MISSOURI CHILDREN'S TRAUMA NETWORK
PARENT CHILD INTERACTION THERAPY (PCIT)
What is PCIT?
Until recently, Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) has been taught and practiced largely within a small number of University-affiliated laboratories or PCIT experts at OUHSC are currently investigating an alternative co-therapy PCITtraining model using internet-based remote live consultation. In this approach, internet telemedicine technology is used to allow supervisors to observe sessions from a remote location many miles away, directly coach practitioners during the session, and take over the session to coach parents directly and demonstrate PCIT techniques, all in real-time. In a state such as Oklahoma, in which a large percentage of the population resides in rural areas, rurally based therapists have had limited or no access to the type of direct consultation utilized in the traditional PCIT training approach. However, with the incorporation of internet-based remote technology, advanced PCIT training may be feasible for therapists across the U.S. centers, including the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Specific training protocols developed in these University PCIT centers typically include an intensive didactic component where trainees learn the theory base, receive an overview of the session-by-session PCIT protocol, observe demonstration sessions conducted by accomplished trainers and role-play techniques. Most importantly, however, the traditional University training approach includes approximately six months of post-didactic consultation via co-therapy. Trainees first join accomplished PCIT trainers behind the mirror and observe their practice, then trainees conduct sessions under the direct observation of the trainer for several full cases. In these co-therapy sessions, trainers may give direct real-time feedback to trainees or may take over coaching the parent in order to demonstrate a particular PCIT technique.
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