Children thrive when parents are warm and responsive to their needs, while also providing clear guidance and setting limits. This is known as authoritative parenting.

But most parents will tell you authoritative parenting is easier said than done, especially when children have frequent intense emotions, big behaviours, meltdowns and outright defiance.

These challenges can lead parents to wish they had a parenting coach helping them know what to do and say.

Parent-child interaction therapy aims to do just that. It has been used in parts of Australia for around 20 years and is now available in some western Sydney schools.

So how does it actually work?

It focuses on the relationship

Parent-child interaction therapy is based on attachment theory, which posits that quality relationships in childhood predict wellbeing.

The parent and child play together in one room while the therapist observes in an adjacent room through a one-way mirror.

Using an ear-piece and microphone (or other communication device), the therapist acts as a coach to guide a parent’s responses to their child during play.

Coaching guides parents as they use positive attention skills to respond to their children’s behaviours and emotions as they occur. Within such a supportive environment, this reduces the child’s problematic behaviour and increases appropriate behaviours.

This guided, real-life practice gives parents the ability to use the techniques on their own, wherever they are, and enriches the parent-child connection.

How do kids experience........

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