Diane Gould, LCSW
PEERS® Chicago Director
Diane Gould is a very late-diagnosed autistic Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private practice outside Chicago with 40 plus years of experience serving neurodivergent individuals. Diane has worked in private agencies and special education programs and had started innovative programs in both. She currently focuses her practice on providing consultation and training but continues to work directly with autistic individuals and parents.
Diane has worked for the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization and the Niles Township District for Special Education. She has served as a consultant and been a guest lecturer for many area school districts.
Diane was the Childhood Disability and Family Support Specialist for the Jewish Children’s Bureau for over a decade. In that capacity she created many support and education programs. Diane has published on the subject of home-based support services.
Diane has expertise in autism. She served on the Professional Advisory Board of the Autism Society of Illinois. She has provided training on autism and related topics to hundreds of teachers and therapists.
Diane received her masters in Social Work from Jane Addams School of Social Work in Chicago in 1987. Since then she’s had additional training from The Center for Collaborative Problem Solving, Boston, Massachusetts and The Social Thinking Center, San José, California. Diane is also a certified PEERS® facilitator.
In 2020 she founded PDA North America, a non-profit organization that creates support and resources for PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance/Persistent Drive for Autonomy) people and those that support them. PDA is a complex autistic profile. She currently is the Executive Director. In June 2024, she co-authored the book “Navigating PDA in America” with Ruth Fidler.
Sara O'Keefe, LCSW
Administrative Coordinator
Lead Group Facilitator
Debra Morris
Group Co-Facilitator
Debra Morris has a passion for working with individuals with a variety of abilities. She has her BS in Inclusive Elementary Education from Syracuse University. She taught 7th and 8th grade special education for three years and decided that teaching social skills and life skills was much more rewarding for her than the classroom. She went on to get her Masters from University of Chicago in Social Service and Administration and served as a school social worker for 16 years. At the same time she worked as a camp social worker and inclusion coordinator for an over night camp in Wisconsin.
Veronica Luna
Program Coach
Veronica Luna works as a program supervisor at a non-profit organization that serves individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. She has been with PEERS since November of 2023. She has a bachelors degree in social work from Northeastern Illinois University where she served as the secretary for the Alliance of Student Social Workers. She currently provides respite support for 15 families with children with developmental and or intellectual disabilities.
Mimi Yong
Program Coach
Mimi Yong is an elementary school social worker who is passionate about working with individuals on developing healthy emotional expression as well as positive communication and self-concept often times through use of art, movement or tools beyond only talking. Mimi graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Theater and Drama from Indiana University in 2012 and received her Masters from University of Chicago in Social Service and Administration in 2014. She has served as a social worker in a variety of settings including therapeutic day school programs, overnight camp, and elementary and high schools. Mimi joined PEERS Chicago in 2022 and plans to facilitate a drama group for PEERS graduates.
Brittany Mussen
Program Coach
Brittany Mussen works at a day program for adults with developmental disabilities and has been working with Peers Chicago since November of 2018. Her passion for working with individuals with disabilities started in high school and led to her obtaining her bachelors degree in Human Development and Family Science from Illinois State University where she planned events that benefited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In addition, she also spent a summer interning for Autism Speaks, where she assisted in the planning of a gala inspired event.
