Author Archives: ksmerg

PCIT Initial Training Workshop in Auburn, AL – March and May of 2023! Please visit our “Upcoming Trainings” page for more information!

Hi, all! Katie, here! We are so excited to announce that our next Within-Agency Trainer Workshop will be December 8th and 15th. Please refer to our “Upcoming Training Dates” page for further details about this training. We hope that you will consider joining us for some PCIT training near the holidays!

Last week we had the opportunity to speak to mental health therapists who work with Army military families in San Antonio, Texas. Having the chance to tell therapists about PCIT, how to find a PCIT therapist, and how to find PCIT trainings is one of our favorite things to do around here (and by “here” we mean the Growing Oaks PCIT Group, of course : ) ). 

Spoiler alert – the best way to find a PCIT therapist is to either go to the therapist directory on the PCIT International website or “grow your own” agency therapist by getting trained.  You can find a directory of providers and trainers here: http://www.pcit.org/

What a rewarding group to speak to! Aside from sampling the local dishes just waiting for us at the Pearl in San Antonio, it was also a chance to share the theory, research, and applied issues related to using PCIT with physically abusive parents.

There are some very compelling reasons to use PCIT with Military families and it was a pleasure to talk about these issues with this group.  Elizabeth felt like several life experiences – working with the PCIT team at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at OUHSC, years of PCIT supervision through her work at Auburn University, and 9 years as a fee basis consultant at the VA in Tuskegee, Alabama – were all coming together for this presentation!

Thanks, San Antonio, and hope to see you again for another child abuse course!

“From Mighty Oaks Young Acorns Grow.”

A professor. A student. A therapist. We started in different roles when we first met but we have two things in common: Auburn University and a desire to provide excellent PCIT Training Services.  Dr. Katie Smeraglia and Ms. Mindy Yard both learned about PCIT from Dr. Elizabeth Brestan Knight during time as an undergrad at Auburn (for Katie) and a trip to Auburn to attend one of Elizabeth’s first PCIT training courses (for Mindy).  Through the twists and turns of a decade we kept in touch, worked through PCIT International training guidelines and certifications, grew in our multicultural competence, and decided to form a training team in order to bring our unique perspectives together for the most comprehensive training experience that we could provide. 

As a training team, we were drawn to the idea of growing family competencies and helping the children that we serve grow into their best selves – much like an acorn that eventually turns into a mighty oak tree. Isn’t that what we all aspire to do as mental health clinicians? If you know Auburn University at all, you also know that the Oaks at Toomers on College Street are an integral part of Auburn heritage! 

“Growing Oaks” spoke to us and made the most sense as our training motto.  

We are here to help you grow as a professional, help the growth of your clinical practice, provide guidance on research (if that is of interest to you), and help your families to experience the best PCIT outcomes possible.