Important Notice:
Online registration is now CLOSED for this event. You can arrive up to one hour early to register at the door.
*MEETING SPACE CHANGE: Seminar will now be held at the Wosk Auditorium*
Making Sense of Emotions: The Science of Emotions & Their Impact on Behaviour
Presented by Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016 | Vancouver, bc
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Additional Information:
Attend both workshops and save! New 3-Day Option | Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D | Making Sense of Anxiety & Making Sense of Emotions
Date & Location
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wosk Auditorium, Jewish Community Centre
950 W. 41st Avenue
Vancouver, BC
*NEW* SUITABLE FOR ADULT FOCUSED CLINICIANS
OVERVIEW
There is much focus today on children’s emotions. Constructs like emotional intelligence, emotional self-regulation, emotional well-being and emotional social learning are being bandied about like never before. Emotion, long dismissed as a nuisance factor, is now confirmed to be at the core of development and well-being. Yet little is being taught about the nature of emotion or the implications for working with children and families. In this course, Dr. Neufeld does a brilliant job of putting the pieces together to make sense of emotion, revealing the emotional roots of many behavioural problems, and clarifying the challenges for helping professionals.
DESCRIPTION
This material is absolutely foundational to an understanding of human nature. New revelations about the nature of emotion have shed fresh light on the pivotal role of feelings in play, brain development, discipline problems, attention problems, mental health issues and much more. In this course, Dr. Neufeld distils the current scientific knowledge on emotion to three basic laws and discusses the implications of each of these laws for parenting and teaching as well as the treatment of children. Neufeld also outlines five basic steps to emotional health and development so adults can foster emotional well-being and get to the root of such problems as alarm, anxiety, agitation, aggression, impulsiveness, lack of empathy, bullying, and so on. This course is powerful in the insight it provides as well as the changes it inspires.
Who Should Attend
Education and Clinical Professionals: All education and mental health or healthcare professionals who work with children or youth including, but not limited to K–12 Classroom Teachers, School Counsellors, Learning Assistance/Resource Teachers, School Administrators, School Paraprofessionals including Special Education Assistants, Classroom Assistants and Childcare Workers • All other professionals who support behavioural challenges and complex learning needs 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 and Community Police Officers.
Agenda
Session 1 – Expression of Emotion
The first of the three laws of emotion is that emotion seeks expression. All emotions have a purpose that becomes thwarted when expression is denied or distorted. The two over-arching tasks of emotion are to bind us together and to grow us up. Although expression is spontaneous, impediments can be encountered. The most serious impediment is when emotional expression adversely affects attachment.
Session 2 – Thwarted Expression
The adverse consequences of thwarted expression is discussed under five main topics: emotional dysfunction where emotion cannot do its work, distorted or displaced expression, depression as in flattened affect, failure to adapt to life circumstances, and troubling eruptions of emotion. The first challenge in dealing with problems rooted in emotion is to facilitate the expression of emotion without repercussion to a child’s working attachments.
Session 3 – Feelings and Hurts
The second law of emotion is that emotion seeks consciousness. Feeling is the conscious tip of emotion. The fundamental importance of feeling is explored. Major impediments to feeling include lack of emotional expression, lack of heart language, and emotional defendedness resulting from hurt feelings. Unfortunately many children lose their feelings with dire consequences for their functioning and development. Our challenge for such children is to help them get their feelings back.
Session 4 – Balance and Self-Control
The third law of emotion is that emotion seeks equilibrium, resulting in balance, stability and self-control. The mixing of emotions can only happen if emotion is first expressed and felt. The role of the prefrontal cortex is discussed as well as impediments to this spontaneous developmental process. Mixed feelings are explored as the prerequisite to courage, patience, empathy, reflection and self-control. The ultimate challenge for adults is to help children find their mixed feelings.
