NEW EDITORIAL
BY GORDON NEUFELD, PH.D.
We are being called upon these days – for good reason – to confront racism wherever we should find it. It is being uncovered in some of the very institutions we depend upon to preserve order and justice in our society. The sense of anger and betrayal runs deep.
There is also a growing realization that racism is systemic in today's society – this despite holding equality as a supreme value. I would argue that racism is even more deeply rooted than this; it is an unfortunate offspring of our developmental beginnings.
An essential aspect of development is for the child to divide the world into
us
and
them
. Every one of us has been guilty of believing that those who are like us matter more than those who are not like us. Our world of attachment starts off rather polarized. I remember well my own childhood in the context of a religious ethnic group, where
'them'
referred to
'the english'
. This term was used for anyone outside of 'our people', regardless of race, nationality, language, or origin. This construct made it conveniently evident as to where evil came from, where the threat lie, who were the enemy. Polarized attitudes come rather naturally to a preschooler mentality, whatever the age, with or without the help of .
...
READ THE REST OF GORDON'S EDITORIAL →
|
|
SPECIAL PREVIEW OPPORTUNITY!
PRESENTED BY GORDON NEUFELD, PH.D.
LIVESTREAM SEMINAR
SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2020
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM | $90 PER PERSON
|
|
A message from Gordon:
I am delighted to be finally filming "Reaching Troubled Kids" in preparation for developing it into an online course and offering it to the public through the Neufeld Institute.
Although I have been teaching this material in professional development seminars for over 25 years to educators and helping professionals across Canada and internationally, I continue to seek the best way through that can be most helpful to participants.
A recent opportunity to present this material to a group of professional musicians working with troubled kids provided the impetus to look at the material with fresh eyes. I was surprised with what I saw this time around and am excited to share this with others.
This material is meant to be an introductory primer that can stand alone as well as act as a guide to which Neufeld Institute courses to take for those who want more. In the first session, I uncover the three hidden stories of troubled kids, leading to an underlying theme - more emotion but less feelings. In the second session, we explore this theme with regards to frustration-based problems, alarm-based problems and pursuit-based problems. In the third session, we explore this theme with regards to the basic instincts of
counterwill and displacement (alpha) as well as the phenomenon of boredom. In fact, it is new insights regarding boredom that has me rather excited to share this material. In putting the pieces together, it seems that where emotional trouble led – most commonly to boredom – also held the key to the way out of this trouble, at least in the past. This does not seem to be the case anymore, and hence why so many of our children are in double trouble, so to speak.
We invite you to get in on the ground floor with this material by attending the livestream seminar on Saturday, June 27th.
|
|
SEMINAR DESCRIPTION
Studies indicate that our children and youth
have
more troubles,
get into
more trouble,
are
more troubled, and can even
be
more troubling, than before. There certainly are more labels as well as less reticence about using them. With each new label, we create yet another cadre of experts with their label-specific advice.
Could it be that this explosion of fragmented information has actually blinded us to a common cause at the core of all these troubles?
Might it be that our focus on symptoms and syndromes has eclipsed a simpler and singular reality that holds the key to understanding and to intervention?
Fresh insights regarding emotion and the brain have paved the way to seeing troubled kids with new eyes, thus opening doors for change that are full of possibility. These insights also help to bring troubled kids back into the hands of those directly responsible for their care and education, with helping professionals where available to guide the way.
This approach to troubled kids is Dr. Neufeld’s synthesis and distillation of the relevant theory and research, honed by 45 years of clinical practice involving troubled children and youth. This insight model provides a refreshing alternative to the more common behavioural and cognitive approaches, as well as to the medical 'disease' or ‘disorder’ approach. The attachment-based developmental approach has clear and practical implications for parenting, education and treatment, regardless of one’s arena of involvement and venue of application. This approach also applies to adults, as the dynamics of trouble are the same.
|
|
RECORDING:
Registrants will have exclusive access to the recordings for 30 days following the live seminar
.
SUITABILITY:
While highly relevant to any parent, this course is designed to be especially applicable to educators and helping professionals.
CEUs & CERTIFICATES:
The material is appropriate for 6 CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
but registrants are responsible for applying for this credit through their own professional regulatory organizations. A more detailed course syllabus is available upon request if required for CEU application purposes. Verification of Attendance certificates will be provided.
REGISTRATION
closes on Thursday, June 25 at 4:00 PM PST
TUITION:
$90 CAD per person
|
|
We're pleased to share recordings of these recent webinars that were hosted on our Virtual Campus last month. Click on the image for a direct link to YouTube.
|
|
|
|
Autism & Crises: Walking the Tightrope
by Jule Epp
Recorded on Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Raising an autistic child demands responding empathically and sensitively to the unique needs of a child dealing with a constant state of sensory overload.
|
|
This is challenging enough for both parent and child under the best of circumstances. What then do we do when the “normal” state of overload is topped up by an external crisis, like our present pandemic? Even at the best of times, life with an autistic child can feel like a tightrope act, needing just the right balance to keep things calm and moving forward. When a crisis blows apart this tenuous balance, life can quickly deteriorate into chaos, constant fights or meltdowns, and alarming regressions. We can quickly feel like we are drowning in the demands of daily existence. What can we do under these circumstances? How do we stay afloat? In this webinar, Jule explores with compassion what is happening for us and our autistic children in these stressful times and considers practical solutions for daily life that are both powerful and realistic.
|
|
|
|
Creating Playgrounds for Emotional Expression
by Tamara Strijack and Hannah Beach
Recorded on Friday, May 22, 2020
When emotions stop moving, we start to see the signs of problem behaviour. Expression of emotion is the first step in emotional development, and yet many children, adolescents and adults can get stuck here.
|
|
We all need safe places to express the emotions that are stirred up within us, as well as release pent up emotional energy. The challenge is finding those safe places. In this session, Tamara & Hannah explore natural playgrounds for emotion to come out and play, and how we might facilitate this process - for our children, our adolescents and ourselves. More information is available at
reclaimingourstudents.com
|
|
|
|
Raising Resilient Teens in a Pandemic
by Adrienne Wood
Recorded on Friday May 29, 2020
Teens struggle with crises around friendships, schoolwork and a sense of isolation at the best of times. How are we supposed to help them find their resilience in this time of pandemic upheaval and change?
|
|
Neufeld Faculty Intern, Adrienne Wood, guides parents to find softer hearts in these troubling times using fresh insights from the Neufeld Institute.
|
|
Don't miss the NEXT newsletter which will include the
2020-21 Scheduled Online Class Calendar!
Classes resume in September.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
