Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from PCIT Treatment? . . .

PCIT Intake: The first session is an intake session so that your therapist can learn all about your child and your family and make sure that PCIT is the right treatment for you. This session will take place without your child present so that you can discuss all of your concerns openly without your child hearing you. You will be asked questions about your child’s behavior, your child’s medical and developmental history, their education, and social experiences. You will also be asked about parenting strategies that you have tried and how well they have worked. Your therapist will answer your questions about PCIT and make sure that it’s the right treatment for you.
Observation Session: Your therapist will set up a structured observation session so that they can observe how your child responds to certain directives in play. They will ask you to pick 3-4 open-ended toys to use for the session. Then, they will talk with you through your Bluetooth device and give you prompts for what to do in the play. If there is another caregiver who will participate, that caregiver will also complete the same interaction with the child.
Child-Directed Interaction (CDI) Teach Session: Your therapist will schedule another session with you without your child present. They will review the results of the observation session and teach you how to do the first phase of treatment, the Child-Directed Interaction.
CDI Coach Sessions: The next sessions will be coaching sessions. During these sessions, you will check in briefly with your therapist at the beginning but spend most of the session playing with your child. Your therapist will observe your CDI skills for 5 minutes and then use their observations to coach you to improve your skills and meet your specific treatment goals. You will participate in CDI Coach Sessions until you meet the CDI Goal and are ready to move on to the next phase of treatment.
Parent-Directed Interaction (PDI) Teach Session: Your therapist will schedule another session with you without your child present. The goal of the PDI Teach session is to teach you the second phase of PCIT. You will learn how to give commands that children are able to understand and obey and how to follow through with reinforcement or consequences.
PDI Coach Sessions: Your therapist will use the first PDI Coach Session to explain the new procedure to your child. Your therapist will help you use strategies discussed in the PDI Teach to be consistent and calm in this new phase of treatment. The first session (or 2) may go longer than the normal 50-minutes, so extra time will be scheduled in case longer is needed.
Public Behavior Session if applicable: Your therapist will help you to implement PCIT strategies in public places.
Sibling Session if applicable: Your therapist will help you to implement PCIT with siblings.
Graduation: When you have fully learned the CDI ad PDI skills and your child’s behavior is no longer problematic, we will celebrate your graduation session!
Booster Sessions: Some families may request additional sessions after graduation to help maintain skills or problem-solve how to manage situations that come up.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

What is Internet-Based PCIT (I-PCIT)? . . .

Traditional PCIT takes place in an office setting. In the pre-COVID “olden days,” most PCIT therapists saw families in a clinic and helped parents apply skills in a special playroom. We didn’t see how children behaved at home and we certainly didn’t teach the skills in your home. Parents joked that there was something “magic” about the playroom.
There was already research available that said that Internet Based-PCIT was as effective as traditional PCIT—just very few therapists used it!
However, since COVID-19 made teletherapy more universal, many clinicians began using I-PCIT. At Thriving Child Center, we believe that I-PCIT actually works better than clinic therapy for many families.
Internet-based PCIT is just like clinic-based PCIT, except it takes place in your home and not in a clinic.
Session structure is exactly the same and the results of treatment are similar (and at times even better) compared to clinic-based PCIT.

LEARN MORE ABOUT INTERNET-BASED PCIT

Why is Internet-Based (I-PCIT) recommended? . . .

It’s convenient—you can get help in your own home.
Children are more comfortable and learn faster in their own environments.
Recent research shows us that it works as well (if not better) than in-person PCIT!
Your therapist can understand your family’s environment and help you to tailor the treatment to fit your specific situation.
If you have a real-life problem (for example, your child will not brush their teeth), we can address it in your bathroom with you instead of verbally problem-solving what to do when you’re on your own.
It’s easy! All you need is a good internet connection, some form of wireless headphones, toys, and your child!

Research support for Internet-Based PCIT:
Rationale and Considerations for the Internet-Based Delivery of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (Comer et al., 2015).
Rapid, Full-Scale Change to Virtual PCIT During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implementation and Clinical Implications (Garcia et al, 2021)
Feasibility and acceptability of internet-delivered parent-child interaction therapy for rural Australian families: a qualitative investigation (Kolhoff et al., 2020).

How is PCIT different from other parenting treatments? . . .

In traditional Parent Management Trainings, you meet with a therapist, learn some strategies, and apply the strategies on your own with your child. At the next session, you report back to your therapist and receive some tips on how to adapt your treatment for your child.

With PCIT, we COACH you while you interact with your child so that you can use the skills more effectively. We’re there with you, in the moment, to see behaviors and help you address them. This coaching framework leads to progress:

You learn the skills more quickly
You use skills more effectively
You see improvements more quickly
Your treatment is tailored to your family’s needs
Your child’s challenges are addressed immediately
It’s the difference between going to the gym with a “how to” book or an app versus going to the gym with a personal trainer.

