Essential Foundation in Collaborative Problem Solving (Series Begins Jan. 11, 2027)

For this webinar series, participants will automatically be enrolled in all 6 sessions.

SpeakerS
  • Heather Johnson, LCSW, Director of Training Services, Think:Kids
  • Jordan Spikes, Certified Trainer & Consultant, Manager of Curriculum, Think:Kids
Description

The Essential Foundation in Collaborative Problem Solving course covers all aspects of the Collaborative Problem Solving approach. Through lectures, video examples, case studies, practice activities and large group discussion participants learn how to identify what’s really causing unmet expectations and challenging behavior and how to address those causes using a relational, replicable, and evidence-based process.

Discover the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach and learn why understanding the reasons behind behavior is the first step toward lasting change.

Topics:

  • The CPS Mindset 
  • What Causes Undesired Behavior
  • Assess, Decide, Act
  • Three Plans to Choose From

Learn how solving problems together helps build skills and improve behavior. Choose the right CPS response based on a person’s emotional state to prevent escalation, de-escalate effectively, and return to collaboration.

Topics:

  • Collaborating to solve problems 
  • Choosing the Best Response 
  • Preventing Escalation 
  • Responding During Escalation

Explore the thinking skills that drive behavior, how stress and trauma impacts skills, and how to explain why someone is struggling from a skill not will mindset.

Topics:

  • Skill, Not Will 
  • Thinking Skills Explained 
  • Stress, Trauma, and Accessing Skills 
  • Building Internal Motivation Through Collaboration

Learn to identify the situations that are consistently leading to challenging behavior and use the CPS Assessment & Planning Tool to guide effective intervention.

Topics:

  • Introducing the Assessment & Planning Tool 
  • Identifying Expectations 
  • Separating Problems from Behaviors 
  • Choosing Your Intervention Plan

Build confidence leading proactive Plan B conversations by practicing the core steps of collaborative problem solving before challenges escalate.

Topics:

  • Getting Ready for Plan B 
  • Empathize
  • Sharing Concerns 
  • Invitation & Collaboration

Expand your Plan B skills by learning and practicing how to engage in four common everyday situations and explore ways to adapt when Plan B gets challenging. 

Topics:

  • Spontaneous (Yellow Zone) Plan B 
  • Emergency (Red Zone) Plan B 
  • Group Plan B 
  • Plan B with Low Language
  • When Plan B Gets Challenging
About the SpeakerS

Heather Johnson, LCSW, (she/her) is the Director of Training Services for Think:Kids. She contributes to the program’s strategy and leadership, oversees the quality of their training services, and leads the training team. Before her current role, Heather supported organizations and schools in learning and implementing Collaborative Problem Solving as a Think:Kids Trainer and Consultant. Heather has been practicing Collaborative Problem Solving professionally since 2009, becoming Certified in 2013.

Prior to her position with Think:Kids, Heather began her career in Early Intervention, providing support and education to families parenting young children with special needs. After earning her Master’s in Social Work, Heather was a Behavior Specialist in the McMinnville, Oregon, public school district. In this role, Heather provided support and intervention to students with social, emotional, and behavior-related disabilities. She also delivered professional development to school staff to support their understanding of the needs of this population and trauma-informed practices in schools.

In addition to her work with Think:Kids, Heather maintains an outpatient private practice incorporating animal-assisted therapy (equine therapy) for children, teens, and their families.

Jordan Spikes (he/him) is the Manager of Curriculum and a Certified Trainer and Consultant at Think:Kids, providing training and coaching for individuals and organizations implementing Collaborative Problem Solving in their systems. He earned a BS in Psychology from Oregon State University and has worked in the mental health and special education arenas as a front-line staff, coach, and administrator for more than 12 years.

With a goal of shifting mindsets away from conventional “people choosing to misbehave” to a neurobiologically-guided mindset of viewing behavioral challenges as a form of learning disorder, Jordan joins with educators, parents, and caregivers in the responsibility of teaching individuals the skills to meet daily, real-world expectations. 

Membership Information

Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.

PDPs and CEUs

MPY is an approved Professional Development Provider through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (Provider No. F20180079). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are offered for most MPY professional development webinars. PDPs are issued in 10 hour increments, per DESE requirements.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for clinical staff through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. (MaMHCA). The NASW and the MaMHCA approve each event individually. CEUs may be given in hourly increments.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must pass the quiz following Session 6.

Event Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.

For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.

Register

FREE
MEMBER PRICING

All sessions are 12:00 – 2:00 pm

  • Session 1: January 11, 2027, See Behavior Differently
  • Session 2: January 25, 2027, Respond with Confidence
  • Session 3: February 8, 2027, Understand the Skills Behind Behavior
  • Session 4: February 22, 2027, Identify the Problem and Make a Plan
  • Session 5: March 8, 2027, Solve Problems Proactively
  • Session 6: March 22, 2027, Apply Plan B in Everyday Situations