1. What qualifications are required?
Globally
Qualifications
You need to have an appropriate degree or equivalent qualification in mental health, social care or education.
Professional Registration or Licensing Bodies
You need to be licensed as a therapist in the state or country where you practice and/or belong to a therapy organisation as a therapist that provides accountability for your practice.
AND/OR
Registered with a relevant professional body for your qualifications that provides accountability for your practice.
UK and the Irish Republic
Qualifications
You need to have an appropriate degree or equivalent in mental health, social care, education and/or a degree in a relevant therapy that enables you to be registered with your professional body, such as Play Therapy, Art Therapy, Family Therapy.
Professional Registration or Licensing Bodies
You need to be registered with a relevant professional body as a relevant mental health, social care or education-based professional. There are many relevant professional bodies, see below for examples.
View examples of relevant professional bodies in the UK and Ireland
- The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- The British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)
- The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
- The British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT)
- Play Therapy UK (PTUK)
- Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru / Social Care Wales
- Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
- Health & Social Care Professionals Council – Irish Republic (CORU)
- Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)
- Social Work England
Countries without a regulatory body that oversees clinical competence, or without a system of professional liability insurance
If the country in which you practice does not have a professional regulatory body for your field, or does not offer professional liability insurance, you are required to sign the following attestation in order to participate in all DDP practicums.
Global Regulatory Body and Insurance Requirements Attestation
Please contact your Primary Consultant for more information.
2. What do I need to do before starting the practicum?
Step 1: Attend Level One and Level Two (56 hours in total) of DDPI approved training
All applicants must complete the DDPI approved DDP Level One or Introductory training (28 Hours) and DDP Level Two or Advanced Training (28 hours). See our Training section for more information.
This is a total of 56 hours of face-to-face training in Dyadic Developmental Practice and Psychotherapy.
The training must be provided by a DDPI certified and DDPI-approved Trainer.
It is recommended that there is about a six-month gap between Level One and Level Two. This can be waived in certain circumstances, such as for delegates experienced in this type of work travelling to another country for their training.
Recommended reading
Attachment-focused Family Therapy: The Workbook
Daniel A. Hughes
View : Attachment-focused Family Therapy: The Workbook
Healing Relational Trauma with Attachment-Focused Interventions
Daniel A. Hughes, Julie Hudson, Kim S. Golding
View : Healing Relational Trauma with Attachment-Focused Interventions
Step 2 (optional): If helpful, have supervision in applying DDP principles to your practice
For some people, it might be helpful to have supervision of your practice before requesting an initial review of a recording of your work to start the practicum.
This supervision could be provided in a peer-supervision group, in group supervision or individual supervision from a Consultant or Practitioner in DDP, or someone experienced in applying DDP principles to their work.
Step 3: When you feel ready, ask a DDP Consultant to be your Primary Consultant for the practicum
Find a DDP Consultant
DDP Consultants are listed on the Find a Practitioner pages. Please check the fees required with individual Consultants.
Working with “Parents or caregivers only” or in “Educational settings”
Individuals who work with “Parents or caregivers only” or work in “Educational settings” can request to be certified. Your Primary Consultant will help you decide what aspects of your work to record for the practicum.
The practicum has the same steps regardless of the type of work you are submitting for review.
If you have been certified in working with “Parents or caregivers only” or in “Educational settings only” this will be clearly stated on your certificate and must always be stated in any DDP-related professional title.
Step 4: Ask your Primary Consultant to review a recording of your work
Send, or show, a video recording of one session of your practice to your Primary DDP Consultant for an initial review of your practice. The aim of this is to see if you are ready to start the practicum. Your Consultant will be assessing the extent to which you demonstrate a basic knowledge of the core principles of DDP and show skills in applying some of the core components. She or he will send you a written review and complete the DDP Rating Scale and give you a copy. The DDP Rating Scale
The DDP Rating Scale is a guide only. It gives you feedback about how your practice in the core components of DDP is developing and aids the decision of your Primary Consultant. It also increases the reliability of the process across different DDP Consultants.
If you are ready to begin, this will be confirmed in writing to you and this recording plus the review will count as your first submitted recording for the practicum.
If you aren’t ready yet the Consultant will make recommendations as to the next steps, such as supervision prior to re-submission.
If you disagree with this decision you can ask for a second opinion from another DDP consultant.
If they don’t agree, you may have your recording reviewed by the DDPI Board Review Committee, whose decision and recommendations will be final.
All new applicants and those who started from the middle of 2020 will use this process. If unsure please contact your Consultant.
Step 5: Fill in the DDP Practitioner Practicum Application form
Once approved to begin, your Primary Consultant will send you the DDP Practitioner Practicum Application document.
This document contains the following sections that are required and must be filled in.
- Application information
- Attestation, Representations
- Data Processing & Declaration
You must also collate materials 1-9 listed under ‘2. Checklist of required Application Materials’ on page 4 of this document. Download Material 7 from the link below;
Professional Indemnity Insurance Information & Declaration
Double-check with your Primary Consultant which materials they may be happy to see, rather than be sent to keep.
Send the DDP Practitioner Practicum Application form with all corresponding Application Materials 1-9 back to your Primary Consultant.
Step 6: Pay your Initial Practitioner Certification Fee
If your application is in good order and is accepted, you will be contacted by email separately to pay your Initial Practitioner Certification Fee. All current fees can be found at the link below;
All DDPI Practitioner Certification fees are now collected online.
Please refer to your payment request email and the Terms of Service page ‘SECTION 5.2 – PAYMENT OF MEMBERSHIP AND CERTIFICATION FEES TO DDPI & DDP CONNECTS UK’ for more information on paying your fees.
DDP Newsletter and Google Group Signup
You can also use the payment form to sign-up to the ‘DDP UK & Ireland’ and ‘DDP Global’ email newsletters and the DDPI Google Group/Listserv.
Step 7: Provide your online Practitioner Profile information
Once your Initial Practitioner Certification Fee has been paid in full, a hidden Practitioner in Training account will be created for you on DDP Members, our private members site. Through this you will be able to submit your profile details, pay your Final DDPI Practitioner Certification fee and once certified, access your certification logo and pay your DDPI Annual Membership fee.
You will be contacted by email to provide the information for your online Practitioner Profile, through your DDP Members account. You can choose to make your profile Public, Public when Certified, or to keep it Hidden.
If you select to make your online Practitioner profile public, it will also be added to the Find a DDP Practitioner, Consultant or Trainer pages on DDP Network and, DDP Connects UK or DDP USA & Canada if applicable.
If you choose to keep your profile hidden you will not be listed on any Find a DDP Practitioner pages.
We reserve the right to exclude or remove an individual’s profile on the website at any time.
Step 5: Send, or scan and email, the required written materials and documents
Step 6: Pay the initial DDPI Practitioner Certification fee
| $ USD | £ GBP |
|---|---|
| $200 | £128 |
To pay your initial DDPI Practitioner Certification fee please contact your Primary Consultant. Only those living in the UK may pay their fees in GBP.
Step 7: The option of being listed on the Professionals section of the website ddpnetwork.org
When you start the practicum, and with your permission, your name, profile, contact details and photo, can be added to the list of Practitioners becoming certified in DDP on this website’s Find a DDP Practitioner, Consultant or Trainer page.
Your DDP Consultant will tell you how to do this. We reserve the right to exclude or remove an individual’s profile on the website at any time.
Guidance and limits for profiles and biographical information on the ddpnetwork.org website
Maximum words: 200. Links to CV’s or publications lists will not be made. Information about books and publications will not be included if the individual has their own website. Individuals without websites can request that some information about their publications is included.