Is there evidence for the effectiveness of the approach?

The approach described in the book, Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem Solving Approach has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in a number of different settings, and there are several studies being conducted currently that will hopefully add to the evidence base.

The first empirical study on the approach was a randomized, controlled clinical trial conducted in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. This study compared our approach to a commonly used and empirically supported treatment called Parent Management Training. You can download a pdf version of the results published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology by clicking here. A large-scale replication study of the approach in outpatient treatment is currently underway at Virginia Tech through a R01 grant from NIMH.

The next empirical study on the approach examined changes on a child inpatient psychiatry unit that implemented the model. The Child Assessment Unit at Cambridge City Hospital achieved amazing results as you can see by downloading a pdf version of the published results.

A third study was then conducted by independent investigators interested in determining whether these results could be replicated at Yale - New Haven's Childrens Hospital. The results of this five-year prospective study were published recently in Psychiatric Services and can be found here. 

An additional article was just recently published that should be of great interest to those working in residential treatment facilities and inpatient psychiatry units - as well as schools. The article provides a critical review of the theory behind and use of motivational systems in such settings. It then goes on to describe the process of implementing our approach as a child-centered alternative to point and level systems at the Yale Child Study Center. The process of implementation was conducted with extensive training and consultation from Dr. Ablon, and many of the details of the culture change that took place and the critical ingredients that made it successful are detailed in the article which can be downloaded here. This article is a great addition to the literature that should be a huge help to others interested in implementing the model in their programs.

Already these data have helped the approach achieve status as evidence-based practice in places like the state of Oregon where the Division of Addictions and Mental Health is helping sponsor training throughout their children's mental health system with our help. Impressive results have also been documented in many other systems such as adolescent inpatient psychiatric units, residential and day treatment programs, juvenile detention facilities and schools. Data from these settings have been collected and with your help we hope they will be published soon. If you are interested in studying your use of the approach or already have data to share from your setting, please email us.

Click here to watch video of Dr. Ablon describing results in restrictive facilities that have implemented the model.