Part 1 of a 3-part course preview video for the Neufeld Institute’s flagship course, Intensive I: Making Sense of Kids, a 20-session online course delivered through the Neufeld Virtual Campus. Be sure to check for an upcoming Scheduled Online Class (runs once per year, usually in the fall). Self-Paced Study registration is always open. Visit our course page for details: https://neufeldinstitute.org/course/neufeld-intensive-i-making-sense-of-kids/

Part 1: Highlights from Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s lecture video material of the introductory Session 1 (13 min) 
Part 2: Highlights from Dr. Neufeld’s lecture video material from Sessions 2 – 20 (14 min) https://youtu.be/6rar1O5-jeM
Part 3: Highlights from the faculty-supported component of the course - recordings from the 2022/23 Scheduled Online Class (41 min) https://youtu.be/iDOKGUFXTfA

This course provides a grounding in the conceptual foundations of Neufeld's formulation of the attachment-based developmental approach. The three conceptual keys to making sense of children are addressed: 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. This course is designed for all those involved in raising, teaching and working with children. 

These three Intensive I videos provide:
·  A preview of what our flagship course is about.
·  A taste of a Neufeld Institute online class experience.
·  A big picture overview of Dr. Neufeld's approach.

For more info visit our website: https://neufeldinstitute.org

From thousands of consultations over the years when I would ask what made the difference for you?

And over and over again when I saw the child differently.

When I saw the student differently, then things began to change.

That is why the theme is making sense of, to understand.

We cannot truly address a problem that we don't understand.

We want to find out what is the cause, what is the reason, what is the etiology, because if we can understand it, there is a chance for a change.

Most important question to align with the purpose of this course is what do I see when a child does this, when a child does that, when this happens and so on.

And then sitting with that, letting this material inform.

This is a fundamental truth that the greatest, greatest determiner of what we do is what we see.

if we saw an aggressive child as mean, that's what we would address.

If we saw an aggressive child as unsocialized, that's what we would address.

If we saw an aggressive child as wounded,

If we saw an aggressive child as frustrated, then that's what we would address.

Now the fact is is that our seeing would determine our doing.

When we, When we encounter oppositionality, do we see defiance?

And our interactions will be very, very different.

You with the same skills, in the same classroom, the same parent, depending on what you see, will determine what you do.

And so the issue is not to tell people what to do.

This is what I'm going to try and do in this course.

I'm going to try and give you my eyes the map that I use the model that I've developed in my life's work and to Give you what I see when I see a child what I see when I what I see when I I see aggression happening or oppositionality or resistance or whatever it is.

And so this is by far the most effective intervention.

The point is, if you can understand a young child, if you can make sense of them from inside out, you do have the keys for making sense of the unfolding of human potential.

It's this big picture that we are concerned about.

This is the essential question of a developmentalist.

That doesn't mean that those things aren't important but that's not the fundamental issue.

If the fundamental issue would be good behavior there are some children who are very good who are in terrible trouble.

There are some adults who are perfectly behaved for all the wrong reasons.

And so the issue is not simply does this work to to make sure that the child behaves, that's not the issue, but the biggest issue is does this work in the greater scheme of things?

To be able for this child to to come to be all that they were meant to be.

A question that is key for a developmentalist is the unfolding of human potential.

How do we realize our full potential as human beings?

Everybody is asking for directions, but I'm wanting to share with you is a map.

Now some of you will use this map to give other people directions.

And the problem with a map is a map is a flat kind of thing.

A map is not three-dimensional and there is a problem.

So I'm not only going to give you 1 map, I'm going to give you 3 maps.

So these will be our 3 keys to unlocking the mystery of human potential.

The 3 keys, the attachment factor, the vulnerability factor, the maturation factor.

Notice that genetics doesn't even come here.

It is not about the real, we're talking about the realization of those potentials.

And yet this is the predominant prevailing view is that we have to learn to grow up, learn to behave, learn to get along.

What we're suggesting is that learning is not a particularly significant factor in this.

Attachment, vulnerability, and maturation are much more significant factors in this process.

In fact, learning is a bit incompatible with these, because learning theory, as we'll take a look at, is juxtaposed to all of these.

Maturation is the spontaneous unfolding of human potential.

We'll be focusing on this in a number of sessions here to start off with.

And therefore, the construct of stuckness.

So understanding how do we free, how do we remove

the impediments that will allow a child to grow, to become, to mature,

That becomes a question, not how do we get them to behave, not how we get them to fit in, not how we can get them to increase their grades.

We know all of that will come and all of that would be the fruit of realizing their potential.

But how do we remove the impediments that keep them from growing up?

