Coaching Behavioral Play Therapy Skills

Abstract

Novice PCIT therapists can coach the basic behavioral play therapy skills with little or no prior experience. However, coaching is an art that continuously develops as the therapist gains experience working with parents from diverse cultural groups, with various communication styles and disparate childrearing attitudes, and with children who present unique challenges. Although skillful coaching develops from experiences working with dysfunctional parent—child dyads, it is also grounded in a solid understanding of early child development and normative parent—child interactions. We feel it is particularly important for the PCIT therapist to develop and maintain an “internal barometer” for the wide range of interactional styles and communication patterns that characterize healthy, nurturant parent—child relationships. In this way, the therapist will broaden his or her repertoire of coaching strategies and will reduce the tendency to develop professional “myopia,” in which similar interactional sequences are coached in all families, without regard to the family’s unique communication strengths and style.