PARENT-CHILD INTERACTION THERAPY
Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) is an
empirically supported treatment designed for families
with preschool-age children with a range of
behavioral and emotional problems.56 The evidence
base of PCIT has been established with
children who have disruptive behavior disorders,
and PCIT also is used clinically to treat the behavior
problems of children with an array of primary
diagnoses including neurologic impairment,57 developmental
disorders,58 and chronic illnesses59 as
well as mood and anxiety disorders60 and childabusive
families,61,62 where the identified patient is
usually the parent. If particularly difficult issues
arise that persist outside the parent-child interaction
and hinder treatment progress, PCIT may
occur concurrently with other treatments, such as
stimulant medication for attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), individual therapy for a
depressed parent, or group social skills training for
the child.