Despite increased emphasis on implementation science for empirically supported child mental health treatments, such as parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), there continues to be limited understanding of optimal training methods and formats to disseminate protocols within community-based settings. The present study examined changes in trainee knowledge, attitudes, perceived competency, and coding skills after completion of an in-person 40-hr PCIT training workshop presented in two formats. Sixtyone mental health providers participated in either a consecutive or split 5-day workshop and completed written and behavioral measures pre-and posttraining. Results showed that trainees in either training format exhibited similar increases in PCIT knowledge, perceived competency, and behavior coding skills even for those with previous PCIT exposure. Trainee attitudes toward evidence-based practice did not change from pre-to posttraining; however, trainees reported high levels of satisfaction and clinical relevance for the workshop regardless of format. These findings validate the effectiveness of a 40-hr PCIT training workshop and support flexibility in training formats, which may reduce barriers and enhance access to evidence-based practice. They also offer insight into areas requiring increased emphasis within PCIT training, such as developing trainee behavior coding and coaching skills. Public Significance StatementThis study found that mental health clinicians who completed a 5-day training workshop, either in one long segment or two shorter segments, had increased knowledge of the treatment protocol, more confidence about using the treatment, and better behavior coding skills even when they had prior knowledge of the treatment. This study supports flexibility in training formats and highlights areas to emphasize in parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) training.

(1) Background: Given the high prevalence of childhood mental health problems and their long-lasting negative consequences if left untreated, it is important to investigate factors that affect family engagement in psychological interventions such as Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), including caregiver treatment readiness and readiness for change (RFC). Specifically, Latine families experience greater mental health disparities and have unique cultural factors that affect engagement. The current project examined caregiver pretreatment readiness among primarily Latine Spanish- and English-speaking families. (2) Methods: Participants were 100 caregivers (96% female) of young children ages 2 to 7 who sought PCIT services from a community mental health center in Washington, D.C. Families completed written and observational assessment measures at pretreatment and throughout PCIT, which were used for the current study. (3) Results: Caregivers reported high readiness and importance of treatment at intake, with higher RFC among Spanish-speaking caregivers. Regardless of language, caregivers who reported more frequent and problematic child misbehavior and who were from a multi-caregiver household tended to report more RFC and treatment importance at intake. Pretreatment RFC also predicted family completion of the first phase of PCIT although there was a high attrition rate for the sample as only 18% of families completed treatment. (4) Conclusions: These findings provide insight into the implementation of standard PCIT among Spanish- and English speaking families and highlight the benefits of assessing pretreatment caregiver readiness to inform clinical decision-making.