Solving Problems Together with Your Child
A collaborative problem solving worksheet guiding parents through empathy, defining adult concerns and inviting joint solutions for a recurring challenge.
1-page fillable PDF · US Letter (prints on A4) · Collaborative problem solving
- Approach / concern
- Family Therapy
- Technique
- Collaborative problem solving
- Format
- Fillable PDF, 1 page (US Letter / A4)
- Access
- Pro and Advanced plans (3-day free trial)
- For
- Licensed clinicians to use with clients
- Updated
- October 2026
Key facts
What is the Solving Problems Together with Your Child?
Collaborative problem solving views challenging behaviour as resulting from lagging skills and unsolved problems. Parents and children solve problems together proactively.
Why it works
Greene (2014) describes the collaborative and proactive solutions approach for inflexible, easily frustrated children. Parent training literature supports structured approaches to disruptive behaviour (Kazdin, 2005).
When to use it
- Explosive or inflexible children
- Oppositional behaviour
- ADHD and autism
- Family therapy
How to use it in session
- Choose one recurring problem.
- Hear the child’s concern.
- Share the adult concern.
- Brainstorm together.
- Try and review.
Clinician tips
- Do this proactively, not in the moment.
- Start with one problem.
- Keep solutions realistic and mutually satisfying.
Worked example
Sharing with clients
Members can download the PDF to print or email, or copy a private client link from the download box. Your client opens the link and downloads the worksheet on any device. No client account is needed, and nothing your client writes is stored on TherapyAid.
Frequently asked questions
Is this being too soft?
No. Expectations stay; you solve how to meet them together.
What if my child won’t talk?
Keep the first step short and try again; drilling for information backfires.
References
Greene, R. W. (2014). The explosive child: A new approach for understanding and parenting easily frustrated, chronically inflexible children (5th ed.). Harper.
Kazdin, A. E. (2005). Parent management training: Treatment for oppositional, aggressive, and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. Oxford University Press.
This worksheet is an educational tool for use by, or under the guidance of, a licensed or registered mental-health professional. It is not a diagnostic instrument or a substitute for clinical judgement. If a client is in crisis in Canada, call or text 9-8-8 or call 9-1-1.
