Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and Parent Club Postdoctoral Training

Parent Club

• Virtual Workshops
  
• Workshops are conducted at UM campuses, schools, and various community sites in Miami-Dade County (reliable transportation required)

PCIT

• I-PCIT-Telehealth online 
  
• Mailman Center for Child Development
  
• ConnectFamilias in Little Havana

Parent Club

Virtual team meetings occur on Wednesday mornings. Virtual workshops happen throughout the week at a variety of times. However, day/times of rotation vary according to program activities and workshop location sites and needs. For example, if the trainee is working on program management or content development, days and times are more flexible. If the trainee is engaged in delivering workshops and/or providing fidelity checks, community sites most likely will prefer workshops to take place between 4:00-6:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. Other workshops may be scheduled in the morning or at noon (e.g. University of Miami Employee Assistance Program).

PCIT

Caseloads range from 6 to 8 cases per week. Appointments are scheduled Monday-Thursday from 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.. Make-up sessions are conducted on Fridays.

Parent Club

The University of Miami Parent Club is a universal parenting education program offering free, live workshops on raising children that are successful, healthy, and happy. Parent Club began in 2019 and has grown to serve all caregivers of children of all ages in Miami-Dade County, and to link them to high-quality parenting resources in the community. There are currently workshops being offered in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole with topics including: Positive Parenting, Child Behavior Management, Child Development, Teen Tips for Caregivers, Technology Management, Early Literacy, and Parenting During a Pandemic. Additional workshops in development include early literacy for Spanish speaking children and content for caregivers of toddlers. The program is funded by The Children’s Trust under a common umbrella with two additional organizations (Florida International University and BeStrong International). It is expected that individuals who join this rotation will help to guide program operations, staff supervision, data management, and coordination of workshop delivery in diverse communities within Miami-Dade County. In addition, there will be opportunities for workshop facilitation and collaboration with various and diverse community agencies in Miami.

The University of Miami Parent Club postdoctoral associate position presents a unique opportunity for the trainee to gain experience in all aspects of program development and to interface with sponsored partners. In addition, the trainee will gain experience being part of a highly diverse and dynamic team delivering evidence-based parenting content within mulit-cultural communities. Postdoctoral associates will have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of program administration including interprofessional collaboration with school systems and community organizations. Additionally, the postdoctoral associate will supervise and train staff on workshop facilitation and parenting education. Further, the postdoctoral associate will participate in the development of new, evidence-based workshop content in collaboration with The Children’s Trust and our partners at FIU and BeStrong. There are also opportunities to supervise data staff and Mailman Center psychology interns who participate in the rotation. Delivering workshops and refining facilitation skills is a part of the position, in addition to performing fidelity checks for other staff delivering workshops. Additionally, postdoctoral associates will take a lead role in the development of online parenting resources including videos, podcasts, and webinars. 

PCIT

The University of Miami Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (UM PCIT) program provides FREE evidence-based parent training to families with children ages 2 to 7. The program primarily serves children referred for disruptive behavior problems or parents who have physically abused their children.  Trainees, who do not have prior PCIT experience, receive training in accordance with the PCIT International Training guidelines and are paired with a postdoctoral fellow/licensed psychologist as a co-therapist on some cases. Beyond serving as a co-therapist, trainees (unless serving in a supervisor role) are responsible for all clinical documentation (e.g., progress notes, intake reports). Trainees receive live supervision from licensed psychologists. Further, the clinical director provides monthly group supervision/training, which includes case discussion, practicing of coaching skills, and video review of sessions. It is expected that individuals who join this rotation commit to completing the full course of PCIT training to ensure that they will be able to meet qualifications for PCIT certification for therapist or within-agency trainer by the end of the training year. We provide specialty training and services related to telehealth delivery of services, PCIT for Spanish-speaking families, PCIT for children with autism, and PCIT-CALM for children with anxiety. 

Parent Club

Given the number of parents from diverse backgrounds expected to participate in this program (minimum of 3,000 program participants per year), we are particularly interested in how program outcomes are influenced by child rearing practices and cultural beliefs/values. We are open to collaborating with trainees on original research ideas.

PCIT

PCIT has session level data with over 400 participants. We are open to discussions about how to proceed with studies related to existing data sets. Our research team specifically focuses on strategies (e.g., technology enhancements, time-limited approaches, and inclusion of community health workers) to increase the reach and efficiency of PCIT services to racially and ethnically diverse families in South Florida. Opportunities for co-authoring manuscript submissions are strongly encouraged and supported on the team. 

Parent Club

Trainee will interact with and participate in ongoing training of part-time staff who facilitate workshops online and, when possible, in the community. Trainee may interface with specialists in the school system as well as other community agencies such as the Miami-Dade Public Library. Weekly online supervision groups will take place with all facilitators.

PCIT

The PCIT team is primarily comprised of psychologists and mental health counseling professionals. Pediatric medical residents and other allied health professionals periodically attend sessions to learn through observation and discussion. Further, the team typically interacts with the child’s other service/learning systems to provide coordination of care and/or consultation (e.g., teachers, speech and language pathologists, audiologists).

Parent Club

Treatment/Intervention

• Parent training workshops with caregivers
  

Prevention

• Providing universal parenting information, assessing caregivers’ needs, and linking them with quality community resources

PCIT

Assessments

• Cultural formulation clinical interview
  
• Broad-band and narrow-band behavioral screening
  
• Family risk factor screening
  
• Observation of parent-child interactions
  
• Weekly progress monitoring
  
• For children with ASD or suspected, additional ASD-specific testing is completed.

Treatment

• Conducting time-limited Parent-Child Interaction Therapy services.
  
• Conducting time-limited CALM services for young children with anxiety

Consultations

• Conduct parent consultations after CDI Teach and PDI homework assignments to promote treatment engagement and quality practice.
  
• Conduct consultations with other professionals working with the child as indicated by family need
  
• If the family is currently involved with child welfare, the therapist may participate in multidisciplinary staffing.

Parent Club

• 1 hour per week group supervision, with individual supervision on an as-needed basis.

PCIT

• 20-hour initial PCIT Training Institute - First month. First 5 Fridays
  
• Monthly two-hour training - 10 months.First Fridays of the month
  
• Bi-weekly group case discussion or staff community of practice
  
• Live supervision through co-therapy
  
• Video review of key sessions for competency
  
• Skill role plays
  
• Group/Individual supervision

• Opportunities exist for supervising interns and practicum students on Parent Club and PCIT rotations (contingent upon prior PCIT experiences and trainee schedule)