultation form below and one of our PCIT International psychologists trained in PCIT will help you determine the next steps.

Some questions to ask yourself to help determine if your child’s behaviors are problematic:

  • Is the behavior more intense than it should be?

  • Does the duration of the behavior continue long after the situation has passed?

  • Is the behavior typical for his/her age level?

  • Is the behavior upsetting to your child or other family members?

  • Does your child’s behavior interfere with school or friendships?

  • Does your child seem to engage in these behaviors to get your attention?

  • Does the behavior happen for no obvious reason?

  • Does your child avoid important activities because of the behavior?