Q & A

Frequently Asked Questions

Many of our clients access their health insurance to pay for our services. We are an “out of network provider” meaning fees are due at the time of service. We will provide you a receipt to submit to your insurance detailing the diagnostic and treatment codes required for reimbursement. The amount reimbursed varies between insurance providers. You may want to contact your insurance and ask about your “out of network” coverage.

Yes you can pay for our services using your FSA or HSA funds.  If you have an FSA or HSA credit card we can charge that card directly.  Alternatively we can provide you a receipt to submit for reimbursement from your account.

No.  PCIT is a family therapy.  In PCIT the clinician is emphasizing the parent-child relationship and is trying to fade into the background for the child.  They typically will have brief contact with your family at the start and end of your session.  The rest of the time your child will not see the clinician but you will be able to hear the clinician through your earbud.

Yes studies show that I-PCIT is as effective as PCIT and offers some additional benefits that can support treatment.

Ideally pick a room that has a door you can shut to help your child stay in the space. You will want to set up your laptop ( ipad or tablet) with the screen and camera pointed at a play area. Have your earbuds charged, paired to your phone, and have your phone able to receive calls from a blocked number. Your clinician will connect with you both through your laptop and your cell phone.  Keep the microphone and speaker open on your laptop.

Please select toys that can encourage collaborative play.  Toys commonly used are Magnatiles, Legos, Marble Runs, Bristle Blocks, Mega Bloks, play food etc.  We want to avoid toys that may encourage aggressive play like knives, swords, superhero figures etc.  Boardgames and card games are great family activities but they are not a great fit for PCIT.

This is okay and not uncommon.  We still gain a lot of information from the exercises you will complete in the observation, and we draw on your reports of the behaviors at other times. 

The typical course of treatment is an intake appointment without your child, an observation session with your child, two training sessions at the start of each of the two phases of treatment which are double sessions, then an average of 14-16 live coaching sessions.  Treatment duration can vary based on severity of diagnosis and amount of engagement in treatment.  Families often start seeing positive changes within a few live coaching sessions. 

Ready to Start PCIT?

A program of Bay Area Family Therapy Services Inc.  Directed by Keith Kapash MFT License number MFC 46140