Diane Gould Therapy

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United States
Deerfield, IL
Diane Gould Therapy

Specializing in serving neurodivergent (PDA included)children, teens and adults and their families Ms. Her approach to behavior change is in no way traditional.

Gould has over 40 years of experience providing therapeutic services to children and adults. She is able to provide a clinical approach to changing behavior while using brain science. Concerning behaviors result from underlying issues that need to be addressed. She knows from experience that behavior plans sit in drawers and file cabinets and are not used. They also are often ineffective as they only address the signal that there is a problem. Gould partners with individuals, parents, teachers and caregivers to come up with practical solutions to concerning behaviors by teaching skills and changing the environment. The stress is addressed which is communicated through behavior. The solutions reflect that what is observable is a neurological response to perceived threat. Individuals don’t make a conscious choice to have challenging behavior. These solutions are respectful, effective and sensible. Gould understands the challenges facing families of children who are struggling. As an experienced parent herself, she knows that a parent’s sense of well-being is based on how one’s children are faring physically, academically, emotionally and socially. A parent is really only as happy as their least happy child. Parents may need support from an objective professional at different periods during their child’s life. Couples may need counseling to strengthen their relationship in order to become better parents. Siblings and grandparents may need support as well. Gould helps parents build on their own strengths and find the inner resources to be the best parent they can be. She does not view needing professional support to be a sign of pathology or inadequacy. Individuals may need a partner in their journey of self-understanding. Some people need help learning to advocate to get their needs met. Gould’s services strive make improvements in daily life. She has had relationships with clients that has spanned decades and believes it is the relationship that is most important. Gould enjoys providing training and consultation to other professionals. Regardless of whether the service is relationship training, behavioral support or empathetic therapy, Ms. Gould believes that every client deserves the utmost respect and the highest quality services. She views those services as being Neurodevelopmentally informed, trauma sensitive, biologically respectful, relationship based ways of supporting all humans.

02/06/2026

The PDA North America Conference is where understanding replaces judgment, autonomy replaces control, and people finally feel like they belong. As one attendee said:

"This conference was the first time as a parent that I felt safe in ALL my choices to support my PDA child. Safe to talk openly about my struggles and feel seen and heard in a way I never have before. Without judgement, without fear, and without hesitation. I showed up as a stranger and left with a whole community of people who understand my experience and get it. I will be back every year!" - Parent of PDA Child & 2025 Conference Attendee

If you want more information, please comment "conference" down below. We go LIVE on Feb 27th!

01/19/2026

If “consequences” worked for PDA kids, most of us wouldn’t be here. 💛 But for PDAers, traditional behavior strategies backfire because they miss the point:

Behavior is communication.
Not a character flaw.

When we say a PDA child “needs attention,” what we often mean is:
They need connection.
They need safety.

The hardest part is as parents, therapists, medical professionals, and educators, we were all taught to CONTROL the behavior. But with PDAers, the real change comes from building their capacity for emotional regulation so they can access the skills they already have, but haven't been able to access.

If you want to learn more, comment “PDA behavior” and we’ll send you the link to the pre-recorded webinar we did last month all about behavior and PDA.

01/13/2026

More therapists are getting referrals for autistic clients—even if autism isn’t their specialty.

And many clinicians are realizing traditional compliance-based or insight-first approaches can backfire when a client’s nervous system is in threat mode.

On Feb 6, I am hosting a LIVE 3-hour CE training for mental health therapists who want a stronger foundation for supporting:

✅ autistic clients
✅ PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) profiles
✅ high-demand sensitivity + nervous system-based “avoidance”
✅ therapy rupture patterns that look like “noncompliance” but are actually dysregulation

This is intentionally designed for clinicians who are curious and ready to learn—not only those already specializing in autism.

If you’re a group practice owner or clinical director, this is also a great training to offer your team as referrals shift. Join me on Feb. 6th!

Supporting PDA clients requires more than traditional therapeutic tools—it requires a completely different lens. PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance / Persistent Drive for Autonomy) is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and missed entirely in clinical settings. As a result, PDA individuals frequent...

