Program Description

"Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based treatment for young children (ages 2 to 7) with behavior problems such as tantrums, defiance, aggression, and difficulty following directions. PCIT helps parents reduce challenging behavior and improve their child's emotional and social development, all while building a stronger parent–child relationship. During weekly PCIT sessions, licensed therapists coach parents in real time-using a headset-while they play and interact with their child. This live parent coaching helps families practice positive parenting strategies that lead to long-lasting behavior change."

Cost

Unspecified; clinician-dependent

Intended Population

• Intensified intervention
• SPED

Grade

• Pre-K
• Elementary School

Intended Group Size

• Individual

ELL/DLL

• Full

Multisensory Applications

• Unspecified

Delivery Method

• Print-based delivery

Scripted

• Instructor Scripted

Comprehensive or Skill Specific

• Skill Specific

Placement Tests

• No

Accelerated Learning

• No

Assessment to Monitor Skills Mastery

• No

Error Correction Built In

• Yes

Fidelity Measures Provided by Publisher

• Unspecified

Research Summary

NeMTSS literature review revealed multiple studies involving an array of children with behavioral problems and developmental disabilities that found statistically significant improvements in problem behaviors and parenting skills for groups receiving PCIT compared to controls (Bjørseth & Wichstrøm, 2016; Rosen et al., 2026; Scudder et al., 2019) and the benefits of treatment duration (Wortham et al., 2025). Moreover, these effect of PCIT on behavior problems extended to in-school behaviors (McNeil et al., 1991) and to Latinx families (Ramos et al., 2025). These effects of PCIT were further substantiated by peer-reviewed meta-analyses and reviews (Phillips, 2025; Saunders et al., 1997, Thomas et al., 2017). Given these positive effects of PCIT, there is sufficient evidence to support PCIT as an evidence-based practice.

Study Citations

Bjørseth & Wichstrøm (2016) Effectiveness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) in the Treatment of Young Children’s Behavior Problems. A Randomized ControlledStudy. PLoS ONE 11(9): e0159845. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0159845

Rosen, A. F. G., Kwasneski, K., Liao, X., Bard, D. E., & Skowron, E. A. (2026). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy’s Influence on Parental Behavior and Child Compliance in a Child-Welfare Involved Randomized Clinical Trial. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 48(1), 35–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317107.2025.2527414

Scudder, A., Wong, C., Ober, N., Hoffman, M., Toscolani, J., & Handen, B. L. (2019). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 41(4), 201-220.

Wortham, K., Yard, M., & Brestan-Knight, E. (2025). Understanding parent-child interaction therapy outcomes across treatment duration. Children and Youth Services Review, 179, Article 108635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108635

McNeil, C. B., Eyberg, S., Eisenstadt, T. H., Newcomb, K., & Funderburk, B. (1991). Parent-Child Interaction Therapy with behavior problem children: Generalization of treatment effects to the school setting. Journal of Clnical Child Psychology, 20(2), 140-151.

Ramos, G., Woller, M., Quetsch, L., Girard, E., Barnett, M., Montoya, A., Le, K., Reyes, Y., Chavira, D., Villodas, M., & Lau, A. (2025). Trajectories of Change in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Outcomes in Latinx Families: Implications for Cultural Adaptation. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 54(6), 684–698. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2024.2395272

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• Evidence-based practice

Additional Reviews

• Saunders, T. R. (1997). Review of Parent-child interaction therapy [Review of the book Parent-Child interaction therapy, by T. L. Hembree-Kigin & C. B. McNeil]. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 34(3), 340–341. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0092378
• Phillips, S. T., Druskin, L. R., Mychailyszyn, M. P., Victory, E., Aman, E., & McNeil, C. B. (2025). The Efficacy of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Meta-Analysis. Child psychiatry and human development, 56(6), 1757–1766. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-024-01678-2
• Thomas, R., Abell, B., Webb, H. J., Avdagic, E., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2017). Parent-child interaction therapy: A meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 140(3). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-0352