Combined Parent-Child Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CPC-CBT)

This is a therapy program to monitor families with children who are victims of domestic violence. It consists of 16 to 20 parenting skill training sessions, involving four phases:
1) Engagement and psychoeducation: engaging and motivating parents to change their parenting style or interactions with their children;
2) Creation of effective problem-solving skills;
3) Family protection: developing a safety plan for the family to learn to identify positive parent-child interactions; and
4) Clarification of the abuse: the adult caregiver writes a letter about the abuse, and the child develops a narrative about the trauma suffered.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed improved parenting skills with a reduction in the intensity of parents’ anger, as well as in children’s post-traumatic stress symptoms and related behaviors [1].
Another study evinced a decrease in the use of physical punishment, as well as in symptoms of depression in parents. There was also less use of violent parenting strategies and a decrease in inconsistent parenting practices. After treatment, the symptoms of trauma and depression among children were significantly reduced. Children also reported that parents used significantly less violence and increased positive parenting strategies [2].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Runyon, M. K., Deblinger, E., & Schroeder, C. M. (2009). Pilot evaluation of outcomes of combined parent-child cognitive-behavioral group therapy for families at risk for child physical abuse. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 16(1), 101-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2008.09.006

[2] Kjellgren, C., Svedin, C. G., & Nilsson, D. (2013). Child physical abuse—Experiences of combined treatment for children and their parents: A pilot study. Child Care in Practice, 19(3), 275-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2013.785934

Information source

The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse