Course Overview

Certificate Level 1 is the first level of Profectum’s professional certification courses. This online course uses the DIR® model to guide assessment and intervention for social-emotional development in infants, children, adolescents and families and working within an interdisciplinary team.  The DIR® model builds upon establishing relationships and engagement at any point in development; respecting individual differences from the perspective of occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, psychology and education; and direct work with families. This course includes:

• An introduction to the DIR® model: Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-Based Approach & Foundational Capacities for Development (FCD™) including DIRFloortime® and FCD™ principles
• Professionals from the fields of occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, psychology and education will share their approach to assessment and intervention of social-emotional development in each Functional Emotional Developmental Level (FEDL)
  • Case-based presentations and learning are included in each webcast
• Participants share their work via video clips, receive feedback and tutoring to develop a strong understanding of how to conceptualize development within the model and improve clinical skills within their discipline

Profectum Foundation reserves the right to modify course descriptions and requirements as needed.

Please Note: Certification does not imply endorsement of clinical competency. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your profession’s standards.

Course Outline

A systematic interdisciplinary curriculum provides the theoretical knowledge and applied clinical and educational foundations for integrated assessment and intervention at an introductory level. Participants are required to share their work in assessment and intervention and demonstrate competency in applying basic DIR® principles. This intensive one-year program, led by a Profectum Faculty instructor, offers a combination of required webcast lectures, online interactive class participation, and reflective tutoring. Participants will receive feedback and be guided through clinical reasoning on their own cases during classes and tutoring sessions while working towards their Professional DIR® model Certificate in Emotional, Social and Cognitive Development.

The course will cover an introduction to the DIR® model approach, assessment, intervention, the Foundational Capacities for Development (FCD™), coaching, and working with an interdisciplinary team. The nexus of the DIR® model are the Functional Emotional Developmental Levels (FEDL’s), i.e. the building blocks of development. This course highlights assessment as intervention and uses developmental levels to guide intervention with individuals, including children, adolescents, young adults and their families. The strength of this clinical model is in the interdisciplinary approach to intervention. The course curriculum allows participants to integrate different perspectives in clinical and educational domains.

Goals and Objectives

• Identify and discuss individual differences and their impact on development – FCD’s™
• Define Functional Emotional Developmental Levels (FEDLs) including identifying each one within case examples
• Converse in basic principles and terminology of the DIR® model
• Provide assessment of DIRFloortime® model interactions
• Develop treatment plans using the DIR® model within discipline

Criteria to Take the Course

You must be a professional currently working in the field of speech and language, occupational or physical therapy, education, mental health (psychology, social work, counseling, marriage and family therapy), medicine, developmental optometry or the creative arts. If you are a professional working in another discipline, we welcome you to help us broaden our work!

You must have access to a minimum of three cases (children or adults with a developmental disability) throughout the course.

The attendance of a Profectum conference or completion of one of our introductory courses is recommended, but is not a requirement.

Course Structure

This 1-year course is organized into four units.

Unit 1 consists of lectures and discussions. There will be one to two 1 to 2-hour webcast lectures, to be viewed independently, per week and approximately two 2-hour online live classes per month.

Units 2 and 3 consist of lectures, discussions and tutoring. There will continue to be one to two 1 to 2-hour webcast lectures, to be viewed independently, per week and approximately two 2-hour online live classes per month. Depending on the size of the class, and additional 3 hours of tutoring per unit may be required to provide enough tutoring to all participants.

Unit 4 consists of participant presentations of cases, feedback and tutoring continues.

Course Tuition

Tuition for the 1-year CL1 Certificate Course is $3000. Payment options:

In full for all four units:

• Unit 1
  • $425 Deposit due 2-weeks prior to start date (not refundable)
  • $425 1st payment due at least 1 business day before the start date
• Unit 2
  • $850 2nd payment, due at least 1 business day before the start date
• Unit 3 $850
  • $850 3nd payment, due at least 1 business day before the start date
• Unit 4 $450
  • $450 4th and final payment, due at least 1 business day before the start date

Monthly Recurring Payment Option:

This option is available after the deposit and first payment have been received. Must be set up before the start date. Contact training@profectum.org to set up this option.

8 monthly payments of $268.75 charged on the 15th day of each month.

The first recurring monthly payment will be charged the month after the course begins.

Example: The course start date is August 5, 2022. The $425 deposit and the $425 1st payment are due before August 4, 2022. The first monthly payment of $268.75 will be charged on September 15, 2022.

There will be a 5-day grace period for credit card payments that fail or that are declined. After the 5 days, the participant will not  have access to the learning management system (LMS) until a payment is successfully made.

The following discounts may be available:

• Profectum Member
• Group Discount

Course Completion Requirements

The following criteria must be met in order to acquire a certificate at the end of this course.  These criteria should be monitored (record notes) throughout the course:

• Attendance 80% or better*
  • No more than 2 absences to the online classes over the course of the year
  • No more than 2 absences to tutoring sessions over the course of the year
  • *Any missed online class is expected to be viewed via Zoom recording and impressions/comments shared with the instructor in writing to be considered a “make-up” of the content missed.
• Contributes to online classes
• Uses technology as required by instructors
  • Camera is on for class
  • Uses the Learning Management System (LMS)
• Presentation of a minimum of 3 children over course of the year
  • 2+ in tutoring
  • 1 for final vignette
• Submit Unit Evaluations for Unit’s 1, 2, 3 and 4
• Complete collaborative Feedback Form

Important additional information for those seeking AOTA Continuing Education credits [ CLICK HERE ]

Technology Considerations

To make our training available to as broad a group as possible regardless of geography or time zones, Profectum uses video streaming and video conferencing as our standard technology tools. The course relies on you watching webcasts on your own and joining class discussions using video conferencing.  You will need a relatively modern PC/MAC and modern broadband internet access.  While Wi-fi can work if your home/office has excellent connectivity, a wired internet connection to your PC/MAC is highly recommended.

Please contact training@profectum.org – for more information.

 

Testimonials

Carly Coleman, Occupational Therapist
Profectum Fellow, Certificate Level 2

Benjamin Delgado, Developmental Therapist
Profectum Professional, Certificate Level 1