Practitioner Certification in DDP

Certification Standards Notice

DDPI Worldwide Certification and Practicum requirements are governed by the DDPI Worldwide Regulations Governing the Use of DDPI Worldwide Certification Marks (Certification Rules). Where any summary information on this website differs from the formal Certification Rules, the Certification Rules prevail. Any approved amendments to practicum structures or certification requirements are implemented in accordance with the Certification Rules.

The next planned updates to practicum structures are scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027. Until that date, current published requirements remain in force. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Certification as a Practitioner in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) is described in the following process and documents.

Please check that you are accessing information for your own country or area as the process differs slightly according to the regional professional registration and licensing guidelines.

Please note: this guidance is being revised as we update our processes. We have included old and new on the following pages under Old Manual Process and New Online Process. The Old Manual Process applies to applications that began up to June 2020. Which version you will follow will depend on your Primary Consultant (see 2. ‘Step 3. When you feel ready, ask a DDP Consultant to be your Primary Consultant for the practicum’). All questions should be directed through them.

Certification as a Practitioner in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)

The certification process to become a Practitioner in DDP, called the Practicum,  is a supervised skills-based process that requires a minimum of 10 recorded reviews of your DDP work. From 2014, individuals who work with parents or caregivers only can request to be certified. The practicum has the same steps regardless of the type of work you are submitting for review.

The process is described in the following sections:

  1. What is required before starting the Practicum?
  2. What is the Practicum process?
  3. Completing the Practicum and Certification
  4. Experienced Practitioners and Supervision
  5. Renewal of Practitioner Certification

Important general information about the certification process

  1. Please remember that DDPI Worldwide does not accept legal responsibility for the welfare of clients.
  2. A minimum of two families or situations, with an optimal number of three, need to be submitted for review during the practicum
  3. If you are being certified as a practitioner in DDP working with children and parents
    1. Your mid point and final submitted recordings need to be of your work with a child and his or her parent(s) or carer(s).
    2. At least two and no more than four submitted recordings need to be of your DDP work with parents. Your initial review can be one with parents.
  4. You need evidence of written consent that those involved agree to your work with them being both recorded and submitted as part of the certification process
  5. For the initial, mid-point and final reviews you need to submit a summary about the child and family circumstances, the aims of your work and the session you have submitted and your own reflections about how the session went, including your practice. No more than 2 pages of size A4 paper (210 mm × 297 mm  or 8.27 in × 11.7 in) or the letter paper size commonly used in North America (8.5 in × 11 in  or 216 mm × 279 mm).
  6. If video recording becomes difficult and your consultant agrees, it is possible to submit a maximum of two audio recordings during the practicum.

Applicable materials available to download

All Practitioner Certification documents


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Governance, Safe Practice and Complaint Procedure
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What is required before starting the Practicum?