COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM
SOLVING (CPS)
Developed by Dr. Ross Greene
Session Highlights
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Philosophy of the CPS model
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Basic steps
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Video clips- CPS in action
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Opportunities to practice
Common Points of View
“He just want the attention”
“She is making bad choices”
“They have a bad attitude”
“He just wants his own way”
Philosophy Behind CPS Model
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“If kids could do well they would do well”- If the
kid had the skills to exhibit adaptive behavior, he
wouldn’t be exhibiting challenging behavior
“Behind every challenge behavior is an unsolved
problem and a lagging skill”
Identify Unsolved Problems &
Lagging Skills
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Identify the unsolved problem(s)
• Shifting from one specific task to another
• Getting started on/completing class assignments
Hypothesize what lagging skill(s) is contributing to the
unsolved problem
• Difficulty handling transitions, shifting from one mindset or
task to another
• Difficulty persisting on challenging or tedious tasks
A tool to assist this process is the Assessment of Lagging
Skills and Unsolved Problems (ALSUP)
Can’t fix everything at once- will need to prioritize problems
Collaborative Problem Solving (Plan B)
•
Once lagging skills and unsolved problem are
identified, it is time to begin CPS with the student
3 ingredients to the process:
1. Empathy Step- This is where you gather information
so as to clarify the student’s concern or perspective on
the unsolved problem
2. Define the Problem Step- Here, the teacher
communicates their concerns or perspective on the
unsolved problem.
3. The Invitation Step- Student and teacher brainstorm
solutions to address the concerns
Step 1: Empathy
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This is where you gather information so as to clarify the
student’s concern or perspective on the unsolved problem
Goal is to get the student talking to obtain the best
possible understanding of the unsolved problem
Important to start with a neutral statement
“I’ve noticed…” “What’s up?”
“Tell me more about it”
“I am wondering what is going on?”
Be willing to be patient- allow for silence if needed
***
Step 2: Define the Problem
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Here, the teacher communicates their concerns or
perspective on the unsolved problem
Generally adult concerns fall into 3 categoriessafety, learning, or how the behavior is affecting
one’s self or others
Sample statements to use:
“My concern is…” “The thing is…”
***
Step 3: The Invitation Step
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Student and teacher brainstorm solutions to address both
concerns
Must let student know you want to get both concern’s
addressed
The step involves restating the two concerns so as to
summarize the problem to be solved
Sample statement: “I wonder if there is a way…”
Then give the student the first opportunity to generate a
solution
Sample statement: “Do you have any ideas…”
Brainstorming Solutions
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Solution must be realistic and mutually satisfactory
Sample statements:
“ Hey, there’s an idea. The only problem is I don’t
know if its realistic for you to ______ . Let’s see if
we can come up with a solution that you can do…”
“Well, there’s an option. The only thing is if I let you
do______ your concern would be addressed but my
concern wouldn’t. Let’s see if we can come up with a
solution that works for both of us.”
Video Clip- Plan B in Action
http://www.livesinthebalance.org/simple-plan-b
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http://www.livesinthebalance.org/plan-b-goesawry-part-1
http://www.livesinthebalance.org/plan-b-goesawry-part-2
Three Options for Unmet
Expectations
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There are three ways in which adults try to solve
problems (unmet expectations) with kids:
o Plan A (impose teacher will)
o Plan C (temporarily dropping problems)
o Plan B (that's the one you want to get really
good at).
Final Notes
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Plan B works best when it is proactive- don’t
wait until the problem behavior is occurring to
have the discussion
There is often no quick fix to helping students
with challenging behaviors- often the first
solution you agree to won’t fix the problem
Helpful Resources
www.livesinthebalance.org
http://www.livesinthebalance.org/sites/default/f
iles/ALSUP-Likert-Scale-12-5-08.pdf
Lost at School by Dr. Ross Greene
Your PBS External Coach