2023 PDA & Neurodiversity Retreat

We are excited to host another in-person get-together in Missoula, Montana. We are passionate about providing community, connection & co-regulation for the Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) autism community. We have decided to call this get-together a retreat instead of a conference. This is more than a conference filled with presentations and lectures. This is an opportunity to come together with people of similar understanding and experiences. 

Here you will find community and connection with others who are walking the same journey as you. We are coming together to learn, grow, connect and co-regulate.

This retreat is a 3-day event. Each day will contain talks by various special speakers. There will be opportunities to hear from experienced mental health professionals. As well as autistic and PDA speakers who will be sharing from their lived experience.

We are offering 17 Continuing Education Units for Mental Health Professionals. As well as 18 Continuing Education Units for Montana Educators.

Each ticket is $325 PLUS Eventbrite fees. This includes all 3 days! One ticket per person for the entire event. Lunch will be included each day. As well as snacks throughout. (We are not able to offer a companion/2nd ticket discount. We have worked hard to keep each ticket cost as low as possible. This does not leave room for any discounts.)

As a ticket add-on we are offering a limited number of 1:1 individualized in-person coaching sessions with Journeys With PDA team, Certified PDA Trainers: Heather Jessup or Kerissa Lyman. As well as Amanda Diekman author of Low-Demand Parenting.

After you purchase you ticket and add-on the Journeys Team will contact you to schedule your session. Session will take place during the retreat.

The retreat is located at MCT Center for the Preforming Arts: 200 North Adams Street, Missoula, Montana 59802

There is a special discounted room rate at the Comfort Inn University. Participants are responsible for making their own accommodations

Journeys With PDA will not offer a virtual ticket option for the 2023 retreat. The retreat will be focused on community, connection & co-regulation. There will be learning opportunities provided but community and connection are our focus. This can not be adequately achieved through the type of virtual attendance we would be able to offer.

We offered a virtual ticket option last year at the request of our international speakers. This was an incredibly difficult and time consuming project to undertake for the Journeys With PDA team. As a result it has been decided that production for virtual attendance would need to be produced and run by an outside agency. At this time cost does not allow this to be possible.