Prerequisites: Current status as a Certified HANDLE Screener.
The HANDLE Practitioner Course trains individuals who wish to offer the full range of HANDLE services, in a professional capacity, in affiliation with The HANDLE Institute. The course may also be taken by those who wish to learn more, with the understanding that only Certified HANDLE Screeners and Practitioners are authorized to offer HANDLE services.
HANDLE Practitioner Course includes a combination of classroom training and supervised clinical experience.
There are two 2-week classroom sessions for this program, with homework assignments in between.
The supervised HANDLE internship begins after the classroom sessions. Completion of the internship is based on demonstrated competency, therefore internship durations may vary. Internship durations are typically in the range of 12-24 months.
Successful completion of this internship, along with the completion of "Skills Acquisition," "Activity Analysis," and the Certified HANDLE Practitioner exam, are necessary for certification as a HANDLE Practitioner.
Participants will be receive in-depth knowledge about neurodevelopment, HANDLE evaluation protocols, and HANDLE therapeutic activities.
During the first classroom training module participants receive a personal HANDLE Assessment, a neurodevelopmental profile and a recommended program of activities to experience the HANDLE approach from the perspective of a client.
Participants will learn to use the "HANDLE Learning Foundations Inventory" (i.e., the HANDLE Assessment Tool) for people of varying abilities, focusing primarily on individuals ages five and older who have some verbal ability and some useful eye-hand coordination. They will learn to develop in-depth client profiles, and to see patterns leading to conclusions about neurodevelopmental function. They will learn the remainder of nearly 100 HANDLE activities, and how to apply them, for all ages and level of functions.
In the second session, participants will expand skills related to individuals with more complex differences, and will gain useful perspectives on how to determine irregular systemic development in younger children and infants. Participants learn how to give public presentations about HANDLE, how to write formal reports, and receive guidance on how to set up their own businesses.
The clinical internship of supervised work commences at the end of the second session. During the internship experience participants will work with individuals of many different ages and presumed abilities, with the guidance of Certified HANDLE Supervisors.
The internship involves a minimum of 150-200 hours of clinical experience. It is designed to incrementally build an intern's skills and competency in applying HANDLE. Certification may be sought for specific age levels and areas of dysfunction, then expanded with experience and continuing education.
In order to gain the clinical experience necessary for certification as a Certified HANDLE Practitioner, the Intern will be expected to use marketing skills learned during the course, to find and schedule individuals in the Intern's area who would like assessments; those assessments will be performed in partnership with a Certified HANDLE Supervisor. This process will help build and establish HANDLE in the intern's area prior to certification. An Intern will also have the option of traveling to a Supervisor’s office to supplement clinical experience.
Click here for a list of Certified HANDLE Supervisors and their locations
Fees vary. Please check course listings on the Schedule of Events page for the specific training course.