Session 5 – Five Steps to Emotional Health and Maturity
The five stages in emotional development are outlined, with the challenges for children and adults in each stage. The primary pitfall of well-meaning adults is to focus on the developmental outcome rather than the process by which children get there. When it comes to emotion, rewarding or focusing on the desired end result will actually backfire, often resulting in deeper emotional problems. The challenge when children are stuck is always to start at the beginning where root problems exist.
Session 6 – Viewing and Treating Troubling Behaviours as Emotional Problems
Emotion has been eclipsed by such constructs as learning, discipline, disorder and even disease. Emotion has also been eclipsed by our focus on behaviour, reason and self-regulation. Only when we begin to reframe problems in the language of emotion can we find a way through. Various problems are looked at to illustrate the issues involved, including attention problems, anxiety problems, bullying and aggression.
Learning Objectives
Objectives of the course include:
- to cultivate an appreciation of the pivotal role of emotion in development, perception and behaviour
- to develop a language of emotion that can be used to reframe problems, lead to solutions, and provide access to intuition
- to understand how emotional development unfolds, so as not to get caught in a battle against symptoms or sabotage the process by pushing for results
- to be aware of the overall purpose of emotion as well as the purpose of individual emotions
- to build a working model of emotion that can be applied across situations
- to outline the five stages of emotional development so healthy maturation can be fostered
- to be able recognize and address the emotional roots of behaviour problems
Topics covered include:
- how to foster and restore emotional health and well-being
- the role of the prefrontal cortex in emotional development
- the six signs of a child in emotional trouble
- why emotional expression is necessary and what happens when it is thwarted
- how emotion serves attachment and attachment serves survival
- what keeps emotions from being felt and how to remove these impediments
- how emotional eruptions are at the root of most problem behaviour
- what the primal emotions are trying to fix and what happens if this doesn’t work
- why emotional expression must not adversely affect a child’s working attachments
- the construct and purpose of emotional defense
- how the capacity for mixed feelings develops and why this capacity is so important
- how empathy, courage, patience and self-control are the fruit of healthy development and how these virtues can be fostered
- how aggression and bullying stem from emotional problems
- how impulsiveness can be cured developmentally
- how to handle difficult feelings in children and ourselves
- why emotion can become depressed and how to reverse this process
- what happens when feelings get hurt too much
- how emotional balance is achieved developmentally
- why the pursuit of happiness doesn’t work
- why true play is necessary for emotional health and development
- why children need to learn the language of the heart and how this language can be taught
- the role of emotional conflict in developing the capacity to reflect
Your Presenter
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
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 Your Kids) and a leading interpreter of the developmental paradigm. Dr. Neufeld has a widespread reputation for making sense of complex problems and for opening doors for change. While formerly involved in university teaching and private practice, he now devotes his time to teaching and training others, including educators and helping professionals. His Neufeld Institute is now a world-wide charitable organization devoted to applying developmental science to the task of raising children. He is a father of five and a grandfather to seven.
Testimonials
“I have no words to express my appreciation to Gordon Neufeld and to Hirose for bringing this valuable, life-changing information. The material taught resonates professionally and personally too. Thank you!”
– Aliza Terris | Oakville, ON | May 15-17, 2017“Fantastic presentation, informative and valuable for me personally and professionally. Gordon is brilliant and engaging. Very happy to have attended today.”
– Mike Van de Hengel | Oakville, ON | May 15-17, 2017“Helped me gain more knowledge about my students, the people around me and myself.”
– Carmen Azzopardi | Oakville, ON | May 15-17, 2017“Thank you, and yes, you are changing the world. Maybe not as fast as you want, but you changed my world this week, and you can be sure that I will be using what I’ve learned to change the lives of many others!”
– Stephanie John | Oakville, ON | May 15-17, 2017
“This was a wonderful workshop, presented with clarity, simplicity and yet, good depth for awareness and understanding. I felt so encouraged by Dr. Neufeld’s way of cutting through the mental health rhetoric and greatly empowered by his focus on relational and instinctive approaches. Thank you!”
