viii Acknowledgmentschology program at Virginia Tech. Two psychologists
who supervised me during my training years were partic-
ularly influential: Drs. George Clum at Virginia Tech and
Mary Ann McCabe at Children’s National Medical Cen-
ter in Washington, D.C. And I probably wouldn’t have
gone into psychology in the first place if I hadn’t stum-
bled across the path of Dr. Elizabeth Altmaier when I
was an undergraduate at the University of Florida.
However, those who were most central to the evolu-
tion of many of the ideas in this book, and to whom I
owe the greatest debt of gratitude, were the many chil-
dren with whom I’ve worked and the parents who en-
trusted me with their care.
I also want to acknowledge the countless people
throughout the world who have embraced the Collabo-
rative Problem Solving approach and, against the odds
but with vision and energy and relentless determination,
have advocated for implementation of the approach in
their schools, clinics, inpatient units, and residential and
juvenile detention facilities. There are truly amazing
people in this world who care deeply about improving
the lives of children, and it has been my privilege to have
crossed paths with many of you.
This book is about children and families, and I’d be
remiss if I didn’t acknowledge my own: my wife, Melissa;
my kids, Talia and Jacob, who keep me laughing and
learning and make sure I practice what I preach; and
Sandy, the Big Black Dog.