Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

A tense little boy, out of control and unhappy. A troubled mother, tired and, she admits, often angry. A father frustrated at the loss of a peaceful family life. Living in nice house in a desirable area of Kansas City, this family could easily be your neighbors and yet they felt as if they were living in a war zone.

Their five-year old son Jacob had become aggressive, flying into rages, yelling and shrieking. A frequent target of his mean behavior, his two-year old sister was afraid of him. At The Children’s Place, his mother met with one of our Child and Family Therapists for the first time, expressing her sense of defeat as a parent. At her wit’s end and feeling out of control, she says she loves her son but many days she doesn’t like him.

For parents struggling with young children like Jacob, Parent-Child  Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a treatment that has proven to be very successful in developing the parent-child bond and remediating the child’s negative behaviors. Many of these children come to therapy because of stress or traumatic events that they have experienced. Helping parents learn new ways to interact with their child is extremely effective in helping their child heal.

The therapist worked with both Jacob and his mother for 14 weeks of PCIT.

Each week, she would observe Jacob and his mother playing and would coach his mother, helping her develop her parenting skills and confidence as she interacted with her son. This therapy helps caregivers manage their child’s behaviors in real-world settings. At the conclusion of therapy, Jacob’s aggressive behaviors were significantly reduced and he had made great strides in his behavior at home. His mother had learned effective new skills. She no longer felt the need to spank Jacob and was finally enjoying the relationship she had with her son. As her husband commented at the final session, “Life at home is so different now. Jacob is 85% better…and Mom is 100% better!”