Profectum DIR® Advanced Certificate Course

Profectum’s DIR Advanced Certificate Course is an online course that utilizes small class sizes and an intensive 9-month process to build on the participant’s knowledge and skills acquired in the DIR Foundations Course and encourages the participant to deepen their ability to conceptualize treatment plans within the framework of the DIR® Model.
Apply first, and please do not register until your application has been accepted.

WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR

Clinicians, educators and providers who want deepen their understanding and practice of the DIR® Model

 DATEs AND TIMEs

Starts Monday, September 14, 2026 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm eastern time

Ends Monday, May 10, 2027

LENGTH OF COURSE

9 months

Format

Instructor led - live online via Zoom

CERTIFICATE

Profectum DIR® Advanced Certificate

Payment options
Pay in full: $2,050
($450 non-refundable deposit)
Payment plan: 4 monthly payments of $400. Initial payment: $850 ($450 non-refundable deposit + first $400 payment).

IMPORTANT: Please read the "Payment, Withdrawal and Refund Policy" in the FAQs at the bottom of this page.
Special one time Offer
Organizations registering three or more participants from the same organization are eligible for a 5% discount on tuition for each participant. This offer is designed to support collaborative learning within teams and departments.
Bespoke team training
For customized, team-focused training for groups of eight or more, please contact us at training@profectum.org. We’d be happy to discuss tailored options to meet your organization’s learning goals.
course instructor

Linda Cervenka, MA, CCC-SLP

Linda Cervenka is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist and works primarily with children and adolescents with autistic spectrum and related disorders utilizing DIR® and development language models. She has a private practice in Riverside, Illinois providing mentoring, teaching, case management/guidance and direct service. Linda is also co-founder of Soaring Eagle Academy, an Illinois State Board of Education approved school serving students 5 through 21 years of age with autism and related disorders. She serves as an Expert Clinician/Trainer at the Academy. Linda received her Bachelor's Degree from Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, IL and her Master's Degree in Communicative Disorders from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has worked for over 35 years with children with special needs, in home based and clinic based therapeutic services and public and private schools providing consultation, training and support for children and families. Linda is a Senior Faculty member of Profectum and has presented nationally on the topic of developmental approaches to intervention for children. Additionally, within the Academy and through private consultations, Linda helps parents/caregivers and school programs understand a developmental approach to dysregulation seeing the child’s actions as a stress response versus “behaviors” that are intentional and to avoid/escape learning. The primary areas of support include training all stakeholders in the child’s developmental process including but not limited to the child’s language comprehension profile, recognizing and reading their subtle communicative intentions and understanding their individual sensory, affective and motor systems during a stress response.

Course overview

The DIR® Advanced Certificate Course advances the participant’s ability to assess and articulate individual profiles as well as Functional Emotional Developmental Levels (FEDLs), and to use DIR® principles and strategies to foster social-emotional development in a wider range of infants, children, adolescents and adults with developmental challenges. The goal of the DIR® Advanced Certificate Course is to provide participants with initial expertise in working with children who have challenges in relating, communicating, and thinking while honoring individual differences utilizing a developmental, relationship-based approach.

Topics include:

  • Clinician’s reflective process
  • Client’s reflective process
  • Advanced observation, interaction and assessment tools will advance participant fidelity in the DIR® Model
  • Assessment of various emotional, learning and neurodevelopmental profiles and implications for treatment and progress
  • Ability to project and monitor developmental progress of clients over time
  • Case based learning

Learning objectives

As a result of this course, participants will:

  • Demonstrate a deeper understanding of the course of development, individual differences and developmental challenges
  • Develop a deeper understanding of observation, assessment, interaction and comprehensive intervention skills
  • Conceptualize a range of cases within the DIR® Model framework
  • Display a deeper understanding of integration of the model and your own discipline
  • Apply and build/modify interventions across time demonstrating a deeper understanding of the integration of the model
  • Describe your experience with reflective supervision

Format

  • Monthly webcast lectures
  • Live online instructor led classes meet 1-time per month for 2-hours
  • Live online tutoring groups meet 1-time per month for 1.5 to 2 hours depending on the size of the group
  • Small group reflective tutoring provides participants the opportunity to receive feedback on their clinical work.
  • Participants will share a range of cases and ultimately present a final case.

