For children, ages 4-14, who experience oppositional episodes and their parents. 

A treatment is designed to help parents/caregivers and children learn to collaboratively and proactively solve the problems that contribute to the children’s challenging behaviors, with the goal of improving family communication, cohesion, and relationships. It is made up of four modules that teach parents:  

1. to identify lagging skills and unsolved problems that contribute to oppositional episodes;
2. to prioritize which unsolved problems to focus on first;  
3. about the Plans framework – the three potential responses to solving problems: Plan A (solving a problem unilaterally, by imposing the adult will), Plan B (solving a problem collaboratively and proactively), and Plan C (setting aside the problem for now); and 
4. how to implement Plan B with their child by gathering information from the child to get a clear understanding of their concern or perspective, defining the adult concern on the same unsolved problem, and finally having the child and adult brainstorm solutions to arrive at a plan of action that is both realistic and mutually satisfactory.  

The clinician actively guides the initial problem-solving process.  However, the goal of treatment is to help the child and parents become independent in solving problems together. In general, parent(s) and child are in attendance at all of the sessions, although there are times when a clinician may feel that it would be beneficial to discuss certain issues with the child or parent(s) individually.