Courses & events for healthcare professionals
We offer a suite of training options for healthcare professionals, including live & CPD accredited courses which we deliver on various dates throughout the year and on behalf of other organisations such as healthcare, therapy and counselling teams. We also host Q&As and provide free pre-recorded webinars and videos on various topics.
Further details are available below or, to quickly navigate to a specific training option, please use the following links:
Live courses
Our live courses are delivered either in-person or online via Zoom (we can also deliver training for organisations via Microsoft Teams if preferred), by our training facilitators who have valuable lived experience of PDA as professionals, PDAers themselves, parents, carers, partners and family members.
Our CPD accredited courses are marked with the ‘CPD certified’ logo.
Each course we offer includes the following general content:
- what is PDA?
- demands and their effects
- how PDA can feel
- helpful approaches (including collaborative problem solving)
- signposting to resources & support
These themes are then developed with additional material included depending upon the course – detailed below.
Please note: any legislation/diagnostic approaches discussed are related to England unless stated otherwise.
If you aren’t sure which course is the right one for you, have any questions about any of our courses or would like to enquire about costings or making a booking on behalf of an organisation, please email* our training team at: training@pdasociety.org.uk
Courses we’re currently offering for healthcare professionals include:
Working with & supporting PDA children (healthcare practitioners)
CPD accredited courses
4-5 hour programmes
Suitable for healthcare practitioners, therapists and counsellors supporting young people up to age 16 years. Note: although this session does not specifically discuss identification and diagnosis procedures, it does look at ‘practice guidance’ published in January 2022 that was produced by collating the professional practice and experience of a multidisciplinary group of professionals working in the NHS & private practice.
Additional material: is PDA controversial?, practice guidance – identifying & assessing PDA, why the right diagnosis & support is important, Q&A with a PDA Adult.
Please email training@pdasociety.org.uk to make a booking enquiry.
Tickets for upcoming public course dates are available below.
Working with & supporting PDA children (education, health & social care) – introduction
CPD accredited courses
1.5-2.5 hour programmes
Predominantly for education settings but also suitable for all professionals (education, health & social care) supporting PDA children aged between 5-16 years who would prefer an overview rather than more in-depth training.
Additional material: educational good practice.
Please email training@pdasociety.org.uk to make a booking enquiry.
Tickets for upcoming public course dates are available below.
Working with & supporting PDA young people & adults
3.5-4 hour programmes
Suitable for all professionals supporting PDA young people and adults.
Additional material: teenagers & adults; distressed behaviours; individual needs; inclusive support
Please email training@pdasociety.org.uk to make a booking enquiry.
Tickets for upcoming public course dates are available below.
You may also be interested in…
What is PDA?
2.5-3 hour programmes
Introductory session discussing PDA, including an opportunity to ask questions to a PDA Adult.
Please email training@pdasociety.org.uk to make a booking enquiry.
Tickets for upcoming public course dates are available below.
Q&A Live events
Our online Q&A Live sessions invite guest speakers to answer questions about PDA and specific topics live via Zoom (a recording for ticket holders is also included – available for 30 days).
Questions can be submitted at the time of booking and/or via the Zoom chat function on the night.
It may not be possible to answer all questions depending on the numbers attending and the amount of questions asked. Also it won’t be possible to answer specific questions on personal situations within these Q&A sessions – if you require support please contact our enquiry line.
Full details and tickets for our upcoming Q&A Live events which may be of interest to healthcare professionals are detailed below.
Speech and Language Therapy
Wednesday 6th December 2023 – 8pm – 9pm (GMT)
This Q&A Live event will be part of a series of Q&A lives focusing on PDA and Education. This session will discuss speech and language therapy, looking at best practice to support PDAers. This Q&A is suitable for both professionals and parents & carers.
Our guest speaker for this event will be Libby Hill, a consultant Speech and Language therapist with 37 years experience.
Navigating distressed behaviours
Thursday 27th April 2023 – 8pm-9pm (BST)
Distressed behaviours arise when our life experiences (sensory, emotional, social, demands etc.) exceed our capacity to cope and we feel overwhelmed and lose control. For PDA people, distressed behaviours may include experiencing meltdowns or shutdowns, running away or self-injury. During this Q&A our guest speakers will answer questions about navigating, supporting and reducing these types of distressed behaviours. Our guest speakers include:
Jez Harris, father to the amazing Bethany – the young woman who spent 3 years in seclusion in secure hospitals due the failure of ‘The System’ to provide suitable care in the community. Beth’s story can be found here. Beth’s journey and her story to date has given Jez insight into her world of distressed behaviour and how the lack of understanding of it led to a preventable failure of care.
Julia Daunt, Author, Blogger, Training Facilitator and PDA Adult – Me, Myself and PDA.
Q&A recordings
Replays of our past Q&A sessions, where guest speakers answer questions about PDA and specific topics, which may be of interest to healthcare professionals are available to purchase for 30 days by clicking or tapping on the images below.
Already purchased a Q&A recording? Please sign-in to the PDA Society training hub (using the same log-in method used to make the purchase) to access the recording via your dashboard. For further information about using the PDA Society training hub, please refer to our user guide.
Eating Disorders (Lived Experience)
Sensory Processing
Eating Disorders (Ellern Mede Group)
Sleep
Navigating distressed behaviours
Teenage years
See all Q&A recordings
FREE webinars
The following pre-recoded webinars, videos and podcasts which may be of interest to healthcare professionals are free to watch by clicking or tapping on the images below.
Introduction to PDA
What is PDA?
Demand Avoidance of the PDA Kind
PDA & masking
Best practice – the professional voice
Best practice – the PDA community’s voice
See all free webinars
If you aren’t sure which course is the right one for you, or have any questions about any of our training, or would like to enquire about costings or making a booking on behalf of an organisation, please email* our training team at: training@pdasociety.org.uk
*Please note: our emails can sometimes be filtered into junk/spam/social/promotions folders – please check yours if you haven’t heard back from us in your inbox within 3-5 working days.