| In response to a demand for more in-depth exposure to, and training in, the model he has developed, Dr. Neufeld developed a set of Intensives which are currently offered on an annual basis in Vancouver and Montreal and periodically in other locations. The Intensives are directed to educators and helping professionals and are open to all those involved, or wishing to be involved, in working with kids or those responsible for them. The first level provides a grounding in the conceptual foundations of the approach and is a prerequisite for the second level as well as Dr. Neufeld's training programs (the internship program and the facilitator training program). The second level builds on this foundation with a focus on addressing the challenging problems and troubling behaviour of childhood and youth.
For a list of current offerings, consult the blackboard on the home page. For event details and registration information, consult the speaking schedule page.
NOW AVAILABLE IN HOME STUDY FORMAT. For information, please proceed to the homestudy page.
about the Model
The model is the result of years of synthesis and distillation and is rooted in depth psychology, grounded in the developmental paradigm, saturated in attachment theory and congruent with current neurological research. It has also been honed by over thirty-five years of professional practice, parenting and personal reflection. The model has been used effectively in a wide variety of venues and settings: parenting, classroom, special behaviour programs, alternate education settings, therapy, correctional settings, aboriginal communities, adoption, counseling, and the foster system.
about the Approach
The approach is distinctly developmental and thus in contrast to the current cognitive behavioural fare as well as to the medical disorder approach. Many find it a refreshing alternative to today’s smorgasbord approach to treatment and to the presentation of strategies divorced from their philosophical moorings. The developmental approach is usually somewhat inaccessible because of the esoteric terminology, confusing constructs and fragmented theorizing that tends to characterize it. Developmentalists do not generally have a reputation for being able to make themselves easily understood; Dr. Neufeld is a notable exception in this regard.
Applicability and Suitability
The week intensives are attended by a wide variety of professionals as well as parents who are seeking a university level educational experience. No previous background or formal education in the social sciences is required. Although the focus is primarily on children and those responsible for them, the intensives have also been found useful by adult therapists and marriage counsellors. Previous participants have included educators of all kinds, parents and grandparents, behaviour specialists, counsellors, therapists, art therapists, psychologists, university professors, psychiatrists, family physicians, nurses, social workers, youth workers, ministers, care providers and foster parents. These week intensives are especially recommended for anyone involved or wishing to become involved in parent consulting or parent coaching.
The foundational Level One Intensive is a prerequisite to Neufeld's Facilitator Certification program. The Level II is highly recommended as well to provide the depth of understanding needed to lead discussion and answer questions.
Organizing Constructs
The material is organized around the constucts of maturation and stuckness that are implicit to the developmental model. Dr. Neufeld’s unique and comprehensive analysis of the three separate maturational processes render psychological immaturity much more than just an intuitive insight. In fact, the construct of stuckness becomes a powerful explanatory principle for a plethora of presenting problems and puzzling behaviour.
When the participants are primarily classroom teachers, a second construct of teachability is used to weave the material together.
Key Themes
The week intensives build on three conceptual keys that are pivotal to making sense of children: attachment, vulnerability and maturation. Dr. Neufeld weaves these factors together into a three-dimensional map that can be used to locate children developmentally as well as discover how to get them moving in the right direction. His analysis of these three developmental factors are unique in the field and the integration of these three factors into a coherent working model is a first in the psychological literature.
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Primary Objective
The main objective is to make sense of the children in our care. Intervention must be based on insight if it is to transform children from inside out and be long lasting in its effects. The aim is do to more than simply modify behaviour but rather to unlock the processes of inner change. By removing the impediments to the innate maturational processes, we can lift the ceiling on functioning and move closer to realizing the child’s developmental potential, whatever that may be. Some problems cannot be fixed but the stuckness surrounding the problem can still be addressed. The goal of this course is to equip the participants with the conceptual tools to make sense of kids and to provide the instruments of intervention that will bring lasting change.
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Topics Covered in Level One
- the role of attachment in personality and behaviour
- the developmental paralysis that underlies a multitude of symptoms and problems in both children and adults
- the condition of being defended against vulnerability and the impact on functioning and behaviour
- stuckness as the most common problem of childhood
- a three-pronged approach to effect deep and lasting change
- the foundations of an attachment approach
- the problem with using consequences and sanctions with stuck kids
- the role of emotion in personality and behaviour
- ways to soften defenses against vulnerability
- three core interventions that prime the maturing processes
- how to grow into effectiveness as a therapist
- developmentally friendly strategies for dealing with problems that result from stuckness
- the problems with, and alternatives to, separation-based discipline
Course Outline for Level One:
Day One - The Maturation Factor: why the immature have trouble learning and behaving
A look at the three natural processes by which children grow up and the deficiencies and dysfunction that result from developmental arrest.
Day Two - The Vulnerability Factor: why some kids get stuck
An analysis of the roots of stuckness that includes an appreciation of the role of emotion in maturation and an understanding of what can go wrong. This also includes a summary of the basic ways a brain defends against a child from being overwhelmed by vulnerability.
Day Three & Four - The Attachment Factor: why the immature need to attach to those responsible for them
An introduction to the most powerful of all human drives, often stunted and distorted by the flight from vulnerability. This discussion will include a survey of the kinds of attachment problems that predominate when children are stuck emotionally and developmentally.
Day Four & Five - Working with Stuck Kids: a three pronged approach
Although the immediate challenge is to work around stuckness and its problems, the ultimate challenge is to get kids unstuck and to prime the natural processes by which the child will mature.
Content of Level Two
The constructs of attachment, stuckness and vulnerability introduced in Level I are applied more specifically to the common problems of childhood and youth: aggression, resistance, oppositionality, bullying, distractability, impulsivenss, anxiety, separation problems, alarm problems, domination problems, attachment problems, and much more. The objective is to make sense of these problems and from this foundation of insight, to outline strategies for treatment and intervention. This material is absolutely essential for those involved in dealing with challenging children as well as for those interested in parent coaching and consulting. This training will also further equip those who are facilitating (or intending to facilitate) Dr. Neufeld's videocourses.
Testimonials:
"Dr. Neufeld's originality, passion and commitment in forging a complete and comprehensive theory are refreshing."
"Blinding clarity! Some moments transcended knowledge and spoke directly to instinct."
"Finally, something I can relate to. I could feel it in my bones. The most refreshing material I have been exposed to in years and years of workshops and seminars. "
"I found it incredibly inspiring. Both the material and presentation are exciting and convincing. I came for answers and I got them."
"The uniqueness of Gordon is that in a time of focusing on the superficial and specializing in the specifics, he goes for depth and the big picture. He leads us to a way of thinking and seeing that penetrates to the very essence of things and then opens doors for change."
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