Get Certified On-Line or In-Person

You can become a Certified Stepfamily Services Provider (CSSP)

Gain Confidence, Expertise, and Our Help to Strengthen Your Practice

This is not a refresher course. And, it is more than the usual certification. For new and experienced helping professionals, this is preparation and partnership for becoming truly able to make a difference in the lives of your clients.

Our promise to you: Your certification will mean something and you will receive support after completing the course.

Two of the biggest differences between this training and others are: First, you can be confident that you are current with the best practices that have been proven effective by the most current research into thousands of stepfamily success stories. Second, we pick up where other training programs leave off. Your successful completion of the certification will qualify you to enroll in the Provider Promotion Program at a 30% discount* where you can strengthen your practice with peer support, referrals, contracts and more training. We understand that certification is a first step, it lays the foundation upon which to build further learning.

Instead of being sent out alone, we welcome you onto a team. When your practice is strong, both you and your stepfamily clients win.

Course Formats:

In-Person and Live Webinar

The course is convenient. You can attend the certification class and peer support meetings in-person or by live webinar. 

Course Schedule

Group Option: Certification group courses are scheduled for the 1st weekend of every month. The course runs when there is a minimum of 4 participants who can attend. Payments become non-refundable upon the announcement of an open date. Your payment is held for your enrollment in a group date that works for you. 

One-On-One Option: Set your own date. You will be trained privately in 4 sessions of 3 hours each. We will meet in-person, by video, or by phone at your convenience.

Evidence-Informed Training

Your certification will be based on the most current evidence of what works with stepfamilies, as proven by published studies of clinical results achieved by leading stepfamily experts.** 

Tuition

Group Option: $950 includes all materials, 3 bi-weekly peer support phone sessions facilitated by our StepFamily Services Clinical Services Director, a 30% discount* on the StepFamily Services Provider Promotion Program.

One-On-One Option: $1,150 includes everything the group option includes, with added flexibility in scheduling, time to practice between course sessions, and private instruction. 

Peer Meetings: Upon completing the training portion of the certification, students meet in-person or by phone for 30 minutes every two weeks for 6 weeks. A facilitator guides students in reflecting on the certification topics and their work with clients. Students receive certificates of completion when they have actively attended three peer meetings.

Invite a Friend for a Discount

Your choice: You can receive a 10% discount* or bonus peer support meeting,

when you invite a colleague who registers.

Certification Registration and Inquiry Form

* The discount is available to non-scholarship or otherwise discounted certification students and providers. If you are not eligible for the discount, you will receive one bonus peer support meeting.

** Best practices are drawn from the published results of clinical practice by such leading experts as Dr. Patricia Papernow, Elizabeth Einstein, MA, MFT; Ron Deal, Francesca Adler-Baeder, PhD, CFLE; Jeannette Lofas, PhD, LCSW; and recommendations put forth by the Administration for Children and Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

We are a Woman-Owned Small Business