“Problem solving” is a term borrowed from Life Space Crisis Intervention. At the Regional Support Centre where I worked, it became our term for talking. Many of our kids came to us with negative mindsets about talking. When we used the word “talk,” most kids heard “lecture,” or “scold,” or “trouble.” When we said it was time to “problem-solve,” the response was different. They soon learned this meant that they would get to tell their side of the story and it would be listened to without judgment. They also learned that they had a pretty good shot at resolving the problem.
I will not attempt to explain the ideas of Dr. Long and Dr. Wood. I wholeheartedly recommend that you learn about Life Space Crisis Intervention for yourself. What I will do is tell you what LSCI means for me.
One of the things I lacked early in my career was an idea of who I needed to be during a student’s crisis. I assumed my job was that of moral thermometer. I felt the kids often lacked clear ideas about right and wrong and I can remember listening to kids tell me stories while I reminded myself to look disapproving. I actually distracted myself from being a good listener, because I thought it was my job to frown or cluck my tongue when the story got to the part about sneaking out the bedroom window or slashing a tire or running away from the police. I thought the kids would interpret a neutral face as condoning their behaviour.
LSCI changed that completely. It requires that I be present with kids when they are upset, help them be calm enough to talk, and listen to their story with no judgment. That is the first phase. After that, I will use questions and clarification to determine the details of the events as clearly as possible. Last, I will determine what the situation calls for, choose a direction to move in, and assist the students to see the meaning behind their actions. Hopefully, the result is learning for the students, about their patterns of behaviour, about how those patterns negatively affect their lives, about how they can work to change them. Sometimes, it takes a lot of problem solving just to help a student see the pattern and then a whole lot more to begin to address it. The point is, LSCI provides a framework to use and a role for the adult to play. Knowing my role in dealing with kids was something more like counsellor, coach, or friend, was far more appealing to me than Dispenser of Justice. When I began to use LSCI, I was amazed to find that once kids had worked through a problem with me and had even been able to see their contribution to the problem, they were far more willing to discuss consequences.
Monica is the author of "Thanks for chucking that at the wall instead of me."