Criteria to take the course

  • Be a working professional in any discipline who wants to enrich and deepen their DIR® Model practice. Professional parents may take the course but will not be permitted to use his or her own child to show their work.
  • Have a Bachelor's degree or higher, have a license or certificate in your discipline and have completed Profectum’s DIR Foundations Course or equivalent (ie. ICDL DIR 201 and DIR 202)
  • Have access to a minimum of three cases with the ability to video your work with children or adults with a developmental disability throughout the course. Videos must be from a work setting.

What participants are saying

Reflective Thinker

"I really enjoyed this course. I feel like I grew significantly as a clinician and in my ability to be a reflective thinker around my work."

Constructive and Supportive Feedback

"I received very constructive and supportive feedback during my case presentations. I also received increased knowledge and understanding of my clients and others' clients from the rich groups discussions."

Deepened Understanding

"This course truly deepened and enriched my understanding and incorporation of concepts into my practice."

Frequently asked questions

How much time will I need to spend on the course

The DIR Advanced course is a 9-month training program.
  • Monthly webcast lectures
  • Live online instructor led classes meet 1-time per month for 2-hours
  • Live online tutoring groups meet 1-time per month for 1.5 to 2 hours depending on the size of the group
  • Small group reflective tutoring provides participants the opportunity to receive feedback on their clinical work.
  • Participants will share a range of cases and ultimately present a final case.

How will this knowledge help me in my practice

This course will strengthen your ability to understand development, individual differences, and developmental challenges through the DIR® Model, while deepening skills in observation, assessment, interaction, and comprehensive intervention. You will learn to conceptualize diverse cases within the DIR® framework, integrate the model with your own discipline, and thoughtfully apply and adapt interventions over time, supported by mentoring that enhances clinical insight and professional growth.

What are the requirements to receive a certificate

In addition to meeting the criteria to take this course, the following criteria must be met in order to receive a certificate at the end of this course. These criteria should be monitored throughout the course:

  • No more than 2 absences to the online classes during the course, No more than 2 absences to the online tutoring sessions during the course. 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. Note: Zoom class recordings are available for 30 days only after the scheduled class.
  • Contribute to online class discussions
  • Use technology as required by instructors:
    Camera is on for class
    Use the Learning Management System (LMS)
  • Present of a minimum of 3 children over the 9 months, including 1 for the final vignette


IMPORTANT NOTE: Certification does not imply endorsement of clinical competency. As a paraprofessional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities defined as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your employer's and profession’s standards.

Payment, withdrawal and refund policy

Tuition for the DIR Advanced Certificate Course is $2,050.

Payment can be made in full before the course begins (which includes a $450 non-refundable deposit) or monthly in four payments of $400, the initial payment is $850 (a $450 non-refundable deposit and the first month payment of $400). Payment is due before the course begins.
There will be a 5-day grace period for failed or declined credit card payments. After five days, the participant will not have access to the learning management system (LMS) until payment is successfully made.

If you submit payment and withdraw from this course at least 20 working days (Mon-Fri) BEFORE the start date of the course, you will receive a refund minus a cancelation fee of $75. If requests to withdraw are received after this time, no refund is given and you are responsible for full payment of the course.Requests to withdraw must be sent via email to training@profectum.org.

Under certain circumstances, you may be able to begin training again with a group scheduled at a later date, but the course payment is still due as scheduled for the initial group registration.

In the event that a course group is canceled, you will be notified immediately via email and a credit will be issued toward a rescheduled course group or the entire submitted fee will be refunded without further liability on the part of the organizer.

If you have questions, contact training@profectum.org.

Cancellation policy

We strive to accommodate start times and international time zones for our participants and, therefore, reserve the right to adjust course start dates and times as needed. A minimum number of participants are required to run each course group. We reserve the right to cancel or postpone a scheduled group if the required number of participants is not achieved.

Contact training@profectum.org if you have questions.In the event that a course group is canceled, you will be notified immediately via email and a credit will be issued toward a rescheduled course group or the entire submitted fee will be refunded without further liability on the part of the organizer.

If you have questions, contact training@profectum.org.

Technology requirements

Profectum uses video streaming and video conferencing as our standard technology tools. The course relies on you watching webcasts on your own and joining live online class discussions using Zoom.

A computer with a monitor, keyboard, and a mouse or a laptop.Speakers, either built into your computer or external (plugged into your computer).

Camera, either built into your computer or external (plugged into your computer).

An internet connection, either wired or wireless, DSL or better.

The Zoom application.

A PDF viewer, such as Adobe.

A printer or access to a printer (to print materials, if desired).

Special accommodations

If you require ADA accommodations or have a special needs request, please email training@profectum.org at least two weeks before the program start date so arrangements can be made.