This handbook examines advances in the evidence-based behavioral family intervention, parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT). It surveys innovative adaptations tailored to specific diagnostic concerns, client populations, treatment settings, and delivery formats. Chapters provide rationales for adaptation, reviews of relevant research, and discussions of advantages and challenges. Case studies illustrate the implementation of the adaptations and help to make new techniques concrete. The handbook offers practical descriptions of the adaptations to PCIT, comprehensively reviews treatment outcome literature, and integrates cutting-edge implementation science into an exploration of the current dissemination strategies in PCIT. The handbook concludes with a consideration of the questions that remain to be addressed to extend the reach of PCIT among traditionally underserved families and to continue to advance the science and practice of children's mental health interventions. Featured topics include: PCIT for children with callous-unemotional traits. PCIT for families with a history of child maltreatment. Group PCIT. PCIT for military families. The PCIT CALM program for treating anxiety in young children. PCIT for American Indian families. Transporting and disseminating PCIT internationally. Using technology to expand the reach of PCIT. The Handbook of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, instructors, clinicians, and graduate students in child and school psychology, child psychiatry, and social work as well as such related disciplines as developmental, clinical, counseling, and community psychology, family studies, and mental health services and agencies.

The most important thing a psychologist can do to foster a child's well-being is to help build a healthy, effective parent-child relationship. The relationship between a child and their primary caregiver(s) is the cornerstone of child development. Interactions in early childhood initiate a developmental cascade that impacts an individual's functioning throughout childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. This book integrates the basic and applied literature with the concrete, evidence-based strategies and empirically-supported interventions mental health providers need to help build and strengthen the parent-child relationship. It has long been understood that the quality and effectiveness of the parent-child relationship influences children's emotional, behavioral, and physical health. Today, studies increasingly demonstrate that the parent-child bond influences the relation between socioeconomic status and child functioning, and that increasing parenting effectiveness can even decrease the negative impact of poverty on children's brain development. With clinical case examples and lists of key takeaways and questions for clinicians to consider, this book provides the practical guidance mental health practitioners need when working with parents and young children.

Going beyond traditional play therapy, this innovative book presents a range of evidence-based assessment and intervention approaches that incorporate play as a key element. It is grounded in the latest knowledge about the importance of play in child development. Leading experts describe effective strategies for addressing a wide variety of clinical concerns, including behavioral difficulties, anxiety, parent-child relationship issues, trauma, and autism. The empirical support for each approach is summarized and clinical techniques are illustrated. The book also discusses school-based prevention programs that utilize play to support children's learning and social-emotional functioning.