Consider your history of problem-solving in challenging situations.

How do you typically respond?

Do you avoid it? Capitulate? Argue? Lash out? Shut down?

Think about someone whose problem is procrastination. They will avoid, avoid, avoid. When they do CPS, they need to be aware of their tendency to avoid challenging conversations and upsetting others because avoiding issues does not get the problem solved; it just kicks it further down the field to be dealt with later.

What do you do in the face of challenging conversations? How might that impact how you approach solving a challenging behaviour with a student?

The goal of the invitation step is to present a time and space for the problem-solving team (you and the young person) to discuss and consider solutions to your collaborative problem. Issues and behaviours are only challenging because there are two issues at play: the young person’s skill or ability deficit and the expectations you hold that are not being met. This process is a time for you to come to a realistic and mutually satisfactory solution that can be tested to see if it fits.

The invitation step is quite simple but can be challenging for adults who are prone to solving issues for students and not with them. It is not the adult's job to move the problems out of the way for the young person but to help the young person develop the skills needed, advocate for their own needs, and consider the implications and practicability of their solutions.

The steps of the invitation phase are as follows:

First, recap and review the ‘unsolved problem’, the empathy’ step and the ‘define adult concern’ step.

Make sure that you and the young person are on the same page about the issues and concerns. This helps immeasurably with setting expectations and ensuring you are tackling the same problem from the same perspective. Don’t be afraid to revisit any of the previous steps here to seek clarification – the more explicit you can be about the problem at hand, the more durable and realistic your solution will be.

Invite the young person to propose a solution first. You are a problem-solving team, but giving the young person some agency doesn't hurt.​ This is not an official step of the model, but you do not lose anything by conceding this point to the young person, and it will develop some goodwill. Allowing the young person to have the first go at the problem-solving process also helps to assure them that you are committed and not just using the strategy of universal application of will in a sneakier way.

Demonstrate that you are a problem-solving team and that you are committed to getting both your and the young person’s problems solved. ​Let the young person know your thinking – you need to articulate and model your thought process about why ideas may or may not work.

Note: one solution may not cover all the concerns, and you may need to segment or have multiple solutions for ​one issue. This is common. The solution has to meet the needs of the problem-solving team – it does not need to be elegant or to look nice; it just needs to work!

Assess the solution/s you have come up with to ensure they are both realistic and mutually satisfactory. ​You need to be honest with yourself and the students – can you actually get yourself to do the behaviour or solution consistently? Can the young person do the same?

End by planning to review and return to do this process again if the solution does not solve the problem. ​

A few things to note about this process:

• It is ok not to come to a mutually satisfactory solution right away, and it is ok not to know how to solve the problem right away. ​ If you feel that more time and space to consider all the information would be useful, give yourself and the young person some time to think about it and reconvene later to problem-solve.

• Allow yourself to say ‘no’ to answers presented by the student, but give it proper consideration. ​

When students are only used to being told what to do, it can take time for them to come up with a solution that is not what they think you want to hear. Sometimes we need to bend, to allow students to have some leeway in their solutions and to feel some benefit from them, so the student feels listened to. This is why we have a review and monitor phase.

Consider your example student and the behaviours that you are trying to intervene in. What are some interventions you can present to the student? It is always best practice to come up with some examples of solutions that might work for you and may work for the young person.

Plan three solutions to the unsolved problem and include your justification – how this solution will address your concerns and how you suspect it may match the young person's needs.

Understand that it is ok for the young person to reject all of your suggestions, as this is just your best guess without consulting them. This process allows you to practice articulating your thought process and allows the young person space to disagree and advocate for their own needs if they conflict with your justifications.

You now have all the tools needed to put together an intervention using the CPS model. If you have been doing each module step-by-step, it is now time to sit down with the young person and discuss the invitation step. If you have been reading along without putting the program into practice with a young person, you now have all the required tools to give it your first shot.

Remember the tools made available to support you in these discussions and, if this is your first time, consider printing out the CPS and Drilling cheat sheet to support your discussion.

Remember to fill in your problem solving plan as you go, and to set a date for review.

I encourage you to write your reflections in a journal or Word document using these guiding questions:

Were you able to come to a mutually satisfactory answer right away? Why/why not?

Did your answer work, or did it need to be reviewed and modified?

Did one solution cover all of your concerns, or did it take multiple solutions?

Was your solution a one-time event, or does it need to happen regularly?

How are you maintaining accountability and consistency for your solution?