Professional Training

Welcome to Essential Foundations in Collaborative Problem Solving®!

We’re excited to have you partner us at Riverview Center for Growth. Whether you work with youth or adults in schools or mental health settings, your role is vital, and often challenging.This training is here to support both you and those you serve.

Collaborative Problem Solving® is a trauma-informed, evidence-based approach for helping individuals with behavioral challenges. It’s built on the understanding that these individuals lack skills, not motivation, and focuses on problem-solving, flexibility, and frustration tolerance. Research shows it reduces challenging behaviors and stress while strengthening relationships and building essential skills.

This course includes lectures, role-plays, videos, case studies, and group discussions. You’ll learn to identify the root causes of behavior and apply a practical, relational process to address them.

What you will learn

• Describe the need for a new approach to challenging behaviors.

• Explain the influence of thinking skills on behavior.

• Identify how implicit bias may impact judgment about a person's behavior.

• Differentiate between problems to be solved and challenging behaviors.

• Identify how responses to situations are consistent with Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C.

• Use Collaborative Problem Solving to address problems before they turn into emergencies and build skills, not just focusing on challenging behaviors.

• Collaboratively solve problems with others.

Training Logistics

Our immersive training program is delivered over 2–3 days, totaling 12–16 hours of impactful learning. We highly recommend in-person sessions to foster deeper team-building and interpersonal connection. 

Prefer a virtual format? We’ve got you covered with the convenience of online delivery, though we acknowledge the challenge of replicating the energy and engagement of face-to-face interaction.

Data to assess impact: 

• • We do pre-, post-, and distal measurements using the CPS-AIM tool developed by Think:Kids and can share this data with your group if you are interested.

  • We use the tool most appropriate for the audience, the "S" version for Clinical Systems, or the "E" version for Educational settings. 

  • Both versions measure 3 areas: 

    • Adherence to CPS Philosophy

      • Gauges how closely staff align with the core principles of CPS, such as empathy, collaboration, and skill-building.

    • Perceived Competence

      • Assesses how confident staff feel in using CPS techniques effectively in their day-to-day work.

    • Emotional Impact

      • Captures both positive and negative feelings staff experience in their roles while implementing CPS including therapeutic stress, burnout, and teaching challenges. Important for understanding morale and engagement.

Follow-Up Consultation to Reinforce Learning:

• To maximize the impact of your training, we include two hours of follow-up consultation—designed to deepen understanding and support real-world application. Sessions can be scheduled virtually at your team’s convenience, with additional time available upon request.

Access to Training Materials:

• • We maintain a web page where materials can be accessed and downloaded by training participants. (Materials may be removed if they become outdated or other reasons.)