My biggest issue is that I don't have the time to provide family therapy, but I also don't have anyone to refer these desperate families too. Do you have a referral list?

Many parents have found success with the model on their own by mere virtue of the training materials we have developed. Those training materials are easy for parents to access on the Parents section of this website at very low cost. If they are finding that they still need help, we can provide referrals to clinicians in their area. Please email us.

How does this model differ from approaches like 1-2-3 Magic?

In many ways! The two approaches have completely different explanations for why children are challenging in the first place and, as a result, completely different strategies for intervening. Our approach postulates that challenging behavior is the result of lagging cognitive skills - so the goal for parents is to teach their children the skills they lack rather than give them the incentive to comply with adult demands.

Is this an evidence-based treatment model?

Over the past few decades, there has been no paucity of research documenting the presence of cognitive deficits in children with behavioral difficulties. A wealth of research has demonstrated that executive function skills, language processing skills, emotion regulation skills, cognitive flexibility skills and social skills are implicated in children's social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. In terms of efficacy and effectiveness research pertaining to the model, the first randomized, controlled clinical trial comparing our model to the standard of care (emphasizing rewards and punishments) in an outpatient setting for children with multiple psychiatric disorders demonstrated the Think:Kids approach to be in all cases equivalent and in many superior. Follow-up data showed treatment gains were maintained in the problem solving condition (this was not true for the standard of care). Our model is currently being studied in numerous independent settings as well.

The approach used by Think:Kids has also been shown to dramatically reduce or completely eliminate mechanical, physical and chemical restraints and locked-door seclusion in inpatient psychiatry units, residential treatment facilities and schools throughout North America. Click here to read more about the evidence base behind the approach and download articles.