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 50 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 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 35 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 enrol in the scheduled class for a fee of only 50 CAD.
Intensive III: Becoming Attached
Starts October 27, 2025
Mondays 11:00AM – 12:30PM PT
Runs for 17 weeks
With Genevieve Schreier
$750 CAD
Registration Closes November 14, 2025
NB! We keep registration open a little longer so new participants can still join the scheduled class and easily catch up through the recorded support sessions.
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.
Power to Parent I — The Vital Connection
Starts January 13, 2026
Tuesdays 10:00AM – 11:00AM PT
Runs for 8 weeks
With Heather Ferguson and Celena Krahn
$250 CAD
In this flagship course of our Power to Parent series, Neufeld reveals that the keys to ease and effectiveness in parenting lies in the nature of the child's attachment to the parent, regardless of the age of the child. The course explores how this relationship is meant to develop, what can go wrong, why parents must matter more than peers, how to cultivate a context of connection, how to win back one's child if need be, and much more.
Art & Science of Transplanting Children
Starts January 15, 2026
Thursdays 12:00PM – 01:00PM PT
Runs for 8 weeks
With Michele Maurer and Bree Jordan
$250 CAD
The impact of disrupting a child's attachments, regardless of the reason — and even when in the best interests of the child — can be deep and profound. This course makes sense of what happens and provides a way through to resolving these challenges to ensure healthy development and well-being.
Making Sense of Adolescence: Seven Rites of Passage
Starts January 28, 2026
Wednesdays 1:00PM - 2:00PM PT
Runs for 10 weeks
With Lisa Weiner and Robin Brooks-Sherriff
$300 CAD
The task of turning children into adults has never been more daunting. An adolescent is neither child nor adult — and therein lies much of the difficulty, turbulence, confusion, and challenge. They need us, yet need to not need us. We are their best bet, yet their instincts are to resist us. This course is organized around seven rites of passage where adolescents often need our help.
Neufeld’s Five-Step Model of Emotional Maturation
Starts January 27, 2026
Tuesdays 09:00AM – 10:00AM PT
Runs for 4 weeks
With Eva de Gosztonyi and Robin Brooks-Sherriff.
$150 CAD
Dr. Neufeld outlines what needs to happen to mature emotionally, whether one is a child or catching up as an adult. This developmental knowledge is especially important as immaturity has become epidemic and most interventions make the mistake of attempting to address the symptoms of immaturity rather than getting at the roots. This model is easy to follow whether you're a parent, teacher, or therapist.
Upcoming Events and Conferences
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
Discounts available - see details
SCREEN SENSE: an online Saturday Symposium
- Saturday, November 22, 2025
- From 9:00 am – 3:00 pm PT
TASTE TEST: Power to Parent 1 - The Vital Connection
An online Taste Test where you can ask Gordon Neufeld and Heather Ferguson your questions about The Vital Connection.
- Monday, 24 November 2025
- From 11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT
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.
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Vancouver, BC V6M 1L3
Canada