08/25/2025

Now doing intakes for our teen & young adult relationship skills program!

After 10 years of offering the PEERS® program for Teens and Young Adults, we’re making a thoughtful shift. Moving away from traditional social skills models, our new program is designed to be neurodiversity-affirming while helping participants build understanding of and comfort within the social ...

05/01/2025

I’m excited to be speaking at the Beyond Behaviorism conference, hosted by the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint! Join us as we explore new approaches to supporting students and moving beyond traditional behaviorism.

I'll be speaking on the topic of "Why Behaviorism Fails PDAers and What to Do Instead" on May 9th as part of this two-day conference alongside so many other incredible professionals.

Learn more and register:

The Beyond Behaviorism conference will focus on understanding the controversy and exploring alternatives.

03/03/2025

To all of you that wait till the last minute, this is your sign! ⏳ Ticket sales for the PDA North America Conference Name end TODAY (March 3rd) at 7PM. Don’t miss out—grab yours now and join us!

🎟️ https://buff.ly/qaWlNfF

“This conference has
CHANGED OUR LIVES
and the lives of generations to come.”

- 2024 Conference Attendee

See you there!

01/23/2025

When we feel like we can't cope with the everyday demands in our life, we can feel overwhelmed. For PDAers, this might lead to distressed behaviours like meltdowns, shutdowns, fight-or-flight responses, or even aggressive behaviours.

It can be helpful to think of these moments as a panic attack - by creating a calm space we can help speed up de-escalation and recovery.

If you want to learn more about responding to distressed behaviours and recognising triggers, check out this resource: https://ow.ly/vpEb50UK3oa

12/30/2024

It's been a huge personal goal of mine to get PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) into the broader conversation around autism.

I am so thrilled to announce that I'll be doing the keynote presentation at the Autism Society of Wisconsin's 36th annual Conference in April! I'll be speaking on April 4th as the keynote on the topic of how "Understanding PDA Helped Me Better Understand Autism. Understanding Autism Helped Me Better Understand Myself. And Both Made Me a More Effective Professional."

So honored to be asked to do this presentation and hope to see some of you there! For more details and tickets, go to their website: https://buff.ly/3DxXWfh

12/23/2024

ICYMI - the PDA Learning Lab from is 20% off all webinars & 2-hour trainings on our PDA Learning Lab until Dec. 31st! (bundles and Level 1 trainings excluded)

Promo code: LEARNPDA

Courses include (but not limited to!):
> Guide to PDA Assessments with Dr. Jessica Myszak
> Parenting PDA with PDA Parent Coach Sandra McConnell
> IEP Webinars & Workshops with Dr. Destiny Huff & Dr Karen Rosian
> Internalized PDA with Rabbi Shoshana
> Interoception & PDA with OT Christy Schmidt
> Is My PDAer Autistic with Dr. Donna Henderson
> PDA and Excutive Functioning with Dr. Jennifer Huffman
> Various courses by Adult PDAers
> Many more!

PDA Learning Lab: https://buff.ly/3Nn3sD7

Promo Code: LEARNPDA

12/17/2024

My friends at Supportable Solutions are starting a book club on Jan. 7th with my book, "Navigating PDA in America", and I'm so thrilled! They will host five weekly sessions, and the fifth will include a Live Q&A with me.

You can find more information and sign up on their website: https://buff.ly/3ZKn61B

12/10/2024

Our friend and collaborator .nd.nurse.consulting created an amazing strengths-focused guide of the lesser discussed PDA traits:

> FANTASY & MAKE BELIEVE
> CREATIVE THINKING
> PERSONAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
> EQUALITY VS HIERARCHY
> SENSE OF HUMOR

If you want a printable version, check out the free PDFs on our website to download and print and share!

DOWNLOAD HERE: https://buff.ly/3BEh9dX

Keep an eye out for more great collaborations with Laura coming in 2025!

Address

400 Lake Cook Road Suite 112
Deerfield, IL
60015

Website

https://www.dianegouldtherapy.com/

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