Coaching practices for Problem Solving Therapy as a Caregiver

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Problem Solving Therapy as a Caregiver, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• The storm has finally passed and my kid is calm again, and I keep wanting to either just move on or fix the situation for them
• The second a problem lands my gut reaction is "of course, this is just me, I can’t handle anything"
• My kid and I agree on a fix and it sounds great in the moment, but a few days later it’s fallen apart again
• I finally tried something and it only half-worked, and my whole brain went "see, nothing I do ever works"
• I keep trying to reason with my kid right in the middle of the meltdown

Practices that may help

1. Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
   Problem-Solving Therapy (PST), developed by Nezu and D’Zurilla, treats depression and anxiety by building structured, step-by-step problem-solving skills — targeting the learned helplessness and avoidance that occur when people face stressful life problems without an effective coping framework. Multiple randomised trials support PST for depression, especially when linked to real-life problem load.
2. Problem-solve together once the child is calm
   After the emotional storm passes, invite the child to find a solution with you.
   Emotion Coaching (John Gottman)
3. Build a positive problem orientation
   Treat problems as normal, solvable challenges rather than signs of personal failure.
   Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
4. Evaluate solutions for durability: realistic, mutually satisfying, safe
   A collaborative solution that fails one of three tests — realistic, mutually satisfying, safe — will not hold.
   Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene)
5. Evaluate the outcome and adjust
   After implementing, honestly assess what worked, what didn’t, and what to do next.
   Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
6. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: Building On What Works
   Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, directs attention to what already works — client strengths, past successes, and desired futures — rather than to analyzing problems. Meta-analyses report small-to-moderate positive effects across a range of presenting issues, with particular strength in behavioral problems and depression in adult populations.
7. Hold Plan B conversations proactively, not reactively
   Solve the problem before the next explosion, when everyone is calm.
   Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene)
8. Use Plan B: the three-step collaborative conversation
   Empathize with the child’s concern, share yours, and invite them to solve it together.
   Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene)
9. Generate solutions without premature evaluation
   List as many potential solutions as possible before judging any of them.
   Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical
10. Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene)
    Ross Greene’s Collaborative Problem Solving model holds that kids with explosive behavior lack the cognitive skills to handle frustration and inflexibility — not the motivation. The approach replaces punitive consequences with structured adult–child conversations that build lagging skills over time. Randomized trials in clinical settings show significant reductions in explosive behavior, though most real-world evidence is clinical and observational.

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