Research PCIT: (Woodfield) Barriers to Clinician Implementation of PCIT in New Zealand & Australia: What Role for Time-Out?

Despite ongoing efforts to train clinicians in PCIT, the intervention is not widely available in New Zealand and Australia. The researchers distributed an online survey to clinicians in New Zealand and Australia who had completed at least the 40-hour initial PCIT training in order to understand the barriers they encountered in their implementation efforts and the extent to which attitudes toward time-out influenced implementation. Responses suggested that participants generally viewed PCIT as both acceptable and effective. While the researchers had hypothesized that time-out detracted from implementation success, results suggested that clinician concern over the use of time-out was present but not prominent. Rather, the lack of access to suitable equipment (i.e., one-way mirror and ear-piece) and difficulties associated with clients attending clinic-based sessions were barriers most commonly reported by clinicians. Future research might consider whether and how PCIT might be “re-implemented” by already-trained clinicians, moving beyond simply training more clinicians in the approach.