Child Parent Relationship Therapy - What is it?
Are you feeling overwhelmed, alone, or exhausted by your child’s challenging behaviors? If you’re struggling with discipline, finding it hard to stay emotionally regulated, or simply want to better understand and support your child’s needs, you’re not alone—and we’re here to help. As a caregiver, you play a vital role in your child’s growth and healing. Whether you're looking to strengthen your parenting skills or explore new ways to support your child, there are many options available to you. We would love for you to be an active and empowered part of your child’s therapeutic journey, which improves their experiences and outcomes.
Let’s explore two therapeutic approaches that encourage and require more parental involvement than traditional play therapy: Child-Parent Relationship Therapy & Parent Child Interaction Therapy. These may appear similar at first glance, but are grounded in different philosophies and intervention strategies.
CPRT
Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) is a 10-week play-therapy-based treatment plan designed to help children presenting with social, emotional, and attachment challenges. Each week, parents and caregivers attend sessions with the therapist, where they learn fundamental play therapy skills in a supportive, non-judgmental, and interactive setting. Then, parents utilize the skills they have learned in special playtimes with their child at home. Then, the therapist gives feedback to the caregivers to strengthen their skills.
CPRT is mutually beneficial for you and your child. In this modality, we see your relationship with the child as what it is — a necessity for your child to thrive. The skills you will learn here help your child feel loved, safe, and secure. We understand the challenges and difficulties that come with your role in this child’s life. If you are feeling disconnected and/or exhausted as a parent or caregiver, CPRT grounds you and your child in a mutual feeling of empathy and respect. In CPRT, there is no shame. You will be surrounded by other parents and children who are in need of support, too. Having a community help you through this is a wonderful thing and can help normalize that parenting is a challenging but rewarding experience!
PCIT
Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is another evidence-based treatment program for young children who are experiencing social, behavioral, and/or emotional difficulties. This form of therapy typically lasts around 3-6 months, so it is a longer-term commitment than CPRT. In PCIT, parents learn fundamental play therapy skills through live coaching with a trained therapist.
If you are looking to improve your relationship with your child who requires a great deal of guidance and discipline, PCIT might be for you. In the moment, it can be difficult to figure out how to respond to your child’s big, disruptive behaviors. This can feel disorienting and maybe even have you questioning your choices in discipline. In PCIT, a trained therapist will guide you through playtimes with your child with a goal of strengthening the relationship, connection, and your skills. PCIT will help you work towards discipline that is warm, caring, and meets your child’s needs while also setting the limits and boundaries that are needed for optimal functioning.
At Bud to Bloom, we offer a variety of different services where we work hands-on with the child and caregiver — including Child Parent Relationship Therapy, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, and Theraplay. These modalities, while different than PCIT, can have similar impacts and outcomes to help you feel more confident and connected in your parenting journey.
All of the different methods and modalities of therapy can be daunting and overwhelming. At Bud to Bloom, we are happy to set up a consultation call to guide you to a modality that will work for you. As you think through the process here’s some questions to ask yourself that can help us find something that works best for you.
What are your strengths as a parent?
What do you want support with?
What is your current relationship with the child?
Are you feeling understood as a parent?
What has worked, and what hasn’t worked?
What causes your child's big/disruptive behaviors?
What do these behaviors look like?
Are these behaviors related to any trauma or big life changes the child has experienced?
During your consultation, you should never feel shamed or embarrassed by your answers. The more honest you are, the better we can find something that will work for you and your child. We want you to feel heard, understood, and confident. Your child is not our only client - we will always be here to support you as well.
We at Bud to Bloom do not offer Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, but we have colleagues who do! If you decide that PCIT is the modality that you want to pursue, we are happy to provide a referral at any time. Rebecca Growe is a Parent Child Interaction Therapy specialist here in St. Louis and Bud to Bloom’s go-to referral source for all families wanting PCIT. Click here to contact Rebecca.
