At Peace Parents Podcast Ep. 67 - Donna Georgen: Expert Coach for Parents of PDA Tweens, Teens and Young Adults
Jul 27, 2024
Donna Georgen, an experienced PDA coach and mother who raised two daughters with unique challenges, shares her transformative journey. She discusses navigating complex medical and behavioral needs and how discovering PDA reshaped her understanding of her daughters' behaviors. Donna emphasizes the importance of prioritizing autonomy for PDA teens and adapting parenting approaches for connection. She introduces the 5A framework and shares practical tips for fostering communication and managing challenges, all rooted in her own lived experiences.
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Leaving Career To Care For Complex Child
- Donna describes becoming a single mom and leaving her corporate career to support a daughter with complex medical needs and later PDA behaviors.
- She substituted taught while parenting a medically fragile child and navigated years of intense caregiving alone.
Try A Temporary PDA Lens
- Donna urges viewing complex presentations through a sustained PDA lens for a period (e.g., 1–3 months) to prioritize accommodations and clarity.
- Parsing PDA first often reveals how much regulation and nervous-system support change other symptoms.
From Severe Aggression To Two Months Calm
- Donna recounts extreme past aggression from her younger daughter including hospitalization and a time she hid knives and put bells on doors for safety.
- After switching to PDA-informed accommodations she reports two months without aggression and gradual regulation improvements.