We will take a couple of sessions to look at this.

This is a key human issue, dynamic, that we're very fragile creatures, we're easily hurt, And our brains don't stand idly by.

They are capable of defending us against a vulnerability too much to bear.

And this plays a huge part in the unfolding of human potential.

And the third issue, the third issue that we'll focus on, these 3 factors, the third issue is attachment.

Attachment, of course, being the issue of human relationship, and it's more than just attachment.

We'll look at attachment in the whole context of the unfolding of human potential.

Yes, we're all creatures of attachment, just like we're all vulnerable creatures, and we're all creatures who have the capacity to grow up, But we don't all realize this.

I called it, when I was teaching this approach at university to my students, I simply called it the attachment-based integrated developmental approach.

And students tired of this and then began to just say this is the Neufeld approach.

The approach as you're going to see in our next session has a rich rich history of literature, rich history of source theorists and so on.

This is simply my formulation, my articulation, my synthesis, my distillation of it, much of the theory and all of the dots of the facts, they are not mine.

What I will attempt to do and what my job here to do is to present a cohesive, a coherent, a comprehensive approach to making sense of children and to use all the material available in science, in theory, in research, in practice, professional practice, to come to that particular articulation.

It's unique in the sense that it is in this course that I try to give the underlying structure of the theory in such a way that individuals can use it to solve their own problems.

Now I get asked, well why don't you why don't you teach about adults?

I used to teach personal growth courses for adults.

They take such a long time to grow up and to change.

I found actually when I shifted it to children, it was much easier 1 step removed.

The material actually applies equally to adults, But I find that it's much more direct, much more transparent, much more understandable when we understand these things, make sense of the children, because that is to be the time of the major unfolding of human potential of development.

The problems that, the stuckness that begins in childhood haunts us in adulthood.

We have to look at things and address things there.

But they're so much easier to understand if we can understand them in children.

And so I have decided to focus on children only, but you're welcome to focus wherever you wish.

I've had many students come to me and said, I came thinking I was coming as an administrator, a principal, a teacher, a parent, or in the thinking of my students, of my children, and I found out I was taking it for myself.

The best way to make sense of this material or of this course is to actually have in mind 1, 2, or 3 children that you care about, that are in your care, and try to make sense of them from inside out.

And watch as you make sense of them how much that informs the dance how much that informs the interaction without ever trying to think of what to do


Speaker 0: From thousands of consultations over the years when I would ask what made the difference for you? When did it change in your interaction? And over and over again when I saw the child differently. When I saw the student differently, then things began to change. Then things began to change.

This is an insight approach. That is why the theme is making sense of, to understand. We cannot truly address a problem that we don't understand. We want to find out what is the cause, what is the reason, what is the etiology, because if we can understand it, there is a chance for a change. There is a chance to make a difference.

There is a chance to find a way through. Most important question to align with the purpose of this course is what do I see when a child does this, when a child does that, when this happens and so on. What do I see? Not what do I do, but what do I see? And then sitting with that, letting this material inform.

This is a fundamental truth that the greatest, greatest determiner of what we do is what we see. So no matter what our skill base is,

Speaker 1: if we saw an aggressive child as mean, that's what we would address. If we saw an aggressive child as unsocialized, that's what we would address. If we saw an aggressive child as wounded,

Speaker 0: that's what we would address. If we saw an aggressive child as frustrated, then that's what we would address. Now the fact is is that our seeing would determine our doing. And so this becomes a challenge. What do we see?

When we, When we encounter oppositionality, do we see defiance? Then that's how we'll want to interact. Do we see fear? Then that's how we'll interact. Do we see noncompliance?

Then that's how we'll interact. And our interactions will be very, very different. You with the same skills, in the same classroom, the same parent, depending on what you see, will determine what you do. And so seeing is absolutely essential. And so the issue is not to tell people what to do.

The issue is to give them your eyes. This is what I'm going to try and do in this course. I'm going to try and give you my eyes the map that I use the model that I've developed in my life's work and to Give you what I see when I see a child what I see when I what I see when I I see aggression happening or oppositionality or resistance or whatever it is. And you give them their eyes. And so this is by far the most effective intervention.

The point is, if you can understand a young child, if you can make sense of them from inside out, you do have the keys for making sense of the unfolding of human potential. It's this big picture that we are concerned about. This is the essential question of a developmentalist. It's not about good behavior. It's not about fitting into society.

That doesn't mean that those things aren't important but that's not the fundamental issue. If the fundamental issue would be good behavior there are some children who are very good who are in terrible trouble. There are some adults who are perfectly behaved for all the wrong reasons. And so the issue is not simply does this work to to make sure that the child behaves, that's not the issue, but the biggest issue is does this work in the greater scheme of things? To be able for this child to to come to be all that they were meant to be.

