The Collaborative Problem Solving Approach: Understanding and Helping Kids with Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Challenges

Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., instructor

Dr. Ross Greene is the originator of a model of psychosocial treatment called Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), as first described in his book, The Explosive Child, and subsequently in his most recent release, Lost at School. Based on research in the neurosciences over the past 30 years, the CPS model posits that challenging behavior is the result of lagging cognitive skills, especially in the domains of flexibility/adaptability, frustration tolerance, and problem-solving. CPS helps adults and kids solve the problems precipitating challenging behavior and simultaneously teach kids the skills they’re lacking. The model, which represents a dramatic departure from conventional wisdom and practice, has been found to be highly effective in an array of settings, including families, general and special education schools, therapeutic group homes, and inpatient, residential and juvenile detention facilities. Participants in this workshop will leave with an understanding of the underpinnings of the CPS model, along with practical assessment and intervention tools that can be brought back to and used in these diverse settings.

At the conclusion of the seminar, participants will be able to:

• Describe how different explanations for and interpretations of challenging behavior in kids can lead to dramatically different approaches to intervention, and why conventional reward and punishment procedures may not be effective for many challenging kids
• Identify and assess the various cognitive skills that are central to adaptively handling life’s social, emotional, and behavioral challenges
• Identify and prioritize unsolved problems precipitating challenging behavior
• Recognize the three basic mechanisms by which adults handle unsolved problems and unmet expectations in kids (Plans A, B, and C) and what is accomplished by each, and the three steps or “ingredients” of Plan B
• Effectively implement Plan B to develop a helping relationship, solve problems, teach lagging cognitive skills and reduce the frequency and intensity of challenging behavior

Program Code: CPS6
6 CE Credits
Location: at MSPP, West Roxbury/Boston

Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., is Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and on the professional staff at the Cambridge Health Alliance. He is also adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech, Senior Lecturer in the school psychology program in the Department of Education at Tufts University, and founder of the non-profit Lives in the Balance (www.livesinthebalance.org) which aims to disseminate the CPS model through no-cost web-based programming and provide support to and advocacy on behalf of caregivers of behaviorally challenging kids. His research has been funded by the Stanley Research Institute, the National Institutes of Mental Health, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Maine Juvenile Justice Advisory Group. He consults extensively to families, general and special education schools, inpatient psychiatry units, and residential and juvenile detention facilities, and lectures widely throughout the world.