Cara Kaiserman, LCSW brings almost 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families across community mental health, educational, and nonprofit settings. As Vice President of Clinical Programs and Integration at Plena Mind Center, she focuses on helping clinical teams deliver high-quality, compassionate care while building systems that support both staff and families. Throughout her career, Cara has held leadership and direct-service roles, giving her a deep appreciation for the challenges and rewards of clinical work. She is passionate about creating environments where clinicians can grow, collaborate, and do their best work on behalf of the young people they serve. Her areas of interest include staff development, program innovation, family engagement, and translating evidence-based practices into meaningful, everyday clinical care. Before joining Plena, Cara led one of the largest child and adolescent day treatment programs in Eastern Ontario, overseeing multidisciplinary teams and helping to advance clinical quality, operational excellence, and organizational growth. She has also worked extensively as a therapist, providing evidence-based treatment to children, adolescents, and their families. Cara earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is a certified trainer in Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) and former trainer in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NVCI), and has received extensive training in trauma-informed approaches such as the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) and the ARC (Attachment, Regulation, and Competency) framework. Colleagues know her for her thoughtful leadership, practical problem-solving, and genuine commitment to supporting both patients and clinicians.

Dr. Michelle Magida is the Founder and Clinical Director of Therapy Etc, a thriving group practice dedicated to supporting the social, emotional, behavioral, and academic success of children, adolescents, and families. She is also the owner of Beyond Therapy Solutions, where she provides therapeutic consultation to families and delivers professional development and training for clinicians, educators, and organizations. With nearly 20 years of experience, Dr. Magida specializes in helping children, adolescents, and young adults navigate challenges related to anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, and executive functioning. Her background in special education, combined with her clinical expertise, allows her to translate complex neurodevelopmental concepts into practical, effective strategies for clients, families, and systems of care. Dr. Magida is particularly passionate about working with parents, helping them develop tools to reduce power struggles, establish healthy boundaries, and create more connected and functional family dynamics. A sought-after speaker, Dr. Magida has presented nationally on topics including executive functioning, family dynamics and power struggles, classroom management, and Polyvagal-informed care. She is also the creator of the parenting course “Connection Before Correction,” which equips caregivers with actionable strategies to support their children while strengthening relationships. Prior to founding Therapy Etc, Dr. Magida worked as a special education teacher in the therapeutic day school setting and later served as a Behavior Intervention Specialist for Waukegan School District 60, where she provided training and consultation to social workers, psychologists, and administrators. Dr. Magida earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Illinois State University, her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology (with a counseling specialization and focus on children and adolescents) from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and her Doctorate in Counselor Education & Supervision from Adler University.

Don Mitckess, LCPC, CRADC has been in the behavioral health field for over 30 years and has had the privilege of working with a variety of populations across the lifespan. He has served in both clinical leadership and business development roles and has been an invited speaker locally, regionally and at a state level on topic that range from SUD, nonsuicidal self-injury, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and other innovative treatments in the field of behavioral health. He currently serves as the Clinical Director at Healing Revitalized, a primary SUD IOP in Lake Zurich, IL

Samantha Quigneaux, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has been working from a family systems perspective throughout her career. Currently, Samantha is the National Director of Family Therapy Services for Newport Healthcare. She oversees all family programming throughout residential and outpatient sites. Newport utilizes Attachment Based Family Therapy to provide support and psychoeducation to families throughout the treatment process. Samantha has extensive experience working with adolescents and adults who have experienced trauma, including sexual and physical abuse. She also has expertise working with the LGBTQ+ community and issues related to gender and sexuality. Samantha is an established conference speaker, most recently presenting at APA and has been featured in National News and Media outlets including CBS Evening News, Yahoo!Life and HOLA!USA.

Andrew Fishman, LCSW is a licensed mental health professional in Chicago, where he specializes in treating video game addiction in adolescents. He earned a master’s degree in social work at Loyola University Chicago and is certified in counseling gaming disorder by the International Gambling Counselor Certification Board. Andrew’s articles on video games and mental health have been featured repeatedly as essential topics in Psychology Today, where he is respected as a Thought Leader. He has been featured worldwide in interviews by The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera Plus, FintechBeat, El País, and for DC Fintech Week 2021. He has also been quoted in numerous psychology and technology publications, ranging from European Business Magazine to Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. He lives in Chicago and can often be found playing The Legend of Zelda and Assassin’s Creed in his spare time.

Diane Gould, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and one of North America’s leading advocates for PDA individuals and their families. As the Founder and Executive Director of PDA North America, she has played a pivotal role in raising awareness, providing education, and building community around PDA (Persistent Drive for Autonomy), also known as Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Demand Avoidance, across the United States and Canada. She is also the co-author of Navigating PDA in America, written with internationally recognized PDA expert Ruth Fidler and published in June 2024. She is working on her second book co-authored with Zach Morris, focused on PDA and education. Diane is very late diagnosed autistic and recognizes many characteristics of the PDA profile in herself (although most people who work with her think she is clearly PDA). Alongside more than 40 years of clinical experience, her lived experience informs her compassionate, neuroaffirming approach to supporting PDA individuals, families, and the professionals who work with them. For more than four decades, Diane has dedicated her career to supporting autistic and other neurodivergent children, adults, and their families. Throughout her work in schools, community agencies, and private practice, she has been fascinated by human behavior and committed to understanding the reasons behind distress rather than simply addressing its outward expression. Today, her private practice in the Chicago suburbs focuses primarily on consultations with parents, family members, and professionals, as well as training. She partners closely with families, frequently attending school meetings alongside parents to advocate for meaningful supports and collaborative solutions. Diane is equally passionate about equipping educators, therapists, and other professionals with practical, relationship-based knowledge that fosters understanding and creates more affirming environments. Diane’s interest in PDA grew from her extensive work in autism and behavior support. As she explored the PDA literature, she found that its compassionate, relationship-based understanding of autonomy, anxiety, and distress aligned with everything she had believed throughout her career. Recognizing the urgent need for awareness, education, and community in North America, she founded PDA North America during the first American PDA conference in March 2020. Since then, the organization has become the leading nonprofit dedicated to increasing understanding, acceptance, and support for PDA across the continent.