Parent Management Training (PMT)

Giving parents the tools and confidence to maintain harmony at home.

An evidence-based treatment.

Addressing Problem Behaviors in Children

Parent Management Training (PMT), also known as The Kazdin Method, is an evidence-based intervention for children and teens with moderate to severe behavioral issues. The treatment focuses on empowering parents and increasing their capacity to alter their child’s behaviors. PMT is based on social learning theory and designed to encourage positive, pro-social behaviors and reduce problematic behaviors.

PMT has been proven as effective intervention in a wide range of conditions including ADHD, autism, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, eating disorders and others. PMT has been applied to problem behaviors including tantrums, non-compliance, aggression, hyperactivity, and school refusal. It is viewed as appropriate for preschool age children through adolescence.

What is Parent Mangement Training?

Parent Management Training was developed by Dr. Alan Kazdin, a professor of psychology and child psychiatry at Yale University and the former president of the American Psychological Association. PMT is a behavioral therapy approach primarily used for addressing child behavior problems.

PMT focuses on positive reinforcement and techniques derived from behaviorism to modify undesirable behaviors in children. It emphasizes the importance of using praise, rewards, and other positive reinforcements to encourage desired behaviors while minimizing punishment. The method often involves structured routines, consistent consequences, and clear communication between parents and children.

Key components of PMT may include:

1. Positive Reinforcement: This involves rewarding desirable behaviors to increase the likelihood of their recurrence. Rewards can include praise, privileges, or tangible rewards such as stickers or tokens.

2. Effective Communication: Parents are encouraged to communicate clearly with their children about expectations, consequences, and rewards.

3. Consistenc*: Consistency in applying consequences and rewards is essential for the effectiveness of the method. Parents need to follow through with consequences and rewards consistently to reinforce desired behaviors.

4. Behavioral Contracts: In some cases, behavioral contracts may be used to outline expectations, rewards, and consequences in a written agreement between parents and children.

5. Parental Self-Care: The method also emphasizes the importance of self-care for parents, as managing a child's behavior can be challenging and stressful.

Parent training Application

PMT has been widely used in clinical settings and by parents seeking to address behavior problems in their children. PMT is a short-term treatment in which caregivers work with a trainer in weekly sessions (45-60 minute) over the course of several months (typically 6-20 sessions). Parents learn behavior principles like reinforcement, punishment, extinction, and shaping and are taught how to create reward plans to bring out the best in the child’s behavior.

Parent Management Training at Columbus Park

At Columbus Park, we may integrate PMT in situations when a child has an eating disorder alongside other problem behaviors that get in the way of compliance with treatment. On occasion, we also use PMT for families after stabilizing the eating disorder and to address lingering problematic dynamics occurring in the home environment.