Accredited provider of Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS)

The Kidman Centre is Australia’s first accredited Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) clinic for the treatment of challenging behaviours in children, and has been certified by the developer of CPS, Dr Ross Greene. 

CPS allowed us to see our son in a different light – to change the lens through which we viewed him – and helped us to understand that his behaviours were not because he was inherently ‘naughty’ or wanted to make our life difficult, but that he didn’t have the skills to manage his emotions. CPS has shown us how to identify these ‘lagging skills’, and how to address them collaboratively, allowing him to have a sense of agency in finding a way forward.

Lidia, mother of 5-year-old boy

Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) is an innovative, evidence-based treatment designed for families of behaviourally challenging kids and teenagers who want to explore an alternative to traditional parent management training. Developed by Dr Ross Greene from Harvard Medical School, it has been used widely in the United States and Canada.

In CPS, parent and child work together to identify situations where something is getting in the way of the child doing well, and then collaborate on how to overcome them and find long-lasting solutions. The model is based on the premise that challenging behaviour occurs when the expectations being placed on a child exceed the child’s capacity to respond adaptively, and that some kids are lacking the skills to handle certain demands and expectations. In essence "kids do well if they can” and not “kids do well if they want to”.

CPS engages children in solving the problems that affect their lives. This non-punitive and non-adversarial, model decreases the likelihood of conflict, enhances relationships, improves communication, and helps children and adults learn and display the skills on the more positive side of human nature: empathy, appreciating how one’s behaviour is affecting others, resolving disagreements in ways that do not involve conflict, taking another’s perspective, and honesty.

Dr Ross Greene’s Lives in the Balance website (opens an external site) has an excellent collection of free resources (downloads, videos, case studies) for parents. educators and health professionals wanting to know more about the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions approach. 

In June 2019, The Kidman Centre completed a 5-year randomised comparison trial involving 130 families with children aged 7-14 with disruptive behaviour. The study, called Side-by-Side, compared CPS with Parent Management Training (PMT), the “gold standard” treatment for children with behaviour problems. Results from this trial found that CPS was an effective treatment, and that treatment outcomes were equal to those of PMT. 

Practical considerations

Where are CPS clinics located?

The Kidman Centre in Sydney is currently the only CPS clinic in Australia to be accredited by Dr Ross Greene, but we are currently working to increase access to the CPS treatment by training other health professionals across Australia, to help families on a much larger scale.

Booking can be made at our private clinic based at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick by calling (02) 9514 4077, or send us an email  if you would like us to contact you with more information.

What do I need to know for my first session?

During the first session, your psychologist will primarily discuss the program and your concerns with you. They will also have a brief discussion with your child in order to gain their perspective. While the session is taking place, your child will be able to wait in the children’s waiting room, which contains a variety of activities including puzzles, games, pencils and paper, and a television with DVDs.

For subsequent sessions, the first two to three after the initial session will only involve parent(s). After these introductory sessions, both parent(s) and child will be required at each session, and your child will participate for most of the session.

What if I need to cancel?

If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment for any reason, we require 24 hours' notice of cancellation by phone on (02) 9514 4077, or charges will apply. 

* Please note that our CPS clinic is not a crisis service. In case of a crisis, please call Lifeline 13 11 14, or go to your nearest Emergency Department.*

for bookings, or to speak with one of our clinical psychologists about how cps might work for your family, please call our clinic on (02) 9514 4077