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Online Courses
Developmental science made common sense - for the adults kids count on most
Courses for parents, educators, and helping professionals who want to go beyond tips and techniques - to truly understand kids and respond in ways that foster growth, resilience, and connection.
Be Their Answer. Change the Story for a Generation.
Make Sense of Kids. Lead with Confidence and Care.
When you see the whole child or teen - not just the behaviour - you can lead with clarity, set limits without losing warmth, and create the conditions for healthy development at home, in the classroom, and in every setting.
Why Learn With Us
Grounded in attachment science and decades of clinical experience, our courses help you understand what's really unfolding in a child or teen's emotional and developmental life.
They’re evidence-based, grounded in developmental science, and rooted in relationship - integrating decades of research in attachment theory, neuroscience, and emotional development.
You’ll leave with strategies, but most importantly with the insight to know why they work, and how to apply them in ways that fit your child, your role, and your setting.
A developmental approach to feeding, connection, and belonging — to get to the root of eating struggles and restore healthy growth.
Understand the root causes of anxiety through the lens of emotion and attachment, and help kids find rest from alarm.
Go beyond “focus strategies” to address the 3 possible emotional and developmental drivers of attention challenges.
Gather to Eat
Beneath the Worry
Courses To Help You Be Your Kid's Best Bet
Making Sense of Attention Issues
Whether you’re a parent, educator, or helping professional, you’ll find courses designed to meet you where you are and give you the insight to move forward with confidence.
What’s Included in Every Course
Live Sessions with Deborah
Practical Resources
Lifetime Access
Professional Development Certificate
Priority Access to Counselling
Including transcription available for download into dyslexic font.
Articles, infographics, and recorded Q&A sessions
Lifetime access to recordings so you can revisit the material anytime
Evidence your learning with an accredited PDC.
Course participants are considered existing clients and skip the new-client waitlist for individual or group counselling (Canada residents only)
FAQs
Yes. You’ll have lifetime access to the videos and resources.
Courses are designed for adults—parents, educators, and professionals.
Yes. We offer group licenses for schools, agencies, and organizations. Please contact us for details.
Courses are offered live with recordings available for rewatching or for those who can’t attend live. Deborah is available for professional development workshops or keynote presentations. See the Speaking page for more information.
Absolutely. Visit the Speaking page to explore topics and booking details.
Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
- See the Whole Child – Go beneath behaviour and symptoms to the roots of distress or needs for healthy development
- Understand Emotion – Recognize feelings as the engine of growth and how to keep hearts soft
- Lead Relationally – Build trust, safety, and connection as the pathway to change and long-term influence.
- Create Growth Conditions – Support emotion, play, and relationship in unlocking their potential or helping a child or teen get unstuck.
Every course distills attachment science, neuroscience, and emotional development into insight-rich guidance that helps you:
The framework that makes sense of kids - and the adults who care for them
Dr. Deborah MacNamara is an award-winning author, counsellor, and developmentalist whose books have been translated into over 17 languages.
Welcome
For more than 25 years, she has helped parents, educators, and professionals make sense of children and teens—bringing together attachment science, neuroscience, and emotional development into clear, compassionate guidance.
Mentored by renowned developmental theorist Dr. Gordon Neufeld, Deborah is known for turning complex developmental science into practical insight adults can apply at home, in the classroom, or in clinical practice.
Her books Rest, Play, Grow, Nourished, and The Sorry Plane, have reached readers around the world, and she is a long-time faculty member at the Neufeld Institute.
- Why these issues are connected by one powerful emotional driver
- Why “calm down” often doesn’t work - and what to do instead
- How to create the conditions for attention and emotional well-being to grow
The Hidden Link Between Anxiety, Attention, and Behaviour
3-Day Insight Series
