COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
Some children are born easy – they usually do what you ask them to do with no complaining, and they are happy and content most of the time. Other children are not so easy. Unexpected demands or requests, a change in plans, or simply just being asked to do something that the child does not want to do, can result in explosions of anger and tears, or in slamming doors and refusing to talk.
Collaborative Problem Solving is based on the work of Dr. Ross Greene (author of The Explosive Child, and Lost at School). It begins with the assumption that challenging behaviour is a sign that the child or teen is lacking certain important cognitive skills, such as the ability to consider a range of solutions to a problem, the ability to see things from another person’s perspective, or the ability to adapt to unexpected changes.
Instead of using rewards and punishments to coax the child to behave, Collaborative Problem Solving is a way of working with your child to help them develop those important cognitive skills, while in the process, reducing the number of explosions or tantrums that children and teenagers experience.
More information on Collaborative Problem Solving can be found at livesinthebalance.org, and in either of Greene’s books, The Explosive Child or Lost at School.
Jeanne Williams has been certified by Dr. Ross Greene as a CPS Provider, and is available to guide parents and their children/teenagers through the process of learning and using this well-studied approach to helping kids with challenging behaviours.
If you are interested in talking with Jeanne about whether Collaborative Problem Solving would be helpful to your child, feel free to call (780-757-8880) or email (info@jeannewilliams.ca) to set up a free consultation.
(NOTE from Jeanne: Sometimes I can respond to emails faster than to phone calls)