Working with Pathological Demand Avoidance (3 Sep 24)

Description

Synopsis: This workshop provides theory & practical skills for mental health clinicians working with Autistic clients with a PDA profile

Date(s): 3^rd September 2024
Time: 9am-4:30pm
Venue: Zoom Meeting.
Maximum Participants: ZOOM meeting – a Zoom link will be forwarded to you with prework prior to the training.

About:

• Are you a mental health clinician working with children and adolescents?
• Have you heard of PDA and want to learn more about it
• Are you currently working with PDA clients and are looking for specific skills in working with this unique population?

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a profile of the autism spectrum, which involves extreme anxiety in response to every day requests and demands, and where the individual utilises “social strategies” to cope or avoid the demand. PDA can look a lot like Oppositional Defiant Disorder and due to its relative lack of awareness and training opportunities, often goes unrecognised and untreated. Clients with a PDA profile do not respond to traditional behavioural strategies, which in fact can worsen their symptoms and reduce their quality of life.

This full day  workshop focuses on providing allied health professionals who are working with children and young people the skills they need to identify and work with clients who present with PDA.

Over the course of the program you will learn:

• What is Pathological Demand Avoidance, how does it present and how is it diagnosed.
• Develop an understanding of the challenges for the PDA individual and their family.
• Screening and assessment – how do you screen and assess for PDA.
• Key points to formulation and treatment planning and using functional assessment tools to support this.
• The therapeutic approaches to working with kids with a PDA profile.
• How to work with schools to ensure their students with PDA are well supported.
• Supporting parents and families to learn the skills they need to support their child.
• Working with an adult PDAer.

All participants will be provided with resources, tools and a list of suggested resources to support their ongoing work with their clients and families.

Facilitator: Emma Spencer FAPS
Clinical Psychologist

Your facilitator is Clinical Psychologist, Emma Spencer, who has over 22 years’ experience working with children, adolescents, adults and families. Emma is a highly regarded trainer with a reputation for providing engaging, empowering, and inspirational seminars and workshops. Emma’s practices across Northern Sydney have a niche focus on assessing and working with autistic children and adults. Emma herself has a passion for working with girls on the Spectrum and providing education, training, and supervision in relation to Pathological Demand Avoidance, a unique presentation of the autism spectrum.