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NEW EDITORIAL
When Fear Knocks at the Door
Contributed by Genevieve Brabant & Mathieu Lyons
Last Fall, our three-year-old son Nathan’s favourite book was ”The Three
Little Pigs.” Many afternoons were spent with Nathan pretending to be the
piggy with the straw house while Emma, our five-year-old daughter, was
the piggy with the wood house and Mom was the piggy with the brick house
(the secure benchmark, the answer to worries). Dad played the big bad wolf.
We replayed the story many times and while it evoked a lot of alarm in our
children, it was evoked in play and was thus exploratory, expressive and
imaginary…and lots of fun!
As Nathan was particularly drawn to playing with alarm, another activity he
enjoyed around this time was going to the store to see the Halloween
decorations. Although Emma was a bit afraid of the monster and witch
costumes, Nathan never seemed ready to leave! The routine was always
the same: to walk in front of a scary costume, to pretend to be afraid and
then to flee into the next aisle.
November 25-27, 2019
EDMONTON, CANADA
Co-sponsored by Jack HIrose & Associates
A NEUFELD INSTITUTE
C O N F E R E N C E
EMOTIONAL
HEALTH
& WELL-BEING:
Towards Flourishing
Children & Youth
EARLY-BIRD RATE
UNTIL NOVEMBER 21st
ACAPULCO, MEXICO
Emotional health
& well-being seminar
A FOUR-DAY DESTINATION EVENT
PRESENTED BY DR. GORDON NEUFELD
JANUARY 20-23, 2020
HOTEL ELCANO
ALL-INCLUSIVE RESORT
More Information & Registration →
a presentation for health care practitioners
and medical professionals
PRESENTED by Darlene Denis-Friske
Friday, December 6, 2019
10:00 AM TO 11:30 AM PACIFIC
$25
ENGAGING THE ADOLESCENT PATIENT
IN THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE:
LIVE 90-MINUTE WEBINAR
NEW EDITORIAL
THE COUNTERWILL STORM:
MAKING SENSE OF
ADOLESCENT RESISTANCE
Contributed by Darlene Denis-Friske
Anytime I am working with the parents of adolescents, I am always
excited to share insight about the pivotal concept of “counterwill”
in the context of healthy development. Understanding this concept
can make a tremendous difference in understanding our teenagers,
especially when we feel confused or worried about their tendency
to push back. First coined at the turn of the century by Viennese
psychoanalyst Dr. Otto Rank , this concept has been further
developed and refined by Dr. Gordon Neufeld. Simply put,
counterwill is our instinctive reaction to resist, oppose, or push
back when we experience a feeling of force or coercion greater
than our ability to manage it, and greater than our desire to
cooperate or comply.
