"The thought that life could be better
is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains."
Train in the Distance, Paul Simon

Lives in the Balance is the non-profit organization founded by child psychologist Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child and Lost at School, to advocate on behalf of behaviorally challenging kids and their parents, teachers, and other caregivers and to provide free, web-based resources to help people understand these kids in ways that are more compassionate and accurate and help them in ways that are more effective.  Lives in the Balance is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax deductible.

The Directors of Lives in the Balance were chosen because of their commitment to CPS and the compassionate treatment of children in a diverse array of settings, including schools, inpatient psychiatry units, residential facilities, juvenile corrections facilities, and outpatient mental health settings:

Laura Baker, Ed.D.: Laura is a former principal and director of special education, as well as the former head of school at Greenfield Center School, the first school to embrace and implement the CPS model.  Laura is now Assistant Professor of Special Education at Westfield State College in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Julie Benay: Julie is principal at Mallets Bay School in Colchester, Vermont. In her current and previous positions, she has been a tireless advocate for implementation of the CPS model in her school system and region.

Laura Fuller, Ph.D.: Laura is a neuropsychologist at Shodair Children's Hospital, a residential and inpatient facility for children and adolescents in Helena, Montana, where she has spearheaded implementation of the CPS model. Shodair is an example of how things can change for the better with tenacity, energy, and persistence.

Stephanie Meyer, Ph.D.: Stephanie is Former Clinical Director of the Emotion Regulation Program in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She brings to Lives in the Balance her expertise in the use of CPS in outpatient settings.

Kathy Regan, RN: Kathy is nurse manager on the Child Assessment Unit (CAU) at Cambridge City Hospital in Boston, where she and her staff have virtually eliminated the use of restraint and seclusion. Kathy is a leader in the national movement to eliminate these procedures in all restrictive therapeutic settings, and was awarded the 2009 APNA Award for Innovation in Practice for her work in implementing the CPS model on the CAU as a major component in providing Trauma Informed Care to children.

Bartlett Stoodley: Barry is Associate Commissioner of Juvenile Services in the Department of Corrections in Maine, where he and his colleagues have dramatically improved services to troubled youth through implementation of the CPS model and other cutting-edge programs. Barry is a national leader advocating for the improved understanding and treatment of incarcerated youth.

Ross Greene, Ph.D., is Director of Lives of the Balance and author of the highly acclaimed books The Explosive Child and Lost at School. He is also Associate Clinical Professor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, staff psychologist at the Cambridge Health Alliance, Senior Lecturer in the school psychology program in the Department of Education at Tufts University, and adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech. Ross consults extensively to families, general and special education schools, inpatient and residential facilities, and systems of juvenile detention, and lectures widely throughout the world. His research has been funded by, among others, the National Institute on Drug Abuse/National Institutes of Mental Health, the Stanley Medical Research Institute, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Maine Juvenile Justice Advisory Group.

Lauren Lapat, M.A., Ed.M., is Associate Director of Lives in the Balance. She has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, as well as in education, community organizing, and mental health.  She has worked in urban schools, residential programs, juvenile justice facilities, and inpatient and outpatient mental health settings. Lauren is the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Center for Teen Empowerment, whose mission is to empower youth and adults as agents of individual, institutional, and social change. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Boston University and both an M.A. and Ed.M. from Teachers College, Columbia University.  Lauren oversees the programming and administration for Lives in the Balance.

Alison Miller is Research Associate at Lives in the Balance and a senior at Boston College, majoring in both Sociology and English. She has previously completed an internship at the nonprofit Crittenton Women's Union, and, while studying in Chile for six months last year, volunteered for a local organization working with underprivileged Chilean youth. At Lives in the Balance, Ali oversees research of issues related to behaviorally challenging kids and their caregivers, assists Ross with his web-based radio programs, and is integrally involved in the planning of the First Annual Lives in the Balance Conference on Collaborative Problem Solving to be held in Augusta, Maine, in November.

The Lives in the Balance Scientific Advisory Board is comprised of nationally and internationally recognized researchers in children's mental health, and provides input and guidance on research initiatives and priorities.  CLICK HERE for information about its members.

Lives in the Balance programs are funded through contributions from Dr. Greene, CPS Initiative, and members of the Lives in the Balance Founders Circle.