PARENT-CHILD INTERACTION THERAPY (PCIT)

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a brief therapy for treating behavioral problems in childhood. It is a treatment that has been proven to be empirically valid and can be considereda well established treatment for disruptive behavior in childhood according to the APA guidelines. This paper presents its fundamental characteristics, the clinical components, and the factors affecting effectiveness. It also reviews the literature of research on the effectiveness and efficacy of PCIT. Recent adaptations in different contexts, formats, problems and populations are also presented.