Brigid Collins Family Support Center: Eric's Story
It used to take 40 minutes to get
Eric's 7-year-old son to brush his teeth before bed. Only after complaining
would his son finally give in.
"He
would whine and complain and turn around on us," Eric said. "Basic stuff that
kids do."
After
scouring Whatcom County for help, the Southern California native and his wife
landed on Brigid Collins Family Support Center in Bellingham, and enrolled in
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). PCIT is a hands-on parenting education
program that helps parents practice nurturing and disciplinary techniques with
their children. The program is centered on "coordinated play," in which a
parenting coach sits on one side of a two-way mirror, while a parent and child
play together on the other side.
"The
program was developed to build rapport with a child," Eric said. "Once you
build rapport and grow accustomed to spending playtime, then we learn how to
constructively address behavioral problems."
Kathleen
Roy, quality assurance manager at Brigid Collins, said the goal of the program
is to improve child behavior and parenting skills and decrease stress for the
parent. The ultimate goal, she said, is to break the cycle of child abuse.
"The
parent gets coaching right in the moment," Roy said.
According to the
United Way of Whatcom County partner agency, national research on PCIT shows
these techniques to be effective in changing children's behavior - even
children with very difficult behavior problems.
"The
training is not just for the kids, the training is for the parents," Eric said.
"A big part is the parents' adjusting how we approach things and how we
communicate. That obviously has a huge impact."
After nine months
of PCIT, Eric said, life is easier. He said his children are more respectful,
better listeners and better understand consequences to their actions.
"It's
a lot of work but if you're committed - it works, it absolutely works," he
said. "We've seen a real turnaround."
Eric
credits the learning of enhanced communication skills to his new relationship
with his children, now 8- and 6-years-old.