– Vancouver, BC | Feb 27-March 1, 2017
“Really enjoyed this workshop. I could see this as a larger workshop, maybe 2 days. I feel it is an extremely important topic and glad it is offered. So much information to take in and use. Thank you! Dr. Gordon Neufeld is an amazing and knowledgeable speaker. A must attend presenter!”
– Calgary, AB | April 5-7, 2017
“Absolutely life changing course on all levels. This will not only greatly impact my work with children, families, and schools, but also my journey of self-growth and empower my skills as a parent and adult figure in many children’s lives.”
– Laura Rose, Cmn Therapist | Winnipeg, MB | June 1, 2016
“Thank you so much, this was extremely useful and also intellectually stimulating!”
– Sarah Moar | Saskatoon, SK | May 18, 2016“I buy into your philosophy, both as a parent and as a teacher. I have already ‘swam against the stream’ as an at-home parent of 11 years. I shall continue to live this philosophy and trust nature and love, love, love my own children and students.”
– Saskatoon, SK | May 16 – 17, 2016
“Bang on, excellent work. Makes sense of what is going on in the world today! Thank you.”
– Saskatoon, SK | May 16 – 17, 2016
“Dr. Gordon Neufeld is amazing. A very informed presentation. I am glad I could attend and look forward to attending future workshops!”
– Saskatoon, SK | May 16 – 17, 2016“I personally loved the long history’ style intro. More speakers need to do this. You underscore and synthesize the multiple contributors that illustrate where psychology has come from. Love! The science part! More chemistry and physics please. A truly gifted and needed speaker in this field. I have gotten so much out of this workshop both professionally and personally. Gordon’s way of speaking is incredibly professional, he cannot stop working for along time!! I will want to both do more courses and come back with my husband and do this again. Thank you, will see you again.”
– Nicole McLeod | Vancouver, BC| March 2, 2016“Dr. Neufeld is an excellent presenter, effective speaker, and extremely knowledgeable about child development. The information presented over the three days has given me new ways to see and evaluate situations. I look forward to reviewing the information and finding out how to use the strategies from this paradigm research. Thank you!”
– Kim Nelson, School Counsellor | Halifax, NS | June 1 – 3, 2015“Gordon Neufeld was extraordinarily engaging and inspiring. His work resonates strongly with my work in special education and counselling.”
– Angela Psalios, School Counsellor | Edmonton, AB | May 25 – 26, 2015“Incredible. Relevant. Easy to grasp. Engaging. Life changing. Thank you!”
– Angela Walker, Teacher | Edmonton, AB | May 25 – 26, 2015“Dr. Neufeld effectively answered all questions I had and then some. I feel empowered with a new understanding of the development of anxiety and how to encourage others through their own process of healing.”
– Catherine Tetreault | Edmonton, AB | May 25 – 26, 2015“Wow! What a phenomenal speaker Gordon Neufeld is! I learned so much these 2 days and definitely intend to take it into my practice. I will be evaluating my parenting based on the insight gained in this seminar.”
– Samantha Weppler, School Counsellor | Edmonton, AB | May 25 – 26, 2015
“Fantastic! I can immediately use this knowledge and understanding when I return to work tomorrow with my students.”
– Winnipeg, MB | May 26 – 28, 2014
“Gordon was one of the most engaging facilitator I have come across – and I have attended MANY workshops. Great flow of information, I loved the use of human anecdotes to make the material more meaningful. Far exceeded my expectations.”
– Danielle C | Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“I have attended many of Dr. Neufeld’s courses. Every time I listen to his approach, it reaffirms my beliefs and feelings towards kids. This approach is simple yet it is not easy. I appreciate the way Dr. Neufeld shares the information – it has profoundly affected me both personally and professionally. I always look forward to more opportunities to attend Dr. Neufeld’s speaking engagements. I always take away more information, and it reminds me of the things I may have forgotten.”
