Project Play provides Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to the mentoring staff of inner city community after-school programs serving at-risk youth in order to reduce the level of community, school, peer, and family violence. Staff will be trained to more effectively manage externalizing behaviors that result in conflict and aggression. After-school programs offer a safe haven from the chaotic environments these children are in and afford them the opportunity to learn about healthy relationships through positive role models who provide a structured but warm and nurturing environment. The goal of this project is to provide staff with positive childrearing skills and subsequently reduce externalizing non-compliant behaviors that often lead to conflict and aggression. The effects of the training within the after-school program are anticipated to expand into the home with the reduction of non-compliant behaviors and the increase of prosocial and coping behaviors.

In connection with:

Partially sponsored by Target's Protection from Community Violence Grant

Families One Day at a Time provides Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to 40 families with a child between the ages of 3 and 7 and a parent or parents who have reported moderate to heavy levels of drinking but do not meet criteria for dependence. This training is anticipated to improve parenting skills thereby reducing the risk of child maltreatment and other familial violence, parenting stress and psychopathology, and alcohol relapse.

If you or your organization is interested in getting involved and/or having Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) implemented into your program in a classroom or with parents, please contact us at chavezf@fit.edu