The Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach is a revolutionary, evidence-based practice for understanding and helping behaviorally challenging children and adolescents. The technique itself is a non-punitive, non-adversarial, trauma-informed model of care designed by the Think:Kids initiative within Massachusetts General Hospital, the top psychiatric hospital in the United States. The philosophy acknowledges that challenging behaviors in children-including tantrums, pouting, violent outburst, lack of engagement and others-is not -bratty,- but the child is lacking the skills appropriately respond to an expectation of an adult. Since the child-s brain has not developed the communication functions that adults have, this -bad behavior- is really a way for them to communicate that they are struggling. Punishing them is the worst course of action because in reality, such an action causes them to withdraw and develop negative emotions. These negative effects are often carried throu
