Celebrating Our Reach

What began as university lectures grew into seminars and evening courses attended primarily by his students who were also parents. Word spread. More people joined. The material moved beyond the academic setting and into the hands of those raising children.

This led to two important developments in spreading the message of relationship. 

The first was the writing of Hold On to Your Kids, which with Gabor Maté's help, was published in 2004. The book grew out of years of teaching, discussion, and collaboration, and has since been translated into more than 35 languages.

The second was the founding of the Neufeld Institute in 2006. Faculty were trained by Gordon Neufeld to teach the attachment-based developmental approach so that the work would not depend on one voice alone. Courses were structured, translated, and offered across cultures and contexts.

From there, the work continued to grow. Institutes and language programs were established in different parts of the world, carried forward by those who had studied and integrated the approach themselves.

What began with one theorist, encouraged by his students and clients, has become a shared international effort — now reaching families, caregivers, and professionals in 148 countries.

To mark the Institute’s 20th anniversary, faculty members across the globe are offering presentations in their own languages and communities, each grounded in the same core understanding: Becoming the Answer Our Children Need.