​The Collaborative Problem Solving® Approach
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Watch this excellent overview of CPS by Dr. Stuart Ablon, Director of Think:Kids

​The Collaborative Problem Solving parenting model is a strength-based, neurologically-grounded approach originally developed by Dr. Ross Green and the Think:Kids program based in © ​Massachusetts General Hospital's Department of Psychiatry that provides parents with concrete tools to better understand and parent their children (ages 3+) and adolescents in the face of ordinary, day-to-day challenges – e.g., getting to school, screen time, homework, bedtime – and more serious challenges. It’s based on the understanding that many kids lack the skill, not the will, to behave well – specifically skills related to problem solving, flexibility and frustration tolerance. Unlike traditional models of discipline, the CPS approach avoids the use of power, control and motivators and focuses instead on helping parents to:

• Shift their thinking and approach to foster a positive relationship with their child
• Reduce challenging behavior
• Solve problems collaboratively and proactively 
• Teach skills related to self-regulation, communication and problem-solving

Parents can learn CPS through individual/couples coaching or by reading Dr. Ross Greene's books Raising Human Beings or The Explosive Child. After you've learned the approach, the second phase is implementation. CPS is simple but not easy to implement. Coaching support during the implementation phase greatly increases your ability to apply the approach more effectively, reflectively and consistently.

To learn more about the Collaborative Problem Solving® approach, please click here and here. To read the views of parents who have worked with me, please click here. To read common questions and answers, please click here. To schedule a 15 minute free consult call, contact Karen.