Presented by Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D. and Tamara Strijack, M.A.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 – Friday, November 7, 2025 | Victoria, bc
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 – Friday, November 7, 2025
8:30am – 4:00pm
Sandman Inn Hotel Victoria
2852 Douglas Street., Victoria, BC
phone: 250.388.0788
website: www.sandmanhotels.com
Education and Clinical Professionals: K–12 Classroom Teachers, School Counsellors/Psychologists, Learning Assistance/ Resource Teachers, School Administrators, School Paraprofessionals including Special Education Assistants, Classroom Assistants and Childcare Workers. All other professionals who support students including but not limited to: Nurses, Social Workers, Psychologists, Clinical Counsellors, Family Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Addiction Counsellors, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Probation Officers, Police Officers, and Early Childhood Educators.
Parents, Caregiver, Foster Parents, Grandparents, and Extended Family raising a child.
8:30am - 4:00pm November 5, 2025
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Not everyone grows up as they get older. The construct of psychological immaturity has been with us as an intuitive concept for ages, but only recently has developmental science advanced to a state where it can now yield effective strategies and interventions to address learning and behavioural challenges.
Bestselling author of Hold On To Your Kids, Gordon Neufeld presents an integrated developmental approach to reaching troubled kids, using the constructs of attachment, vulnerability and maturation. In this workshop, Gordon takes the best that developmental science has to offer and delivers it in a usable form to the professionals who work with these children or those responsible for them.
His model has been honed from years of application in a wide range of settings: education, special behaviour programs, therapy, corrections, aboriginal communities, adoption, counseling, parenting, and the foster system. This material is applicable to children of all ages, from toddlers to teens. The insights and interventions apply to a wide range of presenting problems and syndromes including attention problems, bullying, impulsiveness, anxiety problems, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, oppositionality, drug abuse, aggression problems, boundary problems, alarming behaviour, boredom and much more.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Dr. Gordon Neufeld is a Vancouver-based developmental psychologist with over 50 years of experience with children and youth and those responsible for them. A foremost authority on child development, Dr. Neufeld is an international speaker, a bestselling author (Hold On To…
More information: www.neufeldinstitute.org
8:30am - 4:00pm November 6, 2025
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The escalating level of anxiety in our children begs for an explanation as well as a solution. Dr. Neufeld sheds light on this age-old problem, paving the way for natural interventions that can actually get to the root causes as opposed to just managing symptoms. This workshop brings a fresh and promising perspective to one of our most troubling and perplexing human problems. Although the focus is on children, this enlightening material will benefit anyone suffering from anxiety.
The time has finally come to be able to answer the problem of anxiety. What makes it possible now is that we currently have enough pieces of the puzzle to create a coherent picture: a mastery of attachment theory, an understanding of human vulnerability, a working knowledge of attention, and the discoveries of neuroscience. Possessing the pieces are not enough however. It takes a theorist’s mind to put the pieces together and a seasoned therapist’s wisdom to test this model against human experience. Dr. Neufeld has been uniquely positioned, not only to answer this question but also to understand the implications for our children. The resulting solutions are surprising, not in that they are counter intuitive but rather that they run counter to the prevailing practice. The focus of this workshop is the anxiety of our children and what we can do about this, both as a society and as the adults responsible for them. the dynamics and insights however apply to all ages.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
8:30am - 11:45am November 7, 2025
COURSE DESCRIPTION
We live in an age of technology, with information and entertainment at our fingertips, and at the fingertips of our children. While this reality may have its conveniences and advantages, it can also preempt the time and space needed for play in our children’s lives. Research is now confirming what age-old cultures have intuitively known all along, that play is actually a vital part of healthy development. What kind of play do children (and adults!) need in their lives? Is screen-play true play and how do we tell the difference? In this seminar, we explore these questions and discuss what we can do as caring adults to preserve true play in a world that is moving too fast.
This workshop is suitable for all those involved with children and youth: parents, teachers, helping professionals. Although the focus is children, the dynamics and insights apply to individuals of any age.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Tamara Strijack, MA is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who lives and works in the Vancouver Island area. She is co-author (with Hannah Beach) of the book, Reclaiming our Students: Why our children are more anxious, aggressive and shut down than ever,…
More information: www.neufeldinstitute.org/person/tamara-strijack/
12:45pm - 4:00pm November 7, 2025
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Children are more anxious, aggressive, and shut down than ever. Faced with this epidemic of emotional health crises and behavioral problems, educators are asking themselves what went wrong. Why have we lost our students? More importantly: how can we get them back? Based on the book [co-written by the presenter], Reclaiming Our Students, this workshop will support educators with insights and strategies for how to build, nurture, and protect the student-teacher relationship in order to create the emotional safety needed for our students to thrive. We will also explore some of the common roots of troubling behaviour, including aggression and anxiety. Walking through various scenarios, we will practice together the art of reading our students and responding to their needs, in order for them to be emotionally healthy and receptive to learning.
While the material is geared primarily towards educators (in traditional school, alternative education or home learning), it also applies to anyone working with children, either in a supporting cast or helping profession.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
| Registration | Super Early Bird Fee | Early Bird Fee | Regular Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Enrollment | $719.00 | $739.00 | $759.00 |
| Group 3-7 | $669.00 | $689.00 | $709.00 |
| Group 8-14 | $644.00 | $664.00 | $684.00 |
| Group 15+ | $619.00 | $639.00 | $659.00 |
| Full-Time Student | $619.00 | $639.00 | $659.00 |
All fees are per person and in Canadian Dollars ($CAD)
Fees do not include applicable taxes (5% GST).
Super early bird cutoff date: September 5, 2025
To receive the super early bird rate, registration and payment must be received by Friday, September 5, 2025.
Early bird cutoff date: October 5, 2025
To receive the early bird rate, registration and payment must be received by Sunday, October 5, 2025.
Please review our Registration Terms and Conditions for information on our cancellation policy, payment policies, rebates, and more. You must agree to our Terms and Conditions to register for a workshop or conference.
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2852 Douglas Street., Victoria, BC
phone: 250.388.0788
website: www.sandmanhotels.com
Our rates:
Please contact the hotel directly for the best available rates.
680 Montreal St, Victoria, BC V8V 1Z8
phone: 250.386.8721
website: www.laurelpoint.com/
Our rates:
Please contact the hotel directly for the best available rates.
Please check back closer to the conference date for more information.
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