STAR Institute provides a route to proficiency credentials in disordered Sensory Processing for Occupational Therapists.
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STAR Certification 1 (STAR ProCert 1)
STAR Certification 2 (STAR ProCert 2)
STAR Proficiency Certification Level 1
Competencies Acquired with STAR ProCert 1:
- Differential diagnosis of the subtypes of disordered Sensory Processing
- Selection and use of tools appropriate for evaluation of disordered Sensory Processing in children
- Ability to analyze and synthesize information from evaluation tools to direct intervention processes for disordered Sensory Processing
- Knowledge of basic principles of the STAR PROCESS approach; procedural elements, therapeutic principles and parent education
- Ability to identify functional outcomes associated with evaluation results while simultaneously addressing family needs and desires
- Utilization of clinical reasoning to develop intervention and adaptations for disordered Sensory Processing based on the STAR PROCESS
- Ability to facilitate meaningful engagement of family in intervention and family participation in the goal development processes
- Ability to synthesize information from evaluation and use clinical reasoning to formulate a clear, concise evaluation report and treatment note
Requirements:
STAR Institute Level 1 Intensive Mentorship
The first step in earning the STAR ProCert 1 credential is the completion of STAR Institute's Level 1 Intensive Mentorship: Clinical Reasoning in Intervention, resulting in the receipt of the Advanced Mentored Clinician certification.
Working in a small-group setting of about 15, participants of STAR Institute’s Level 1 Intensive Mentorships learn to apply clinical reasoning through live treatment observation and analysis with experienced therapists.
- Observe children in direct therapy with experienced STAR Institute Treatment Center therapists using combined occupational therapy (OT) and listening therapy (LT).
- Experience active mentoring before, during, and after observed treatment sessions.
- Receive group processing/supervision guided by sensory pioneer Dr. Lucy Jane Miller and Dr. Sarah Schoen, clinical services advisor for STAR Institute.
- Learn about the newest assessment tools.
Click here to learn more about the program.
STAR Proficiency Certification Level 1
After completing STAR Institute's Intensive Mentorship 1 and earning the Advanced Mentored Clinician certification, clinicians are eligible to participate in our 8-week online course.
This course will apply concepts of disordered Sensory Processing principles into daily practice, analyze the historical and contemporary principles related to disordered Sensory Processing, and apply a clinical reasoning model for the evaluation of disordered Sensory Processing. In addition, students will use components of the STAR Treatment Model in practice, and evaluate fidelity to the approach. Upon completion of this course, the STAR ProCert 1 credential is granted.
Please click here to go to the course registration page.
Timeline:
Clinicians must complete the certification process within 3 years, from the beginning of the STAR Institute Level 1 Intensive Mentorship to the end of the STAR Proficiency Level 1 course.
Exception: Those who completed a Level 1 Mentorship program from 2007 to 2017 will have until December 31, 2021 to complete the STAR Proficiency Certification Level 1 program.
If more than 3 years have passed beyond this exception, clinicians would need to complete the Level 1 Mentorship program again to be eligible for STAR ProCert 1 certification.
STAR Proficiency Certification Level 2
Competencies Acquired with STAR ProCert 2 Certification:
- Utilization of clinical reasoning to develop intervention and adaptations for disordered Sensory Processing based on the STAR PROCESS
- Clear carryover of Level 1 competencies: differential diagnosis, knowledge of basic principles of the STAR Approach, ability to use professional reasoning to formulate a clear and concise treatment plan
- Ability to verbalize the benefits of play- and relationship-based intervention
- Demonstration of ability to attune to a child and follow their lead, while also directing treatment to support arousal regulation and engagement
- Ability to use sensory integration techniques to support the optimal level of arousal and engagement
- Development of A SECRET, using a strengths-based approach, to support caregiver problem-solving and transfer of knowledge from clinic to home
- Demonstrate self-reflective capacities and ability to reason in the moment (reflection-in-action) and following sessions (reflection-on-action) to adapt treatment and therapeutic use of self as an essential component of promoting engagement, arousal regulation, and participation in the just-right success
Requirements:
STAR Proficiency Certification Level 1
Successful completion of both the STAR Institute Level 1 Intensive Mentorship and STAR Proficiency Certification Level 1, leading to the STAR ProCert 1 Certification.
STAR Proficiency Certification Level 2
Occupational Therapists are eligible to take this online course, STAR Proficiency Certification Level 2, after earning the STAR ProCert 1 certification.
Prepare for an in-depth exploration into clinical reasoning behind the STAR Process. Participants will explore the essential elements of the STAR Process to prepare for intensive mentoring during hands-on treatment in the STAR Level 2 Mentorship Program. This course will build upon knowledge from the STAR Level 1 Mentorship Program, but will dive deeper, encouraging advanced clinical reasoning skills and exploration of higher level therapeutic concepts and the art of therapy.
Participants will be mentored through the process using video review, journaling, group discussion, and guided reflections. Topics will include: 1) clinical reasoning, 2) synthesis of the STAR approach, 3) regulation, 4) Social-emotional levels of the Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-based Model of Intervention (DIR), 5) Interpersonal Neurobiology of Play, and 6) A SECRET.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will:
- Recognize and discuss the progression of clinical reasoning, giving examples of their own process in group discussions and written reflections.
- Demonstrate understanding of the foundational elements of the STAR process through written reflections and group discussion of the approach, in preparation for hands-on mentoring in the STAR Level 2 Mentorship Program.
- Demonstrate, through video presentations and group discussion, understanding of the importance of arousal regulation as an essential component of treatment (for clients and for themselves).
- Identify successful play- and sensory-based treatment approaches, through video presentation, using DIR and sensory techniques.
- Examine the why behind relationship-based therapy and play, through the lens of Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB).
- Explore A SECRET at a deeper level, using a strengths-based approach to support families in the problem-solving process.
Please click here to go to the course registration page.
STAR Institute Level 2 Intensive Mentorship
After completion of STAR's Proficiency Level 2 course, participants may complete STAR Institute's Level 2 Intensive Mentorship: Advanced Clinical Skills Through Hands-on Treatment and Mentoring. After completion, the STAR ProCert 2 certification will be conferred.
The objective of Level 2 is to develop advanced clinical skills through hands-on treatment, active mentoring, advance lecture topics, and self-reflection. The intensive format allows for a deeper understanding of the STAR PROCESS Model, integrating information from Level 1 with the relationship-based, family-centered approach that is foundational to STAR.
Goals for Mentees:
- Engagement in Reflective Process
- Better understanding of regulation in child and self
- Understanding and developing relationship between self and client
- PROCESS of the WHAT & HOW; INTEGRATION of the WHAT & the HOW
- HOW to implement knowledge base
- HOW did it feel while doing it?
- Taking action and turning it into meaning
Click here to learn more about the program.
Timeline:
Clinicians must complete the certification process within 3 years, from the beginning of the STAR Proficiency Level 2 course to the completion of STAR's Level 1 Intensive Mentorship.
Those who completed a Level 2 Mentorship program before 2019 will be able to take the course and earn the STAR Proficiency Certification Level 2 until the end of 2021.
From January 2022, all participants must first complete the then the STAR Level 2 Mentorship program.