Lives in the Balance

Lives in the Balance is an approach created by Dr. Ross Green that encourages adults to have the mindset that kids will do well if they can, not if they want to. Haven is implementing this approach with Tier 2 & 3 students to continue to lead with empathy and support the needs of all students.

The Lives in Balance approach has three steps:

1. Change your lenses

2. Identify lagging skills and unsolved problems

3. Solve problems collaboratively and proactively

Learn more about the change your lenses step and watch the "Kids Do Well If They Can" Video on Dr. Green's website.

Step 2 in the Lives in the Balance Approach is to identify lagging skills and unsolved problems.

This assessment phase starts with a meeting of all the stakeholders who work with a child - including family. This will take place over a couple of days and follows a specific guide identifying all potential lagging skills for the child and the associated unsolved problem.

Read the Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems (ALSUP) guide.

Watch the videos on "How to complete the ALSUP" and "Sample ASLUP Meeting at School" on Dr. Green's website (under Step 2).

Step 3 in the Lives in the Balance Approach is to solve problems collaboratively and proactively. "Plan A" is when adults try to solve a problem for the students. This often does not work. Dr. Green proposes a "Plan B," a way to solve a problem collaboratively with the kid using a scripted protocol to understand what is happening from the kid's perspective. The adult is able to acknowledge what the kids is saying - their perspective and feelings - and create a plan to solve for the problem that is a result of lagging skills.

Read the Plan B Cheat Sheet and watch these videos from the Lives in Balance website "The Three Plans and and the Three Steps of Plan B" and " Demonstration of Plan B with a 10 year-old Boy and his Parents."