Bringing the WACB to PCIT Tracker

One of the things we've enjoyed most about building PCIT Tracker is seeing how the platform has evolved alongside the PCIT community. Many of our favorite features weren't part of our original vision for the Tracker. They came from conversations with clinicians who shared how they were practicing PCIT and what would make their workflow just a little easier.

Adding support for the Weekly Assessment of Child Behavior (WACB) is one of my favorite examples of this evolution.

When we first launched PCIT Tracker, the only caregiver progress monitoring measure available within the platform was the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI). Clinicians use their own purchased forms for administration and scoring. Then they enter the Intensity and Problem raw scores into the Tracker, allowing those scores to be displayed via treatment progress graphs. At the time, this met the needs of many of our early users and fit naturally into their existing workflow. This is still a progress monitoring option that is available in the Tracker today!

As more clinicians began using PCIT Tracker, though, we started hearing a similar suggestion.

“What about the WACB?”

Listening to our users

Several clinicians and trainers shared that they were increasingly using the WACB as part of their clinical practice. They appreciated that it was freely available, brief for caregivers to complete, and useful for monitoring weekly changes throughout treatment from both the ‘increasing positive behaviors’ and ‘decreasing negative behaviors’ perspectives.

We heard this suggestion often enough that it became clear this wasn't just an isolated request. The WACB was becoming an important part of many clinicians' workflows, including my own, and we wanted PCIT Tracker to support that.

Our first step was simple. We added the ability for clinicians to manually enter WACB raw scores, just as they could with the ECBI. For many software projects, that might have been the end of the story.

Looking for an even better solution

As clinicians began using the WACB within PCIT Tracker, and I began using it myself, I realized something. We could still make this process easier.

Rather than requiring clinicians to print paper forms (or use the fillable PDF), calculate raw scores by hand, and then enter totals into the Tracker, we started imagining what a fully integrated experience could look like.

• What if caregivers could complete the WACB directly within the session workflow?
• What if item-level responses were stored with the family's data?
• What if raw score totals were calculated automatically without the need for mental math?
• What if clinicians no longer needed separate paperwork or a second system for tracking WACB responses and scores?

Those questions led us to the next step.

Reaching out to the creators

Because the WACB was developed by researchers at the University of California - Davis, we knew that incorporating the full measure into PCIT Tracker required more than simply building the feature.

I reached out to Dr. Susan Timmer to introduce myself, share what we were building, and ask whether she would be open to discussing permission to include the WACB within the platform.

I couldn't have asked for a better experience!

Dr. Timmer was incredibly kind, supportive, and collaborative about the idea. She connected me with the UC Davis team responsible for copyright and licensing so that we could work through the appropriate permissions together.

After those conversations, we were able to establish a formal agreement allowing PCIT Tracker to include an electronic version of the WACB within the platform.

What this means for PCIT Tracker users

Today, clinicians can complete the WACB directly within PCIT Tracker as part of their session workflow.

Responses are stored at the item level, total scores are calculated automatically, and results are immediately available for progress monitoring alongside the rest of a family's treatment data.

For us, this feature represents much more than another electronic form.

It reflects the philosophy that has guided PCIT Tracker from the very beginning: listen to clinicians, collaborate with the people who have advanced the field, and build tools that make providing excellent care just a little easier.

We're incredibly grateful to Dr. Timmer and her colleagues at UC Davis for their willingness to collaborate with us, and we're excited that PCIT Tracker users can now incorporate the WACB into their clinical workflow without needing additional paperwork or separate tracking systems.

Every feature starts with a conversation

One of the biggest lessons we've learned while building PCIT Tracker is that the best ideas rarely come from us alone. They come from clinicians, trainers, and organizations who generously share what would make their work just a little easier.

If you have an idea for a feature, a workflow you'd like to simplify, or feedback about your experience with PCIT Tracker, we'd genuinely love to hear from you. Many of the features in the platform today (including WACB integration) began with conversations just like those. Get in touch.