Think:Kids is a non-profit organization that trains adults in a revolutionary new way of helping kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.

The Mission

Think:Kids aims to dramatically improve society’s understanding and treatment of challenging kids. Think:Kids achieves these goals by disseminating and implementing an innovative, proven approach called Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS). The CPS model conceptualizes challenging behavior as the result of difficulty with crucial thinking skills; thus, unlike traditional models of discipline, the model eschews power, control, and motivational procedures and focuses instead on identifying and teaching challenging kids the skills they lack.

The Problem

There are over 12 million kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges in North America alone – many still being treated in ways that are inhumane and ineffective. A heartbreaking number of kids are losing their futures simply because their challenges are poorly understood.

The Solution

At Think:Kids we have a unique view of challenging kids: we don’t think they are attention-seeking, manipulative or unmotivated. Rather we understand that they lack crucial skills for solving problems, handling frustration and being flexible. And we understand that these skills can be taught using Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS). CPS represents a novel, contemporary, practical, compassionate, and (as documented by published research) highly effective approach for understanding and helping these children and their caretakers. The CPS approach was first articulated in the acclaimed book, The Explosive Child, by Dr. Ross Greene and subsequently in the book, Treating Explosive Kids, by Drs. Ross Greene and Stuart Ablon, and has received extensive media attention, including The Oprah Show, DatelineNBC, The Early Show, Good Morning America and National Public Radio. Think:Kids staff currently train more than 75,000 parents, educators, and mental health professionals throughout the world each year in applying the CPS model, via books, seminars, videoconferencing, online programming, and summer advanced trainings.