Autism and PDA advocate and family coach

Hey there, I'm Kerissa.

My family lives in beautiful Montana. I love this place, the calm and the quiet of it all. 

Surprisingly, I am not outdoorsy or a cowgirl as most might suspect from someone born and raised in Montana. I do love the serenity of the open space and the quietness found living amongst the trees. I enjoy the slower pace of living in a small town. 

I have an amazing husband (Rick) who supports and encourages me non-stop. He is always my voice of reason when the troubles and challenges of life seem to overwhelm me. We are an amazing team!

Roo Roo (AKA Evanrude) is my tiny Yorkie and constant companion. 

Beans (AKA Bernard) is my cat and the baby of the family, even though he is bigger than Roo Roo.

I find strength and guidance through my faith in Jesus. My strong faith and reliance on Jesus runs deep within me and makes me who I am. 

I have two incredibly unique children. Discovering what makes them who they are has been my mission. Figuring out how to love and support them in their own individual way has been a tough and interesting journey. In 2020 both children were diagnosed as autistic. Both taking completely separate paths to this discovery. A major part of this journey is understanding that not every autistic person is the same or have the same needs. We are also learning to support my daughter's Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA).

In 2021 at the age of 35 I was diagnosed as autistic. In my quest to better understand my children I never imagined that it would lead me to a deeper understanding of myself. It is through them, I found that I am autistic. With that I am finding the freedom to be myself. 

You can read my story of discovering and being diagnosed autistic here!

We are learning to leave behind everything we considered normal or traditional. We are  setting out on our own path based on our own needs as individuals and as a family. 

This is us LIVING LYMAN. 

I am passionate about helping individuals and families have a better understanding of the autistic experience and PDA. I believe that it's important to live an authentic autistic life. A positive autistic identity is important in living that authentic life.

I hope to encourage other autistic people to develop their own authentic life and positive identity.

I hope to give insight to supporting the autistic people in your life. 

I hope that I can give you strength, courage and hope wherever you are on your journey.

In an effort to help support more families I joined the Journeys with PDA team in April 2022.

With hope & love,

Kerissa

Trainings and Courses I have completed: 

Certified PDA Trainer through NEST- https://n-est.org

Level 2 course on Supporting children, teenagers and young adults with PDA provided by Can Do Courses, Disability Learning PAST. (Now NEST)

Advanced Training Workshop for Dr. Ross Greene's Collaborative & Proactive Solutions model.

The Nurture Programme by Jodie Isitt:

Nurturing Autism, 

PDA Nurture Programme

Nurturing Anxiety

UDEMY

Certification in Counseling