JOIN US ONLINE for a special scheduled class offering*
Power to Parent II: Helping Children Grow Up
Classes Start: March 31, 2026
Tuesdays 10:00AM – 11:00AM PT
Runs for 8 weeks
Neufeld gets to the heart of developmental science — that growth happens quite spontaneously if conditions are conducive.
* although students can take this course anytime on their own, this is a special opportunity to benefit from a guided learning experience with Neufeld Institute Faculty. Former and current registrants of this course can enrol in this class for $50 CAD.
Scheduled Class Details:
📌 Classes Starts: March 31, 2026
⌛ Duration: 8 weeks
🗓️ Tuesdays 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Pacific
🏷️ Tuition: $250 CAD per person
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.
We invite your participation in this Scheduled Class offering of 'Power to Parent II: Helping Children Grow Up', where you will gain further insight from Neufeld Institute Faculty members Heather Ferguson and Celena Krahn. They will offer a rich tapestry of unique perspectives, all within the attachment-based developmental approach.
Scheduled Classes combine Dr. Neufeld’s video lectures and supplementary course material with live faculty-facilitated sessions. These interactive weekly classes are designed to deepen your understanding of Dr. Neufeld's teachings. It is a unique opportunity to join our experienced faculty and other students online to ask questions, discuss key insights, and explore practical applications.
All of the classes are recorded. If you miss a class, you can keep pace with the group by viewing the recordings at your own convenience during the week.
Please note: you will receive access to the course one week before the start date. There will be some material to review before the first class.
Meet our experienced faculty members, who will support you in this course
Clinical Counsellor
Cobble Hill, BC, Canada
Heather brings her rich history as a therapist and parent consultant, as well as her own parenting experience to this material. Her passion for the course material plus her warm playful charm and inviting presence make her a natural for supporting this course.
Consultant & Animal Whisperer
Powell River, BC
Celena brings her inventive mischievous intelligence, love of all things natural, as well as her experiences of solo parenting to this material. She knows the material inside out and will not be short on stories to illustrate the material or suggestions of application.
COURSE SUMMARY
To "raise" a child literally means to bring them to their full potential. Growing a child up is not something we can do directly, however, no more than a farmer can actually grow his crops. This is the singular work of Nature, who can only make headway when conditions are conducive. Teaming up with Nature is the parent's ultimate challenge — not trying to do what only Nature can do, not pushing when we should be waiting, nor neglecting to provide what Nature requires to work its "magic." The most fruitful parenting involves learning to serve as midwife to the ongoing birthing of the child's potential. In a nutshell, this is what this course is all about. It typically brings great relief when parents realize that raising their child is not all up to them.
If taking this course without first taking the Vital Connection, we recommend viewing Relationship Matters (see Free Resources) first to set the stage.
SUITABILITY/APPLICABILITY
This course is suitable for both parents and professionals alike, although it is addressed primarily to parents, with a focus on parenting. The material and principles discussed are applicable to children of all ages. The focus of this course is on everyday parenting and everyday problems, but the material applies even more so to the more challenging scenarios and problems.
SAMPLE TOPICS
- how maturation happens spontaneously when conditions are conducive
- the three maturing processes that grow our children up
- the paradoxical role of rest in the unfolding of potential
- why we need to provide more than is being pursued
- how to satiate a child's attachment hunger
- how to foster adaptation to limitations and circumstances
- how children grow out of impulsiveness naturally, and what is needed for this to happen
- how to know when children are ready for social interaction
- the dangers of hurried parenting and premature socialization
- how right relationship can give birth to the emergent child
- the role of mixed feelings in maturation and how to foster them
- how to tell when a child is developmentally ready to benefit from social interaction
COURSE OUTLINE
The course is structured into eight sessions, with each session including approximately one hour of instructional video from Dr. Neufeld.
- Session 1 — Parents and the miracle of maturation
Neufeld expands on the complementary roles of Nature and of parents in the unfolding of human potential. The three maturing processes are introduced, all spontaneous but not at all inevitable. - Session 2 — How to give children the REST they need to grow
For a child, what most needs to work is their attachments. Only when a child can rest from this work does energy turn to the unfolding of potential. Understanding this paradox is key to fruitfulness as a parent. - Session 3 — The keys to independence and responsibility
It turns out that these attributes cannot be taught; they must be grown. This session expands on how to foster true viability as a separate being and how to cultivate an intrinsic sense of responsibility. - Session 4 — How to help children become their own persons
Although everyone has the potential to fully individuate, it lies unrealized in far too many. Just how to support the emergent child is the topic of this session. - Session 5 — Keys to resilience, resourcefulness, and recovery
The adaptive process is introduced as responsible for transforming the child for the better when up against that which they cannot change. Although this process is spontaneous, it is not at all inevitable and requires much support from the adults in charge. - Session 6 — How to help children accept limits and adapt to circumstances
Serving as an agent of adaptation can be rather challenging for a parent, especially when afraid of upset. We unfold the three-step dance involved. - Session 7 — Keys to emotional and social maturity
We put much emphasis on social fit in our society — being nice and getting along — and tend to push rather than wait for it to happen. Understanding developmental readiness for social interaction is key to a child being able to benefit from it. - Session 8 — How to help children find their self-control and social sensitivity
All children possess the potential to spontaneously grow out of impulsiveness and to take others into consideration, but it can be rather challenging to wait for this to happen. Understanding the process involved and how to support it can help us be more patient. Included in this session is how best to deal with the impulsive and immature child.
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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Canada