About Training

General training in the approaches of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Parenting and Practice

A wide range of general and specific training, including the parenting approach and PACE, is offered on a regular basis by DDPI-approved Trainers, Consultants and Practitioners.

In addition to DDPI-approved Level One and Level Two training, training is offered as half-day events, one or two-day events or in a series of events, or as a Conference.

Training in DDP is relevant for therapists, social workers, educationalists, adoptive and foster parents and residential caregivers. Guidance about Commissioning UK DDP Training is currently available below.

In order to apply to become a certified Practitioner in DDP approved by the DDPI, the 56-hour DDP Core Training found below needs to be completed. Attending a Level One training does not enable participants to advertise or say that they practise DDP or that their work is DDP-informed. Individuals who have attended a Level Two training AND who have regular supervision from a certified DDPI-approved Consultant or an experienced certified DDP Practitioner can say their work is “DDP-informed”. They are not able to say they provide DDP.

To find training events relevant to you and your practice, including the 56-hour Core Training, please search all trainings and events closest to you.

The 56-Hour DDP Core Training

DDPI-approved Level One and Level Two Training

General information about the DDP Core training

This training is suitable for professionals who have experience in working with children and families, or parents or caregivers, whose children have experienced developmental trauma and show attachment and relationship difficulties with their primary caregivers. This could be with adoptive parents, foster parents, kinship carers, or caregivers, such as in residential homes.
A 6-month gap is recommended between attending Level One and Level Two in order  to have time to develop the skills that are taught. Exceptions can be made, for example for experienced individuals who travel to another country to receive the training or if trainers infrequently travel to another country.
The DDP Core Training approved by DDPI is face-to-face and can be provided in a range of ways. Each 28-hour Level One (Introductory) and 28-hour Level Two (Advanced) training can be provided over 4 consecutive days, in 2 sets of 2 days, in 4 separate days or using a combination of these. From August 2020 virtual training was agreed as an option due to the restrictions on venue-based trainings as a result of coronavirus. Virtual training dates and times may differ from face-to-face arrangements.
DDP training and certification provided by trainers who are not DDPI-approved is not recognised by DDPI. This includes the training and certification in DDP offered by the Attachment-Focused Treatment Institute based in New York, USA. Please check trainer profiles listed on this website to find DDPI-approved Trainers.
To become a Certified DDPI-approved Practitioner, an individual first needs to complete the 56-hour DDP Core Training given by a DDPI Board approved Trainer.
Individuals from a wide range of professions also attend this training who do not plan to later become certified. They come to learn more about this trauma-attachment approach and how to apply it to their work with children and families. Many social workers attend these trainings for this reason.

Attachment-focused Family Therapy: The Workbook

Daniel A. Hughes

View : Attachment-focused Family Therapy: The Workbook

Attachment-Focused Family Therapy - Workbook

Healing Relational Trauma with Attachment-Focused Interventions

Daniel A. Hughes, Julie Hudson, Kim S. Golding

View : Healing Relational Trauma with Attachment-Focused Interventions

Healing Relational Trauma with Attachment-Focused Interventions by Daniel A. Hughes, Kim S. Golding, and Julie Hudson

Level specific information

DDPI-approved Level One (28 Hours)	DDPI-approved Level Two (28 hours)
DDP Level One Training Content	DDP Level Two Training Content

In order to insure that all certified Practitioners in DDP will have received the same core level of training and supervision, only those certified by DDPI will be recognised as having demonstrated fidelity to the DDP model. Dan Hughes

Practitioner Certification in DDPI-approved DDP

For more information about the certification requirements by the DDPI please visit

Practitioner Certification in DDP

Guidance on commissioning training in Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP)

Commissioning in the UK

The following resource provides current guidance to those seeking to commission Dyadic Developmental Practice training in the UK. Leila Caston co-ordinates the commissioning of all DDP Level One and Level Two training. Please read the document before you contact Leila at leila@ddpnetwork.org.

Commissioning UK Training in DDP (Dyadic Developmental Practice)

Commissioning in the USA, Canada, and rest of the world

For those not in the UK we advise them to contact a DDP Trainer directly.

Training on working with parents

Some training events will specifically focus on the parenting approach and Parenting with PACE, called DDP-informed Parenting or Dyadic Developmental Parenting.

If there are no local training events, the resource below will help professionals learn about the parenting approach and offer ideas about how to run parenting groups.