Parent-Child Interaction Therapy with Toddlers (PCIT-T) 

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy with Toddlers is an early intervention program that involves coaching parents while they interact with their 12 to 24 month old children. Adapting the play therapy and compliance training procedures of PCIT, parents are coded and coached in the use of therapeutic parenting practices proven to decrease problematic behaviors, improve children's language, and encourage young children to follow directions.

Dr. Girard will review the novel components for the special needs of toddlers, including specific procedures for promoting the attachment relationship and emotion regulation in both the caregivers and children. Central to the model is the understanding that difficult behaviors in toddlers are a sign of emotion dysregulation rather than deliberate defiance. It is with the assistance of a nurturing and sensitive caregiver that the child's capacity to manage emotion develops.

The "CARES" model (Come In, Assist, Reassure, Emotional Validation, and Soothe) of PCIT-T involves coaching parents to come in close, assist, reassure, validate emotions, and soothe when the toddlers experience the "big emotions" that are characteristic of this age range. Parents also are coached in their own set of adult CARES skills designed to promote relaxation and positive self-talk during stressful parenting situations. Finally, PCIT-T includes an adapted parent-directed interaction in which children learn to follow directions through a tell-show-try again-guide procedure and labeled praise for listening. Presenting referral concerns include:

• Tantrums
• Aggression (e.g., hitting, biting, pinching)
• Fussiness (e.g., screaming, whining, crying)
• Anger, frustration, head-banging
• Attachment difficulties (e.g., rejection of parent, difficult to comfort)
• Separation anxiety or withdrawal from parent
• Developmental concerns (e.g., autistic behaviors, language problems)
• Child abuse and neglect
• Parental stress (e.g., anxiety, dissatisfaction, difficulty coping, lack of confidence)

Biography:  Dr. Emma Girard is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry with University of California Riverside, School of Medicine and Sr. Clinical Psychologist with Riverside University Health System-Behavioral Health. Her passion for early intervention and prevention is noted by her work in the field of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy as both a Master Trainer with PCIT-I and a training partner with the UC Davis PCIT Training Center.   She and her team in Riverside received the Bright Idea Award from the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy in 2015 for their Mobile Prevention and Early Intervention Program. Her passion to bring clinical experience from community-based organizations to inform research has produced significant collaborations with West Virginia University and UC Davis. She has co-authored PCIT-Toddlers: Improving Attachment and Emotion Regulation.

Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to:

1. List 2 theoretical differences between classic PCIT and PCIT-T as it applies to developmental differences.

2. Name the specific CARES skills to assist with emotion regulation for both the child and caregiver.

3. Label the PDI-Toddlers sequence of steps to help teach listening skills.

Learning Levels: Introductory and Intermediate

CE Approval and Process Information: