Coaching practices for Problem Solving Without Judgment
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Problem Solving Without Judgment, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- The moment a problem shows up I lock onto the first fix that comes to mind and start running with it
- I’ve got maybe two ideas for what to do about this and both feel hopeless, so I shoot every other thought down before I even finish it
- I keep telling myself "it has to be this way" and "that’s just not an option," and I’ve never once stopped to write down those rules and ask whether the problem actually imposed them or whether I just assumed them.
- 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"
Practices that may help
- Adopt a "not-knowing" stance before problem-solving
Delay solution-generation by first articulating what you genuinely do not know about a problem.
Beginner's Mind (Shoshin), Made Practical - Generate solutions without premature evaluation
List as many potential solutions as possible before judging any of them.
Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical - Make your constraints explicit before solving
Write out every assumption and rule you are treating as fixed — most problem-solvers carry invisible constraints they never surface.
Constraint Relaxation: Escaping the Walls You Built Yourself - 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) - Evaluate the outcome and adjust
After implementing, honestly assess what worked, what didn’t, and what to do next.
Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical - Build a positive problem orientation
Treat problems as normal, solvable challenges rather than signs of personal failure.
Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical - Score decision quality separately from outcome quality
Judge the process you used — not whether it worked — when you review a past decision.
Decision Journaling: Learning to Decide Better Over Time - Rephrase the problem as a "How might we…?" question
Convert a problem statement into a question that invites solutions without prescribing them.
Problem Reframing: Solving the Right Problem First - Evaluate solutions against costs, benefits, and fit
Rate each solution on likelihood of success, personal costs, and fit with your values.
Problem-Solving Therapy, Made Practical - Listen before diagnosing
Resist the urge to solve until you can restate the problem in terms the other person agrees with.
The Trust Equation, Made Practical
Related concerns
- Problem Solving Therapy When Starting Out
After implementing, honestly assess what worked, what didn’t, and what to do next.
Evaluate the outcome and adjust
- Problem Solving Therapy With Friends
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.
- Evaluate Solutions Depression
Rate each solution on likelihood of success, personal costs, and fit with your values.
Evaluate solutions against costs, benefits, and fit
- Problem Formulation Therapy
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.
- Problem Solving Therapy As A Caregiver
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.
- Problem Solving Therapy At Work
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.
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