News

We are proud to announce our partnership with the Center for Child & Family Health (CCFH) to bring a special training opportunity in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to Mecklenburg County clinicians.

We are seeking twelve licensed, Mecklenburg mental health clinicians to receive training.

This Smart Start cohort will receive the CCFH Training program in PCIT and the initial supplies necessary to implement PCIT at no cost to them*. In exchange for this complimentary training, Smart Start requests that the clinician agree to serve Medicaid eligible families for two years. Our goal is to increase the number of licensed clinicians and agencies offering evidence-based therapies to our most vulnerable young children and their families, as required by the federal Families First Legislation.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is a parent training intervention for caregivers of young children (2.5 to 6) who have disruptive behavior. To learn more about the PCIT intervention, please see PCIT-International's website. PCIT training is approximately one year in length and includes two classroom training sessions. The first will occur via Zoom in March, and the second will occur either via Zoom or in-person here in Mecklenburg, in May. To learn more about the training program and team, please see the brochure.

Applications for this cohort are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on December 22, 2021; applications are competitive and are being reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Applications are being solicited, however, unsolicited applications are also being accepted.  The application is here.

For questions regarding the online application, PCIT in general, or our specific training program, please contact the Training Coordinator, Breanna Williams via email or 919-385-0716. For questions about the Mecklenburg cohort, what is being covered by Smart Start, or the terms and conditions, please email Elizabeth Kabalka, Programs Director at Smart Start of Mecklenburg County.