Keeping Children Safe in a Wounding World

There is certainly a growing consciousness within our society that emotional well-being is at the heart of the matter with regards to the realization of potential for our students, whether this be for learning, maturation, fulfillment or ultimately for healthy integration into society. At the same time there is growing evidence that our children are in trouble emotionally with stress levels measuring even higher than in previous times of war or instability. Anxiety and aggression are increasing and suicidal ideation continues to climb. Somehow their world has become a more wounding place with no obvious circumstances to blame. There is a growing commitment to keeping our students and children safe but little understanding of how to do this. Battling societal symptoms such as bullying and discrimination is not only costly but ultimately futile as well. Trying to get children and youth to be more sensitive to each other, although well-meaning, has not delivered the hoped for results. With less and less control over the circumstances of their lives, how can we possibly keep our children and students safe, especially in an increasingly wounding world? What are the factors that put children at risk and how can we recognize when they are in trouble? In this course, Dr. Neufeld puts the puzzle pieces together to reveal the nature of today's increased emotional vulnerability among children. With new understandings of emotion, attachment, and the impact of wounding, he makes sense of what is happening and opens doors for change. The solutions are surprisingly accessible as well as achievable, once understood.