Can PCIT Help With School Problems?
One of the most common questions I hear about Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is whether it only helps at home or if it can also make a difference at school.
It’s a really important question. When your child is struggling in the classroom, it can feel overwhelming. You might be getting phone calls or emails from teachers, hearing that your child hit a friend, refused to sit in circle time, or just isn’t following directions. In some cases, the school may even be talking about suspension or whether your child can continue to be in that school environment.
At home, you may try talking to your child about it only to realize that once they’re back in school, the same problems keep happening. As a parent, that’s stressful and heartbreaking.
The good news: PCIT is highly effective in reducing school behavior problems, even though the treatment takes place at home.
Why PCIT Helps Kids Do Better at School
It might not sound logical at first. After all, PCIT is a therapy you do with your child at home. So why would that affect what happens in the classroom?
Here’s what I’ve seen in practice and why PCIT often leads to big improvements at school:
1. Better emotional regulation
During PCIT, children receive daily one-on-one play sessions with their parents. This isn’t just playtime—it’s structured, therapeutic play that helps kids feel calmer, more connected, and better regulated. When children feel better at home, they usually behave better at school.
2. Learning to follow directions
Some kids don’t fully understand what it means when an adult gives them a direction. PCIT teaches parents how to give clear, effective instructions, and children learn how to respond to those expectations. Once a child has practiced this skill at home, they recognize and follow teacher directions more consistently at school.
3. Carryover from home to classroom
Kids who struggle in school usually show some of the same behaviors at home, even if parents find ways to “work around” them. For example, if you know your child will throw a tantrum about putting on shoes, you might quietly put them on while they’re watching Bluey. At school, teachers don’t have that flexibility. They need the whole class to transition to the next activity. Without the right skills, your child will struggle in those moments.
PCIT helps bridge that gap. It strengthens the parent-child connection, teaches children what to expect when adults give directions, and builds emotional regulation. With these skills in place, kids have a much easier time handling the demands of the classroom.
PCIT for Challenging School Behaviors
If your child is struggling with listening, following directions, aggression, tantrums, or transitions at school, PCIT can be a powerful intervention. By improving regulation and compliance at home, children carry those skills into the classroom.
That’s why I often recommend PCIT for children with school behavior problems. It not only reduces challenging behavior at home, but also sets children up for success in structured environments like preschool, daycare, and elementary school.