Our Journey with PCIT
How Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) Helped Me Regain Confidence in Managing My Child's Behavior
When I became a mother to my beautiful son, Shawn, I couldn't have been happier. However, as he grew, I noticed that his behavior was becoming increasingly challenging. At four years old, Shawn was often uncooperative, defiant, and seemed to struggle with self-control. As a young mother, I felt unsure of how to handle these issues and began to lose confidence in my ability to manage Shawn's behavior effectively.
That's when I discovered Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) - a treatment program designed specifically for parents and their children with behavioral problems. PCIT turned out to be the game-changer we needed. It not only equipped me with the skills and strategies to manage my child's aggressive behavior, but it also helped me regain my confidence as a mother. In this article, I will share my journey with PCIT and how it has transformed our lives.
What is Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)?
PCIT is an evidence-based treatment program designed for children aged two to seven who exhibit behavioral problems such as defiance, aggression, and tantrums. The therapy focuses on improving the parent-child relationship by empowering parents with skills to manage their child's behavior effectively.
PCIT is divided into two stages:
Child-Directed Interaction (CDI): In this stage, parents are taught to follow their child's lead in play, which helps to create a positive and nurturing environment. Parents learn to provide specific praise, reflect their child's language, and imitate their play, all of which help to strengthen the emotional bond between parent and child.
Parent-Directed Interaction (PDI): The second stage of PCIT involves teaching parents how to issue clear, direct commands and to consistently enforce consequences for non-compliance. This stage helps parents establish authority and set appropriate limits for their child's behavior.
Our Journey with PCIT
My journey with PCIT began with an initial assessment, during which a trained therapist observed my interactions with Shawn and identified areas in need of improvement. With guidance from the therapist, I started implementing the skills I learned during CDI and PDI in our daily lives.
During CDI, I was able to connect with Shawn on a deeper level by engaging in his world and learning to appreciate his interests. This helped to create a more positive and secure attachment between us. As our bond strengthened, I noticed that Shawn became more receptive to my guidance and began to display fewer problem behaviors.
The PDI stage was particularly challenging, as it required me to enforce consequences for non-compliance consistently. However, with practice and support from my therapist, I became more confident in setting limits and managing Shawn's behavior effectively.
The Transformation
Since beginning PCIT, I have seen a significant improvement in Shawn's behavior. He is now more cooperative, demonstrates better self-control, and our relationship has never been stronger. Most importantly, I have regained my confidence as a mother, knowing that I have the skills and strategies to manage my child's behavior effectively.
PCIT has not only changed Shawn's behavior but has also made me a more confident and capable parent. I encourage any parent struggling with their child's behavior to consider PCIT as a potential solution. It's never too late to seek help and transform your relationship with your child.
Virtual Coaching
I was coached by my therapist virtually and I was wary about this as I was hardly able to manage Shawn’s behaviors in person. Yet, research studies have shown that PCIT can be delivered effectively through telehealth or virtual platforms, including videoconferencing. A 2020 meta-analysis of 21 studies found that telehealth-delivered PCIT was associated with improvements in child behavior, parent-child interaction, and parental stress, with outcomes similar to those of in-person PCIT.
However, it is important to note that virtual PCIT may not be suitable for all families. Some families may face challenges with technology access or may have difficulty engaging in therapy through a virtual platform. Some aspects of PCIT, such as coaching parents to interact with their child in real-time, may be more challenging to deliver virtually to some parents but in my case, Shawn didn’t even know that I had my therapist back me up!
Overall, while there are challenges to delivering PCIT virtually, research suggests that it can be an effective intervention when delivered by trained therapists who are able to adapt to the virtual setting and when families are willing and able to engage in therapy through this format.