How will I know if PCIT is working for me? . . .

PCIT is a data-driven treatment—this means that we measure progress to make sure that you are seeing improvements.

We start off by observing you and your child before you begin treatment so that we can see your baseline interactions and how we can help.
We ask you to complete a measure of acting-out behavior before every session so that we can graph your progress.
We observe your skills at each session so that we can help you improve in your areas of weakness.

Families graduate from PCIT when:

Parents/caregivers have demonstrated expertise in PCIT play therapy and discipline skills.
Parents/caregivers rate their child’s behavior as well within normal limits.
Parents/caregivers express comfort using the skills on their own!

How long does PCIT take? . . .

PCIT generally takes 12-16 sessions (around 3-4 months) to complete.
PCIT can be shorter or longer depending upon parent/caregiver and child factors.
Factors that affect the length of PCIT include:
Parents/caregivers use of the skills they learn:
Are you practicing your CDI skills with your child for 5 minutes per day?

Are you using PDi discipline skills consistently?

Are you open to trying some new ways of interacting with your child?
Child temperament:
How quickly is the child improving in response to parent skills?
Are there additional stressful events that are leading to more challenging behaviors?
Additional sessions that your family may need:
Do you want our help navigating situations in public?
Would you benefit from some “sibling” sessions with multiple children?
Would additional sessions focusing on a specific skill (for example, emotion regulation) benefit your child?

What are the expectations of me, the parent/caregiver? . . .

Parents/caregivers who benefit the most from PCIT have several things in common. They are:

Open to learning new skills
Complete measures of child behavior on a weekly basis
Practice CDI skills with their child (and siblings, if appropriate) for 5 minutes each day
Practice PDI skills on a daily basis
Attend sessions regularly
Communicate about any questions or concerns that come up

What supplies do I need for PCIT? . . .

Electronic device (phone, tablet, computer)
Good quality internet
A blue-tooth device (such as an Airpod) that connects to the device
3-4 PCIT-appropriate toys
Your child
A place with limited distractions (for example, no other siblings or pets present)

What are some reasons that PCIT would not be recommended? . . .

Your child is outside the age-range of 2-7 years old
Your child is too big to be physically lifted/carried
You are not able to practice skills on a daily basis with your child

What if there are still problems after PCIT? . . .

PCIT is a remarkably effective treatment for improving problem behaviors and helping families get along better. However, after completing PCIT, families may realize that there were certain underlying challenges that need additional work or support.
PCIT helps families to understand what a child can and can’t control
Some children will benefit from medication management or additional therapies after PCIT is over
Some challenges that may require additional help after PCIT include:
Hyperactivity/impulsivity related to ADHD
Sensory challenges (sensitivity to noise, texture, etc)
Social skills differences related to ADHD or Autism
Severe anxiety symptoms that require Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or Exposure/Response prevention
Personal challenges that parents/caregivers are experiencing
If you need more help after PCIT, we will refer you to other providers
Psychiatrists for medication management
A clinic local to you or, if appropriate, to generalist child therapy clinic, Thriving Child Center

How much does PCIT cost? . . .

Therapists at Thriving Child Center are private pay providers.This means that we do not have relationships with insurance companies and do not process insurance claims ourselves. We also write notes to ethical standards, not specifically for insurance companies, which means that our documentation is to help you but not necessarily meet insurance company criteria for reimbursement. To schedule a session, we require a credit card to be kept on file and charged at the beginning of each session. We also accept Health Savings Account (HSA) cards. Some insurance plans will pay for “out-of-network” services. This means that they will reimburse you for all or part of the cost of services. We are able to give you the documentation to bill your insurance yourself if you request it but make no guarantees that insurance will reimburse you.
- It is your responsibility to verify your insurance coverage for out-of-network services. If you plan to submit for reimbursement, we encourage you to contact your insurance company before your first session or assessment. if your insurance company does not reimburse you, you are still responsible for paying for your sessions. We do not collaborate or communicate with insurance companies and do not provide any additional documentation to insurance companies.
Price varies depending on the Expert who works with your family.
- Price is related to experience level and training.
- There are some Experts who are still completing their PCIT Certification. These Experts are receiving weekly consultation on your case from Certified PCIT Trainers. Because they have not yet completed their training, their rates are lower than if you receive services from someone who is already PCIT Certified.
PCIT Experts does have contracts with two major EAPS: Lyra Health and Modern Health. These contracts allow some Lyra Health and Modern Health members to receive PCIT with some of our providers at no cost. Availability of this service is limited to certain states of residence for Lyra (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Colorado,Florida), to all PSYPACT states for Modern Health, and provider availability. If you have Lyra Health or Modern Health and would like to use your benefits, please let us know!

What happens if I cancel or forget my appointment? . . .

Cancelation Policy: If you are unable to come to your session or evaluation and need to cancel, please let us know more than 48-hours in advance. If you do not attend the appointment without giving adequate notice, you will be charged the cost of the session.