Direct Support Professional Badges

WSU’s online Direct Support Professional (DSP) Eight Part Badge Series will provide the knowledge and teach the skills required of direct support professionals. Direct support professionals work directly with people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities and assist them in realizing their full potential. They help people learn how to do things independently such as personal care, household tasks, health and safety, advocacy, crisis prevention, financial management, and skill development education. It is meaningful and rewarding work in a highly demanded profession and is perfect for those interested in healthcare, education or social services.

This badge series is made up of 8 badges which build to 3 certificates.

✔ Approved for use as part of the DSP+ registered apprenticeship program
✔ Self-paced & fully online
✔ Skills-based training
✔ Industry recognized

This course will introduce the field of Direct Support Providers and the basic skills required to work as a DSP. Content in this course includes an introduction to intellectual disabilities, history of disabilities, ethics, safety and the importance of DPS’s as teachers.

This course introduces behavioral supports and intervention culture. The student will learn how to develop individual service planning and practice fundamentals of effective documentation.

This course develops skills in utilizing assessments, augmented alternative communication systems, interpersonal communication and self-determination. The course includes two applied experiences—one on assessment and measurement and the second with an informal augmented alternative assessment.

Badge 4

This course provides an overview of community living skills and supports and introduces students to facilitating and supporting community living and inclusion. Students will learn how to facilitate team dynamics and communication, support individuals through achieving vocational goals and understand the broad profession of direct support in disability services. For the applied experiences in this course, the student will assist in a multi-step learning task and a career planning assessment.

In this course, students will learn how to promote self-determination and the importance of networking, advocacy and promoting community service. The applied experiences include an observation record of empowering communication and creating a community map.

This course will teach students how to provide vocational, educational and career support for individuals with disabilities and review crisis intervention strategies and organizational planning processes for direct support providers. The student will facilitate career exploration for an individual they support and work through a crisis chain of events.

This course teaches students how to complete a procedural task analysis and develop flow charts and trauma response strategies for individuals with disabilities. Students will discuss the common characteristics of types of autism and learn to identify and discuss strategies to assist individuals receiving support to participate in the recruitment, training and management of support staff. For the applied experiences, the student will complete a task analysis and a career planning assessment.

This course teaches students conflict resolution, problem-solving strategies and reviews the role of being a mentor and leader for other direct support professionals. Students will conduct a training for approved site and review policy on conflict for additional hands-on experience.

These badge courses will provide the training you need to enhance your knowledge, improve competency and increase your quality of service. These for-credit badges are online and self-paced. This makes workloads more manageable for someone who is already busy with a full-time job and family! 

✔ Build employer-identified skills
✔ Enhance knowledge
✔ Improve competency
✔ Increase service quality

As one of the approved cirriculum options of the DSP+ registered apprenticeship program, learn while you earn by getting started as a candidate today! Gain high quality training as well as a nationally-recognized portable credential.

Talk to your employer about earning the DSP certification! Learn more about Corporation/Sponsor Requirements and 3rd Party Billing.

Take the next step in your career and make a positive impact in the lives of othes.

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