– Carmen Hansen | Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“Opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about students – from the very first slide! Thank you.”
– Cynthia Jones (Enviros) | Winnipeg, MB | May 26 – 28, 2014
“I have attended several of Dr. Neufeld’s workshops and I have used his ideas and suggestions in my work as a Guidance Counsellor with high school students. I have seen firsthand what a positive impact they have on kids, and the adults in their lives.”
– Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“This topic was refreshing and practical for use in my personal and professional life, a validation of what I now know has always been in my heart.”
– Jo-Anne Lane | Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“Thank you so much for continuing to accept these speaking engagements. Such an honour to be here and learn from your expertise. I feel so confident going home to my preschoolers – thank you so much. Best workshop I have attended – so practical!”
– Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“Such an amazing workshop. I am so grateful that I can hear and share this material with fellow teachers and adoptive parents.”
– Marta Stepanovich | Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“Thank you! This will be so helpful to me personally as well as professionally in my work as a therapist.”
– Janet L (Therapist) | Winnipeg, MB | May 26 – 28, 2014
“This workshop has given me a clearer and stronger focus for all my teaching relationships with children and teens. Understanding Gordon Neufeld’s perspectives of attachment just might have changed my life.”
– Laureen Guenther | Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“Dr. Neufeld’s seminar was eye-opening. It was a revelation for me as a parent, teacher and spouse.”
– Winnipeg, MB | May 26 – 28, 2014
“Gordon Neufeld is a clever, creative, insightful person who has integrated a great deal of material intelligently and deeply. I appreciate this after 50 years of working with people as a therapist. I was pleasantly surprised and excited to integrate this material – and it all went well beyond my expectations. From my heart to yours Gordon, thank you.”
– Judy Haid (Therapist) | Winnipeg, MB | May 26 – 28, 2014
“My first time hearing Gordon and it won’t be my last. Unbelievable, marvelous, and inspiring – it is a true privilege to be here. You are incredible and a true gift to the world – thank you so much for sharing your wisdom, thoughts, and perceptions. I’m taking so much away to not only help with my profession, but my own personal life. ”
– Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“Dr. Neufeld’s material has completely changed my approach towards my own children, as well as other children in my care. I find his theories revitalizing and genuinely life-changing. I strongly believe his work is vital to our society’s future success. His work has opened avenues for my husband and I that we never thought possible. We greatly admire his work, we share it with family and friends constantly, and we are thrilled at the hope it has given us for raising our highly sensitive children.”
– Skye Curtis | Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“One of the most significant learning experiences I’ve ever had with Jack Hirose training. Excellent and brilliant presenter, who created hope for me working in a rather ‘hopeless’ milieu. I would definitely attend another workshop by Dr. Neufeld. I am very appreciative of his presentation style – very truthful, entertaining and dynamic. I won’t look at ‘resistance’ in kids the same way again. Thank you so much – I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to attend.”
– Bev Read (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Therapist) | Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“Finally! This makes sense! Beautifully presented. This information needs to be heard by all parents and caregivers.”
– Winnipeg, MB | May 26 – 28, 2014
“Love it. So important to my work as a mom and counsellor.”
– Winnipeg, MB | May 26 – 28, 2014
“Dr. Neufeld was certainly ‘a dose of what I needed’ – very reaffirming of my intuition and practice.”
– Calgary, AB | May 21 – 23, 2014
“I find all of Gordon Neufeld’s seminars and DVDs amazingly informative, inspirational and refreshingly full of truth! I always leave with more knowledge and inspiration, and a renewed confidence in how to pursue beautiful relationships with the children in my care. Gordon is a gift to all who love and are responsible for raising children.”
– Winnipeg, MB | May 26 – 28, 2014
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Fees do not include applicable taxes (5% GST).
Early bird cutoff date: February 25, 2016
The early bird date has passed. Regular rates apply.
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