From the CPS Sandpit to the Playground of Practice: My Journey with CPS Coaching

"Ask the kid." It’s a mantra everyone in our cluster knows by heart. From my very first day as an RTLB, Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) has been part of my way of being. I still remember Day 1, when my Cluster Manager, Kelly McGowan, handed me her copy of Dr Ross Greene’s Lost at School. My CPS radar was switched on. As someone who has never been a fan of traditional, punitive consequences, CPS felt like the ultimate, mana-enhancing framework to bring genuine understanding to collaborative problem-solving.

For a long time, despite attending Ross’s two-day training, reading The Explosive Child and The Kids Who Aren't Okay, watching the videos on the Lives in the Balance website, and listening to the uplifting kōrero during the RTLB Aotearoa CPS rōpū webinars, I was still very much stuck in the CPS sandpit. In that space, practice feels clunky, and the flow just isn’t there yet. It’s the domain of the novice, and trying to operate from the sandpit can be an incredibly frustrating experience! 

I had tried a few "off-the-cuff" Plan B conversations. They felt messy. They didn't hit the mark. I knew the theory inside out, but when it came to my mahi, I kept asking myself, “How am I going to be brave enough to actually start using this properly?”

So, what did I need to get out of the sandpit and into the playground? Support, motivation, confidence... and a good old-fashioned push!

Stepping Up: The Coaching Journey

Following the ‘Pathway for Educators’ on the Aotearoa Lives in the Balance website, I found myself heading towards the 'Aspire Stage - Māhuri'. When the opportunity to engage with a qualified Lives in the Balance CPS coach presented itself, our cluster jumped at it. The commitment was real: six Zoom sessions over eight weeks, homework after each session, and deadlines to meet.

The beauty of this coaching model was that it was delivered in highly focused, bite-sized chunks. We didn't just talk about the big picture; we unpacked the ASUP line by line, practised writing specific, unclumped, unsolved problems, and explored drilling strategies across the Empathy, Define Adult Concerns, and Invitation steps.

Honestly, the whole process was so positive and empowering. It started with us diving deep into the CPS framework to really get a handle on each element before putting it into practice with real cases. If we didn’t have a current case to trial it on, we were encouraged to practice with whānau at home.

Let's just say there were some real-world problems collaboratively solved at my place, including the classic: ‘Difficulty putting the lid on the toothpaste after brushing your teeth in the morning.’

If you’ve ever tried to run a Plan B conversation with your own kids, you know it takes some serious restraint. My automatic instinct was to jump straight to a lecture about hygiene and wasted toothpaste. But leaning into the Empathy step instead was a complete game-changer. It turned out it wasn't laziness at all, the thread on the tube was just tricky for tired morning hands! Simply swapping the twist top for a snap-on cap was all it took. Solving that tiny, real-world friction point at home gave me the exact boost of confidence I needed to take the framework back into my casework.

With whānau consent, we recorded our Plan B conversations along the way, which was a turning point for self-reflection. From there, we submitted the recordings and our unsolved problems to our coach, Anna. Our Zoom sessions were a great way to start the day, though they meant some incredibly early mornings for our Australian coach-6.30 am AEST!

Having a highly skilled CPS coach look directly at our specific cases and break down our exact phrasing was powerful stuff. While the whole process felt daunting and vulnerable at first, our coach cultivated a beautifully safe space to learn. She was always able to identify strengths in practice for everyone. In fact, I found myself learning just as much from listening to the targeted feedback given to my colleagues, as I did from my own. I was so grateful for her dedication, because that individualised feedback gave me clear, actionable steps to truly refine my practice. Sometimes, the process still feels a bit messy, but that’s totally normal, and we've been reassured that with practice, it only gets better!

Gradual Release of Responsibility in Action

When I sat down with a kaiako recently to complete an Assessment of Skills and Unsolved Problems (ASUP), we stopped at 36 unsolved problems! This might sound overwhelming, but for the kaiako, it was actually a massive relief. For a long time, this student had just been labelled as 'disruptive' and 'uncooperative'. Breaking it down reframed the narrative. It helped the kaiako see that this wasn't a choice the child was making, but rather a reflection of a number of skills they simply hadn't developed yet. It completely changed the focus, shifting from managing behaviour with consequences to teaming up on a positive plan of action.

Going through that process together, using the exact wording from the Plan B ‘Cheat Sheet,’ felt like a true partnership. We kept each other accountable, made sure we were using strong verbs, and kept our focus entirely on one core question: “What expectation is the child having difficulty meeting?”

Now, I am feeling motivated and empowered to share this process. I'm moving away from just doing the work for people and instead coaching others, by following the same CPS process I’ve just gone through. It fits perfectly with Fisher and Frey (2021), Gradual Release of Responsibility (GGR) model:

• I Do: I model and explain the ASUP process and CPS framework step by step.

• We Do: We team up to work through unsolved problems collaboratively using Plan B conversations. 

• You Do: The kaiako takes the lead with the ākonga, supported by the slow release of responsibility to use CPS as a way forward to shift their lens on behaviour.

Currently, I’m mentoring two kaiako through this exact process. And let me tell you, nothing sharpens your own practice quite like having to teach it to someone else! Acting as their critical friend means I have to ensure we are maintaining the fidelity of the CPS model. We aren't cutting corners. We are looking closely at how we frame the Empathy Step and ensuring the ākonga voice has a genuine, collaborative space at the table.

Moving from the sandpit of theory to the playground of practice has completely transformed my casework. If you've been sitting on the edge of the sandpit waiting for the 'perfect' time to dive into Plan B conversations, this is your sign. Take on the wero, sign up for CPS coaching, record a session, find a critical friend, and just give it a go.

The exciting part is that our entire cluster has now successfully completed the CPS coaching requirements! It has given us all such a fantastic foundation, a shared space where we can continually refine our CPS practice and genuinely learn with, from, and about one another.

References

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2021). Better learning through structured teaching: A framework for the gradual release of responsibility (3rd ed.) ASCD.

Greene, R. W. (2008). Lost at school: Why our kids with behavioral challenges are falling through the cracks and how we can help them. Simon & Schuster.

Greene, R. W. (1998). The explosive child: A new approach for understanding and parenting easily frustrated, "Chronically inflexible" Children. Harper.

Greene, R. W. (2026). The kids who aren't okay: The urgent case for Reimagining support, belonging, and hope in schools. Simon & Schuster.

New Zealand – LIVES in the balance. (n.d.). LIVES IN THE BALANCE. https://livesinthebalance.org/nz/ 

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