School-based PCIT Clinic

Empowering Parents, Teachers and Children

Ingleburn Public School and five other primary schools and preschools from South-West Sydney (Macquarie Fields PS, Sackville Street PS, Warwick Farm PS, Robert Townson PS and Campbelltown Community Preschool) have partnered to establish the world’s first research trial of school-based Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT).

Disruptive behavioural disorders affect approximately 6% of Australian children. Early intervention directly targeting problematic oppositional and defiant behaviour is essential. These behaviours can pose serious public health concerns by persisting throughout life and contributing to later mental illness, family dysfunction and violence, poor academic performance, and criminality.

The unique school-based clinic allows parents, children, and teachers across the greater Campbelltown / Macarthur community to access free, tailored PCIT intervention. PCIT is an evidence-based treatment found to be statistically and clinically effective in assisting children with conduct problems to get within a typical range of functioning.

Since the clinic opened its doors in mid-2019, we have screened over 350 students for conduct problems and provided PCIT to 42 students, their parents and teachers. Treatment outcomes for families that completed treatment are excellent, with statistical models indicating ‘huge’ improvement in parent-rated disruptive, destructive, and aggressive behaviours to the levels seen in healthy children. Parents report being highly satisfied with the intervention.

This programme seeks to strengthen parent, school and teacher partnerships to enable children to learn appropriate behaviours that improve their social and academic outcomes.

Parents are empowered through learning play-therapy skills to improve the parent-child relationship and to better manage child behaviour by using effective commands and discipline strategies. Parents will receive real-time coaching from trained PCIT therapists using the latest technology. Behind a one-way mirror, a therapist will apply evidence-based parental strategies by speaking into a microphone that wirelessly connects to a bug-in-ear device worn by the parent as they interact with their child. This means that parents get practice and feedback on their new parenting skills before taking the skills home and doing it by themselves.

Teachers are supported by in-class PCIT support services to develop skills to manage problematic behaviours within the classroom, thereby enriching the learning experience for all. PCIT support staff collaborate with teachers to design individualised and classroom-wide behaviour management plans.
PCIT is one of the most effective programs for managing emotional and behavioural problems in young children.

Untreated children with behaviour difficulties may continue to be difficult and antisocial into their adult years. These problems can negatively impact their relationships, academic and career prospects, and quality of life.

Some children with childhood oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) will develop the more serious Conduct Disorder, characterised by aggressive, criminal, and violent behaviours. Many children with disruptive behaviour problems also experience other mental health problems, including anxiety and mood disorders and substance-use disorders.

Many classroom teachers report they are not adequately trained to manage students with significant behavioural problems.

If you and your child’s school are interested in accessing the Ingleburn School PCIT clinic, please contact us.

2020

Secretary’s Award for School Achievement from NSW Education Minister’s and Secretary’s Awards for Excellence
2021

Innovative Schools award from The Educator Australia
2020

Innovative Schools award from The Educator Australia

Help us to make our community a better place by:

Improving children’s behavioural, social, and academic outcomes
Reducing parental stress, enhancing parents’ skills, and improving overall family function
Preventing future challenging behavioural problems, including early violent and aggressive behaviour that can result in potential bullying or crime
Preventing future mental health problems beyond antisocial behaviour, including anxiety disorders, depression, and substance-use disorders
Helping create a positive teaching and learning environment
Fostering a collaborative and enriching relationship between teaching staff, wider school staff, and parents, to improve child outcomes across the school body

Support this project

We are seeking additional funds to be able to open the clinic 5 days a week and support more children and families from South-West Sydney. If you or any philanthropic business would like to be involved and support this project, please do not hesitate to contact Katerina Dolezalova pcitatschool@gmail.com or Ingleburn Public School.