A question that is key for a developmentalist is the unfolding of human potential. How do we become fully human? That is the question. How do we realize our full potential as human beings? Everybody is asking for directions, but I'm wanting to share with you is a map.

Now some of you will use this map to give other people directions. I understand that. I understand that. But what I want to give you is a map. And the problem with a map is a map is a flat kind of thing.

A map is not three-dimensional and there is a problem. So I'm not only going to give you 1 map, I'm going to give you 3 maps. So these will be our 3 keys to unlocking the mystery of human potential. The 3 keys, the attachment factor, the vulnerability factor, the maturation factor. Notice that genetics doesn't even come here.

You see, genetics sets our potentials. It is not about the real, we're talking about the realization of those potentials. Notice that learning theory isn't here. And yet this is the predominant prevailing view is that we have to learn to grow up, learn to behave, learn to get along. We have to learn all of these things.

What we're suggesting is that learning is not a particularly significant factor in this. Attachment, vulnerability, and maturation are much more significant factors in this process. In fact, learning is a bit incompatible with these, because learning theory, as we'll take a look at, is juxtaposed to all of these. Maturation is the spontaneous unfolding of human potential. We'll be focusing on this in a number of sessions here to start off with.

That will be our first focus. Maturation is absolutely spontaneous. That's the miracle of it. But it is not inevitable. Things can get in the way.

And therefore, the construct of stuckness. Things can get in the way. So understanding how do we free, how do we remove

Speaker 1: the impediments that will allow a child to grow, to become, to mature,

Speaker 0: to realize their potential. That becomes a question, not how do we get them to behave, not how we get them to fit in, not how we can get them to increase their grades. We know all of that will come and all of that would be the fruit of realizing their potential. But how do we remove the impediments that keep them from growing up? Vulnerability.

We will take a couple of sessions to look at this. This is a key human issue, dynamic, that we're very fragile creatures, we're easily hurt, And our brains don't stand idly by. They are capable of defending us against a vulnerability too much to bear. And this plays a huge part in the unfolding of human potential. And the third issue, the third issue that we'll focus on, these 3 factors, the third issue is attachment.

Attachment, of course, being the issue of human relationship, and it's more than just attachment. We'll look at attachment in the whole context of the unfolding of human potential. Yes, we're all creatures of attachment, just like we're all vulnerable creatures, and we're all creatures who have the capacity to grow up, But we don't all realize this. I called it, when I was teaching this approach at university to my students, I simply called it the attachment-based integrated developmental approach. That's quite a handful.

It's quite a handle. And students tired of this and then began to just say this is the Neufeld approach. The approach as you're going to see in our next session has a rich rich history of literature, rich history of source theorists and so on. This is simply my formulation, my articulation, my synthesis, my distillation of it, much of the theory and all of the dots of the facts, they are not mine. What I will attempt to do and what my job here to do is to present a cohesive, a coherent, a comprehensive approach to making sense of children and to use all the material available in science, in theory, in research, in practice, professional practice, to come to that particular articulation.

That particular articulation. This course is unique. It's unique in the sense that it is in this course that I try to give the underlying structure of the theory in such a way that individuals can use it to solve their own problems. Now I get asked, well why don't you why don't you teach about adults? Why kids?

Why children? Why not adults? Well, I used to. I used to teach personal growth courses for adults. Adults move so slowly.

They take such a long time to grow up and to change. And it seemed to be too much. We were thinking of ourselves too much. I found actually when I shifted it to children, it was much easier 1 step removed. The material actually applies equally to adults, But I find that it's much more direct, much more transparent, much more understandable when we understand these things, make sense of the children, because that is to be the time of the major unfolding of human potential of development.

The problems that, the stuckness that begins in childhood haunts us in adulthood. And yes, there are impediments. We have to look at things and address things there. But they're so much easier to understand if we can understand them in children. And so I have decided to focus on children only, but you're welcome to focus wherever you wish.

I've had many students come to me and said, I came thinking I was coming as an administrator, a principal, a teacher, a parent, or in the thinking of my students, of my children, and I found out I was taking it for myself. The best way to make sense of this material or of this course is to actually have in mind 1, 2, or 3 children that you care about, that are in your care, and try to make sense of them from inside out. And watch as you make sense of them how much that informs the dance how much that informs the interaction without ever trying to think of what to do

Can you help me find a quote from this that will inspire emotion in the reader?

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Neufeld Intensive I Preview Video: Part 1 of 3