CHILD-PARENT RELATIONSHIP TRAINING (CPRT)

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 Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) is a 10-week, evidence-based program designed to strengthen the parent-child relationship and reduce emotional and behavioral concerns. Parents meet weekly for a 2-hour parent-only session, where they learn practical play therapy skills to use at home.

Each week, parents practice these skills during a 30-minute special playtime with their child.  Parents learn to respond empathically to their child's feelings, build their child's self-esteem, help their child learn self-control and self-responsibility, and set therapeutic limits during these special playtimes.  Parents then return to discuss their experiences, receive support, and build on what they’ve learned.

10 weeks.  Practical skills.  Stronger connection.  Lasting change.

 Play is how children communicate.  While adults often use words to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, children naturally use play to express what they may not yet have the words to say.  Through play, children can explore their feelings, experiences, and relationships in a way that feels natural to them.

In CPRT, parents learn how to use play intentionally to connect with and better understand their child.  These special playtimes are not therapy sessions, but they provide children with a safe, supportive space to express themselves while strengthening the parent-child relationship.

This isn’t just playtime.  It’s a powerful way to connect with your child.

In Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), parents learn practical play therapy skills they can use during special playtimes with their child, including how to: 

• Help your child feel safe enough to open up and express themselves 
• Recognize and respond to your child’s emotional needs 
• Set healthy limits while reducing power struggles 
• Build your child’s confidence and self-esteem 
• Encourage creativity, self-responsibility, and self-control 
• Strengthen your connection and relationship with your child

CPRT is interactive, practical, and parent-focused.  Sessions combine short lessons, videos, hands-on activities, demonstrations, and group discussion.  Parents have opportunities to practice new skills, ask questions, and talk through real-life experiences.

The goal is to create a supportive, judgment-free environment where parents can learn, practice, and grow alongside others who are working through similar parenting challenges.

In the special playtimes, you will build a different kind of relationship with your child, and your child will discover that he is capable, important, understood, and accepted as he is. When children experience a play relationship in which they feel accepted, understood, and cared for, they play out many of their problems and, in the process, release tensions, feelings, and burdens.  Your child will then feel better about himself and will be able to discover his own strengths and assume greater self-responsibility as he takes charge of play situations. 

How your child feels about herself will make a significant difference in her behavior.  In the special playtimes where you learn to focus on your child rather than your child’s problem, your child will begin to react differently, because how your child behaves, how she thinks, and how she performs in school are directly related to how she feels about herself.  When your child feels better about herself, she will behave in more self-enhancing ways rather than self-defeating ways.

CPRT will give you practical skills you can use at home to create meaningful change in your child’s emotional and behavioral development.  Research has found that motivated parents who complete CPRT can achieve outcomes comparable to those seen with trained play therapists, including:

• Reducing challenging or problem behaviors 
• Building responsibility and self-control 
• Increasing confidence and self-esteem 
• Strengthening the parent-child relationship 
• Helping children feel understood, accepted, and connected to their parent

There are many parenting programs and resources available, but CPRT stands apart in several important ways:

• One skill at a time.  You won’t be asked to completely change your parenting approach overnight.  Each week, you’ll learn one new skill and have the opportunity to practice it during a 30-minute special playtime with your child. This makes CPRT practical, manageable, and easier to apply. 
• Learn the “why” behind play therapy.  CPRT does not train you to become a play therapist.  Instead, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how play therapy works and why these skills are so effective in helping children communicate and connect. 
• You’ll actually practice therapeutic play skills.  Rather than simply receiving parenting advice, CPRT teaches you how to create intentional, child-led special playtimes that strengthen your relationship and support your child’s emotional development. 
• An evidence-based approach.  CPRT is an evidence-based treatment supported by research, making it more than just another parenting curriculum or collection of parenting tips.   For more detailed information about CPRT outcome research studies, please visit Evidence Based Child Therapy, an online searchable database for play therapy research.