Moving from a Point and Level System to Collaborative Problem Solving

Think:Kids client The Village Network shares insights on how they moved from a point and level system in their residential facility to Collaborative Problem Solving.

Transcript of Introduction

Dr. J. Stuart Ablon: Many clinical programs come to us interested in implementing our Collaborative Problem Solving approach as an alternative to point and level systems or what are sometimes referred to as contingency management systems, token economy systems, things like that. These programs, whether they are short-term programs, longer-term residential programs, perhaps therapeutic schools, correctional facilities, juvenile justice programs, you name it, a lot of these programs are interested in moving away from point and level systems for a couple of reasons. First of all, they often cause more problems than they actually solve. And second of all, they really run counter to the principles of trauma-informed care. They are what I often refer to as quite trauma uninformed.

That transition away from point and level systems can be quite challenging. We have one particular organization that we were working with that was struggling with this transition. We were excited to connect them with one of our certified trainers Jerry Hartman, at The Village Network, another partner of ours, because The Village Network had just gone through this process in a very thoughtful way. We thought the questions that were posed to Jerry and the answers that he provided would be really helpful and insightful for others as they consider moving from or transitioning from a point and level system to Collaborative Problem Solving. Or, for that matter, any other model that is an alternative to point and level systems and more trauma-informed.

After watching this video, we encourage you to reach out to us here at Think:Kids if you have further questions about transitioning away from a point and level system and how that would look in your organization, and specifically if you're interested in transitioning to Collaborative Problem Solving. I always say that you can't just take something away from staff without providing them something in its place that is of equal or more value; otherwise, you're just pulling the rug out from underneath people, and that'll cause even more problems. We hope this video will be helpful to you all. We're thankful to Jerry Hartman for this discussion, and please be in touch if we can be of help.

Are you interested in moving away from a point-and-level system and bringing the Collaborative Problem Solving approach to your organization?

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