About Certification

The certification process, called the Practicum, is for professionals who want to develop their practice to become a Practitioner in DDP.

There is also a certification process to become a Consultant and a Trainer in DDP, and for Organisations.

Below you’ll find brief introductions to each certification in DDP and links to detailed information about each Practicum.

Practitioner Certification in DDP

The certification process to become a Practitioner in DDP, called the Practicum, is a supervised skills-based process that evaluates your DDP practice. It is open to clinicians who aim to practice DDP as part of their day-to-day work.

If you would like to apply to start the DDP Practitioner practium, you need to have:

  • completed DDP Level One training
  • completed DDP Level Two training
  • receive(d) DDP supervision (where appropriate)
  • have the appropriate qualifications, professional registration and/or licensing in order to practice, you can find out more information in the Practitioner Certification section.

In order to apply you will need to contact a DDP Consultant to be your Primary Consultant for the practicum. All DDP Consultants can be found by searching on our Find a Practitioner page.

To find out more about the practicum and what is involved please see:

Practitioner Certification in DDP

As a clinician who has started the Practicum you can describe yourself as a:

“DDP Practitioner in Training”

Completing the practicum

When you complete the practicum as set out in our Practitioner Certification in DDP section, you can say you are a:

“Certified DDP Practitioner” or “Certified Practitioner in DDP”

Annual Membership fee

To remain a Certified DDP Practitioner, you will need to pay your Annual Membership fee and every four years you will need to renew your certification. More details can be found on our Renewal of Practitioner Certification page.

Becoming an Experienced Practitioner

DDP Practitioners can go on to become an Experienced Practitioner. Experienced Practitioners provide supervision to people who have completed DDP Level One or Level Two training. There are a number of required conditions which can be found on the Experienced Practitioners and Supervision page.

Consultant Certification in DDP

Becoming a DDP Consultant

To become a DDP Consultant you will need to be certified as Practitioner in DDP for one year and meet the requirements listed on the What is required before starting the Consultant Practicum? page.

It is a supervised skills-based process that requires applicants to demonstrate the core skills required to supervise and certify practitioners and organisations in DDP.

In order to apply you will need to contact a DDP Consultant to be your Primary Consultant for the practicum. All DDP Consultants can be found by searching on our Find a Practitioner page

Please see the Consultant Certification section for more information:

Consultant Certification in DDP

Trainer Certification in DDP

Becoming a DDP Trainer

To become a DDP Trainer you will need to be certified as a Consultant in DDP and meet the requirements listed on the What is required before starting the Trainer Practicum? page.

It is a supervised skills-based process that requires applicants to demonstrate the core skills required to train practitioners and organisations in all aspects of DDP.

Please see the Trainer Certification section for more information, and if you’d like to find out more please contact a DDP Trainer to be your Primary Trainer for the practicum. All DDP Trainers can be found by searching on our Find a Practitioner page

Trainer Certification in DDP

Organisation Certification in DDP

Embedding DDP Practice within your organisation

DDP Organisations have embedded all forms of Dyadic Developmental Practice, provided by regular and ongoing DDP Consultancy and training in DDP Practice for all staff members.

The Organisation practicum is a robust process designed to lead an organisation to transform its culture and philosophy of care to embody the principles, values and skills of the DDP approach. This process is for private or independent residential homes or schools as well as adoption and fostering agencies for example.

Please see the Organisation Certification section for more information, and if you’d like to find out more please get in touch using our Contact page.

Organisation Certification in DDP

Partnership Organisations (UK)

The Partner Organisation process recognises and validates statutory services or teams who work closely with DDP Trainers and Consultants to implement a DDP-informed practice model.

The process is open to UK statutory services, such as Local Authorities and NHS Trusts, and run by DDP Connects UK.

Find out about the Partner Organisation process