Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a combination of play therapy and behavioral therapy for young children and their parents or caregivers. The adults learn and practice new skills and techniques for relating to children with emotional or behavior problems, language issues, developmental disabilities, or mental health disorders.

Eyberg first referred to her approach as "PCIT" when she submitted an application to the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Association in 1974 to test its efficacy. Over the next three decades, positive research findings and subsequent funding from the National Institute of Mental Health facilitated further expansion and study of PCIT. Today, PCIT is widely recognized as one of the most effective and empirically-supported forms of treatment in the world.

HOW DOES PCIT WORK?
In PCIT, parents have the opportunity to learn new skills that can help them become better able to provide a caring, nurturing, and beneficial environment for their children. An ultimate goal of this approach is to help adapt negative behaviors into more positive behavior patterns.