Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach

Ross W. Greene · J. Stuart Ablon

Oct 2005 · Guilford Press

About this ebook

The first comprehensive presentation for clinicians of the groundbreaking approach popularized in Ross Greene's acclaimed parenting guide, The Explosive Child, this book provides a detailed framework for effective, individualized intervention with highly oppositional children and their families. Many vivid examples and Q&A sections show how to identify the specific cognitive factors that contribute to explosive and noncompliant behavior, remediate these factors, and teach children and their adult caregivers how to solve problems collaboratively. The book also describes challenges that may arise in implementing the model and provides clear and practical solutions. Two special chapters focus on intervention in schools and in therapeutic/restrictive facilities.

About the author

Ross W. Greene, PhD, is founder and director of Lives in the Balance and the originator of the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions approach, as described in his books The Explosive Child and Lost at School. He is also adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech. In addition to providing outpatient care, he consults to schools, inpatient units, and residential and juvenile detention facilities. Dr. Greene's research focuses on the classification and treatment of explosive children; long-term outcomes in socially impaired children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); and the impact of teacher characteristics on school outcome for elementary school students with ADHD. He has written extensively on behavioral assessment and social functioning; school- and home-based interventions for children with disruptive behavior disorders; and student-teacher compatibility. His research has been funded by the Stanley Medical Research Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Greene received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Virginia Tech after completing his predoctoral internship at Children's National Medical Center/George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, DC.  J. Stuart Ablon, PhD, is the Director of Think:Kids in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he specializes in the treatment of explosive children and adolescents and their families. He is also Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He consults extensively to schools, inpatient units, and residential and juvenile detention facilities. Dr Ablon's research focuses on the process and outcome of psychosocial interventions, particularly the treatment of explosive children. He has authored numerous articles, chapters, and scientific papers on behavioral assessment and psychosocial interventions for children with disruptive behavior disorders. Dr. Ablon's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Psychological Association, the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Institute, and the Endowment for the Advancement of Psychotherapy. Dr. Ablon received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of California at Berkeley and completed his pre- and postdoctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.