Welcome to the
Neufeld Institute
I'm delighted to welcome you to the Neufeld Institute website and hope you will find here what you are looking for, or if not, at least what you might need.
My burning desire from early childhood on was to make sense of things. This gradually evolved to making sense of kids, especially once I had my own. My PhD in developmental and clinical psychology set the stage for this desire to become a life's endeavour. Initially my studies were about fulfilling my own yearnings as well as about teaching my university students, but I gradually came to realize that this – making sense of kids - was the burning issue of parenting in today's world, especially as we have lost the cultures that once carried the wisdom we needed. As I mastered the lenses provided by the sciences of attachment, development, emotion and neuroscience, I took on the mission of putting the puzzle pieces together to discover the big picture and then share what I saw with those who were responsible for the children of this world. I have had a wonderful group of students who have supported and encouraged me over the years, resulting in what you now see before you. Please feel free to explore and discover as to whether what we have to offer is what you might be looking for.
Warmly
Gordon Neufeld
About the Neufeld Institute
We are a non-profit charitable organization named after Dr. Gordon Neufeld, a renowned developmental psychologist with over fifty years of experience. He founded the Neufeld Institute and is widely recognized for his attachment and developmental psychology expertise and down-to-earth wisdom. Dr. Neufeld's best-selling book "Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers." (with writing help from Gabor Mate) has become a classic in the field. Neufeld's work has influenced parenting and education practices worldwide.
The Neufeld Institute offers a range of courses and resources designed to help parents, educators, and professionals apply the principles of the Neufeld's attachment-based developmental approach. With a focus on providing comprehensive, science-based guidance, the Institute equips and empowers individuals to make a lasting impact on the lives of children.
Making Sense of Kids: developmental science in practice
in over 35 languages
Neufeld's attachment-based developmental approach is grounded in over five decades of work as a clinical psychologist, university instructor, and developmental theorist. In 2004, he shared some of these insights in the book Hold On to Your Kids, which helped awaken parents and professionals worldwide to the importance of attachment and developmental science. Many who first discovered the approach through the book have gone on to deepen their understanding through the Neufeld Institute’s 30+ courses. Today, a growing network of language programs and dedicated language directors actively bring these life-changing insights to communities in their own languages and cultural contexts.
Our science-based courses are created to help make sense of kids
Browse our 30+ courses grounded in Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s attachment-based developmental approach. Whether you're a parent, educator, or helping professional, our courses are designed to deepen your understanding of children — and yourself — through the lenses of today’s sciences of attachment, emotion and development.
Visit the Course Catalogue to see all courses listed alphabetically, with descriptions and cost. Or use the Course Finders to search by category, query, role or budget. We hope these guides can help you select the course that best suits your particular needs and interests.
Browse our courses
"Dr. Neufeld’s approach has the power to change, if not save, the lives of our children"
- The National Post
Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
By Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté
This essential book by Gordon Neufeld with writing help by Gabor Maté has for more than 20 years been a cornerstone in parenting literature. The book explores the crucial role of child-adult attachments in optimizing healthy development and emotional well-being.
With the 2024 edition, updated insights and practical advice help parents navigate today's challenges, reinforcing the need for a vital bond between children (including adolescents) and their parents, in order to foster emotional health and resilience.
Hold On To Your Kids has now been translated in over thirty-five languages.
Upcoming Scheduled Classes
Some of our courses are also offered as scheduled classes from time to time with our Faculty providing weekly live special support sessions. If you already have taken the course in its self paced version, you can ented in the scheduled class for a fee of only 50 CAD.
Intensive I: Making Sense of Kids
Starts September 26, 2025
Tuesdays 01:00PM - 02:00PM PT
Runs for 22 weeks
Anchored by Karen Bollman
$600 CAD
Intensive I provides the conceptual foundations of Neufeld's approach. Participants are equipped to use the constructs of attachment, maturation and vulnerability to view children and their problems three-dimensionally.
Alpha Children
Starts September 30, 2025
Tuesdays 01:00PM - 02:00PM PT
Runs for 4 weeks
With Lisa Weiner and Robin Brooks-Sherriff
$135 CAD early bird (regular $150)
Alpha children are not only more challenging to parent but also predisposed to a number of problems including anxiety, aggression, oppositionality and eating problems.
Intensive II: The Separation Complex
Starts October 16, 2025
Thursdays 11:00AM - 12:30PM PT
Runs for 17 weeks
With Genevieve Schreier
$750 CAD
Building on Intensive I, this course sheds light upon the impact of separation on a child's personality and behavior. When the developmental antecedents are understood, the path to effective intervention becomes clear.
Intensive III: Becoming Attached
Starts October 27, 2025
Mondays 11:00AM - 12:30PM PT
Runs for 17 weeks
With Genevieve Schreier
$750 CAD
Becoming Attached unfolds and expands the six roots of attachment and puts the focus more on adults than in the first two levels. The course is also a journey through Dr. Neufeld's earlier theoretical development which created the puzzle pieces that ultimately came together in the six roots of attachment.
Upcoming Events and Conferences
Dr. Gordon Neufeld and Tamara Strijack present at
ParentEd Fest 2025 in Bucharest
- October 4 + 5, 2025
Gordon Neufeld and Tamara Neufeld Strijack present at
Jack Hirose's Conferences on
Developmental and Emotional Challenges with Children and Adolescents
- November 5 - 7, 2025 in Victoria, British Columbia
- November 18 - 20, 2025 in Calgary, Alberta
Recent Editorials
Inquiries
If you have questions or require additional information that you cannot find on our website or FAQ page, you may contact our office on our Inquiries page.
Charity & Non-Profit Status
The Neufeld Institute is a registered Canadian charitable organization under the name Neufeld Institute Foundation and is also registered as a NPO in British Columbia. If you would like to make a contribution to us, please go to our donation page.
Stay Connected with the Neufeld Institute
Sign up for our newsletter to receive insights, editorials, and updates on new courses, webinars, and scheduled classes—all rooted in the Neufeld approach. Whether you're a parent, educator, or professional, our resources are here to help you make sense of the children in your care.
You can also follow us on...
Vancouver, BC V6M 1L3
Canada