Child abuse and neglect are serious public health problems in the United States, affecting nearly 1 million children each year, resulting in substantial economic burdens for the public and harmful outcomes in children, including anxiety, trauma, and depression and conduct problems. Few parenting programs have been shown effective in reducing child abuse and neglect after it has already begun.

However, one very effective program, called Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), is the focal point of a 5-year $3.5 million study led by Dr. Elizabeth Skowron and Dr. Phil Fisher in the Center for Translational Neuroscience at the University of Oregon, funded by the NIH/NIDA. The Coaching Adaptive Parenting Strategies (CAPS) is designed to test PCIT’s effectiveness in preventing new episodes of child abuse and neglect, and to learn more about how it effects biological and behavioral markers emotion regulation and self-control in parents and their children.

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Services Offered

PCIT for child welfare-involved families: Coaching positive, responsive parenting to support children’s emotion regulation and self-control

Fees and Payment

Half of study families were invited at random to participate in the PCIT program at no cost, while other study families continued receiving services as usual in the community. Over 80 eligible Lane County families received PCIT services from Dr. Skowron, a certified PCIT therapist and trainer, and her graduate students.

The CAPS study also provides research training in clinical translational research to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Oregon. Over 30 undergraduate students in psychology, human physiology, and related fields have gaining valuable research experience in the lab, and the project has hosted four high school and undergraduate students from across the country for 8-week research internships funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, designed to provide traditionally underrepresented students with experiential research training to prepare for successfully entry into graduate school.

Services Offered To:
Adults
Teens
Children

Payment:
Sliding Scale
Pro-bono

Online Counseling:
Yes