By: Joseph Rubsamen
Flawless Intern
Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS) is an approach taught by Think:Kids based out of Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Stuart Ablon is the Director of Think:Kids and uses the philosophy that “kids do well if they can, rather than the more common belief that kids would do well if they simply wanted to” in life.
What does this mean? Dr. Ablon explains that challenging behaviors, like “meltdowns,” expressing outsized anger or frustration in a given situation, physical issues like biting and kicking, or other behaviors, are the result of the child not having the skills to communicate clearly and self regulate. Often, kids who exhibit challenging behaviors are treated by caregivers with elaborate systems of rewards and punishments, but they aren’t taught the emotional intelligence skills they need to thrive.
The CPS approach focuses on building skills like flexibility, frustration tolerance, and problem-solving, rather than simply trying to bribe kids to behave better. CPS starts by identifying the triggers to challenging behavior and then helps kids (and adults) build the skills necessary to manage better in the future.
In a recent webinar discussing how to “use our approach to amplify Black voices & better support our families, schools, and youth-serving organizations of color,” Dr. Ablon and six guest panelists discussed the approach, the 2-tier CPS training format and applying CPS principles to the workplace, school environments, and general life situations. The panel included CPS trainers and advocates from across the United States including Francisco DePina, IV Johnson, LaVesea Lewis, Kathleen NcNamara, Ashley Herndon, and Kristol Daley. Here are our top takeaways!
Clinical Jargon
As the speaker IV and Dr. Ablon said, “sometimes you just need to throw out the clinical jargon in CPS.” What they mean is that sometimes technical clinical terms and the field of psychology, and psychiatry can be perceived as overly-complex or unrelatable when applied to real-world situations. The best way to really solve a problem using CPS is to “meet a person where they are” in regards to their feelings, experiences, and knowledge. While clinical terms can be helpful in professional training, a layperson doesn’t need to know or use these terms in order to successfully integrate the CPS approach. There are often simpler terms that can be used to explain and apply CPS at home, work, and school settings with a variety of people.
Diversity is important to grow
As several of the Black panelists said, “the people in the course do not look like me.” What they meant was that the majority of the participants in the formal CPS training courses were generally white. They explained that there was a clinical and racial divide in people who had access to and understanding of CPS, but that there is a need for this work in all communities. The best way to improve outreach is to continue efforts to bring Collaborative Problem Solving to all communities and regions in the United States and abroad through education, access, and implementation. Diversity in training people of all races, genders, and geographical regions is important to spreading the CPS principles far and wide.
Creating broader access is key
As mentioned above, one of the main determinants behind the expansion of CPS is access. As several of the panelists said, “knowledge of the program makes access.” Panelists suggested a barrier to access is the cost of training. Additionally, that CPS principles can be applied to all populations, not just kids, needs to be communicated. The Think:Kids philosophy of “kids do well if they can” can also be “people do well if they can” and can illustrate how the approach benefits adolescents and adults. A broader application of CPS could help to get “community buy-in to the program,” as one of the panelists mentioned.
CPS is not a “fix-all” solution
One of the main misconceptions is that CPS is a “fix-all solution” to all conflicts, all challenging behaviors, or any dearth of socioemotional or self-regulation skills. Although CPS can be used widely to help people develop additional skills, emotional intelligence, and self-regulation, that does not mean it is appropriate for all people experiencing any challenge or difficulty; CPS can be applied in many scenarios, but it cannot be applied to all situations.
Plan A, B, and C can all be used at different times
In the CPS approach, there are three plans for communication with children with challenging behaviors: Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Plan A is the traditional process where adults impose their will on kids. This is the typical “do this because I said so,” threatening consequences, or “counting to three” behavioral approach.
Plan B, the CPS-preferred method, encourages empathy, conversations that have specific steps, and collaborative adult-and-kid problem-solving conversations.
Plan C is an agreement to drop the conflict for now and to walk away. This method is not a failure, but instead gives time for both parties to cool down, regroup, and have the conversation at another time. This is especially helpful for “kids who are easily frustrated, quick to anger, and have trouble being flexible.”
All of these plans are useful in different situations and can be used at different times. While Plan B is the traditional empathic and collaborative problem-solving method for CPS, Plan A is necessary for dangerous or emergency situations (“get out of the street!”). Plan C is helpful when emotional overload would get in the way of a productive Plan B conversation. Overall, all of the plans should be used in a balanced way, with a primary emphasis on using the Plan B approach when possible.
CPS is beneficial for all children, not just those with challenging behaviors
Even with children who don’t experience challenging behaviors, CPS can be used to improve communication, emotional intelligence, and self-regulation skills. Kids all need these skills and can benefit from the approach.
CPS can be used to empower youth and their communities
One of the Panelists, IV, works for College Bound Dorchester, a nonprofit organization that helps formerly gang-involved youth access education and gives them the tools they need to transform their communities. Through College Bound Dorchester, IV uses CPS principles to prepare young people for educational opportunities through socioemotional, self-regulation, and problem-solving development. The broader goal at College Bound Dorchester is to break generational cycles of poverty, gang-involvement, and economic inequality in neighborhoods throughout the city of Boston. It’s promising to see the CPS Approach being used with this important work.
CPS can be used in your daily life
CPS has many applications for daily life. The panelists described ways in which CPS principles can be used in a plethora of daily activities. The three plans can be used in work, family, school, and general life activities to help people self-regulate during difficult conversations, develop emotional intelligence, and navigate with anyone who exhibits challenging behaviors
CPS can be used to have difficult conversations in a productive way by helping people become comfortable with challenging emotions when discussing the roots of racial inequity and tension in the United States and abroad. CPS can contribute to this dialogue for intercultural and intracultural discussions, and understanding lived experiences. A key component to these conversations is to listen, to acknowledge an absence of shared experience, and to be empathetic to another person’s perspective. CPS can also help build active listening skills, empathy, and develop your willingness to learn, and problem-solve.
As Dr. Ablon said, “Empathy is not walking in another person’s shoes; it is trying to explore, understand, and feel the other person’s experiences and barriers.” This emphasis on empathy and the CPS model can be a constructive and effective way to bring us together to learn and make positive changes for a more equitable world.
Critical Takeaway: Think:Kids is Taking Action on the Problem!
Think:Kids is committed to addressing racial and social injustices. For the past year, its Cultural Responsiveness Working Group has been devoted to this concern and a major focus of their efforts is to develop a more diverse and inclusive community of Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) practitioners. As such, Think:Kids is expanding access to its training and CPS Certification Program. In an effort to accelerate opportunities to develop a more diverse community, Think:Kids is inviting parents, teachers, and colleagues of color to join as guests for their Tier 1 or Tier 2 Trainings this summer.
Space is limited for these trainings. If you are interested or would like to refer a parent or colleague in your community for this opportunity to train in CPS, please contact: APaige1@partners.org.
