Child-Teacher Relationship Training as a Head Start Early Mental Health Intervention for Children Exhibiting Disruptive Behavior

Head Start teachers and their aides (n = 23) were randomly assigned to either the experimental or active control group in this exploratory study of the effectiveness of child-teacher relationship training (CTRT) on 20 economically disadvantaged children exhibiting disruptive behavior. CTRT is based on the principles and procedures of child-parent relationship training (CPRT), a 10-session play based model, which uses parents and caregivers as therapeutic agents of change. Analysis of pre- to mid- to posttests results revealed that, when compared to the active control group, CTRT demonstrated a large treatment effect on reducing children's levels of disruptive behavior. The statistical, practical, and clinical findings of this study provide validation of CTRT as a viable early mental health intervention for preschool children in Head Start exhibiting disruptive behaviors.