Practising Licence Programme: Special Needs Educational Therapist (ONLINE)
This programme qualifies trainees who have met all requirements of the International Association of Counselors & Therapists (IACT) for admission as licensed special needs educational therapists. Unlike traditional teaching, which focuses primarily on academics, educational therapy addresses both academic content and how an individual processes information.
Officially recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Educational Therapy has been classified under procedure code 93.82 in the International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modifications-Ninth Revision, Volume 3 (ICD-9-CM, V-3) since 1986. It is the gold standard, non-pharmacological approach and the most holistic in addressing a wide range of learning difficulties, disorders, differences, and deficits.
Individuals with learning differences and difficulties may find it challenging to learn in conventional settings, as they may process information uniquely due to emotional, cognitive, neurological, or physical disabilities and disorders. An educational therapist conducts comprehensive diagnostic assessments to understand each individual’s learning challenges and delivers a wide range of individualised, intensive educational interventions and therapy procedures tailored to the individual. Educational therapists may come from diverse professional backgrounds, including special education, psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and counselling.
IACT is the largest and most prestigious professional body of its kind, based in the USA, admitting individuals who have fulfilled the rigorous requirements of its practising licence programmes. Membership is a mark of high standards and excellence. Practising members are clinically skilled, bound by high ethical standards, and widely respected. They are eligible to practise in many countries across North America, Asia, Europe, and beyond.
IACT’s practising licence comprises three tiers: Credentialed (Interventionist), Registered (Assessor), and Board-Certified (Diagnostician), with Board-Certified being the highest status.
As required by IACT, all coursework, assignments, and essays must be supervised and verified by an IACT-approved instructor and submitted to IACT’s Assessment Board for final assessment. Merlion Academy is authorised to supervise and verify trainees’ work in support of their IACT membership applications, with additional support provided by the IACT Singapore and Malaysia chapters. Upon completing the programme and fulfilling the Credentialed tier requirements, trainees are eligible for full membership with the Association of Educational Therapists (Singapore) as an Educational Therapist.
Admissions are conducted on a rolling basis and may commence at any time.
Course Modules:
- Module 1: Introduction to Educational Therapy
- Module 2: Lifespan Human Development (From Birth to Late Adolescence)
- Module 3: Nosology of Disabilities & Disorders
- Module 4: Introduction to the 3 Praxes in Educational Therapy
- Module 5: Screening through Assessment to Intervention
- Module 1: Advanced Nosology of Disabilities & Disorders
- Module 2: Screening and Assessment Tools in Educational Therapy
- Module 3: Introduction to Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Theory
- Module 4: Advanced Praxis 1: Core Basic Skills
- Module 5: Advanced Praxis 3: Sensory, Adaptive & Socio-Emotional Behavioural Skills
- Module 1: Design of an Individualised Therapy Programme
- Module 2: Design of an Individualised Education Plan
- Module 3: Design of a 504 Plan
- Module 4: Case Review & Evaluation in Educational Therapy
- Module 5: Case Studies in Educational Therapy
Assessment:
1. Assessment is assignment based, mainly publication of journal articles.
2. Guided learning hours to fulfil: 30 hours per module (150 hours per tier).
3. Non-guided learning hours (research, assignments and journal papers writing for publishing): 30 hours per module (150 hours per tier).
Practicum:
220 hours of internship under clinical supervision at a counselling center, therapy clinic, school or hospital would be required at the completion of Registered tier qualification.
Duration:
8 months per tier
Entry Requirements:
Age
21 years and above
Minimum qualification
Minimum a bachelor’s degree in
i. special education, education, teaching, psychoeducational therapy, biology, medicine, counselling or psychology; or
ii. any discipline with postgraduate diploma in teaching, education, educational therapy, counselling, social work, nursing, psychology etc.
English requirement
1. IELTS 6.5 (reading and writing must be at 6.5); or
2. A pass in English Language paper at GCE Ordinary Level; or
3. Equivalent (Pearson English Test, TOEFL).
Course Fees:
(Non-refundable one-time application fee of SGD 95.00 is payable upon application)
Programme fee
SGD 1,500.00 per module
Marking fee
SGD 50.00 per module
Payment mode
Stripe / Credit card / Alipay
Refund Terms
90% – more than 28 days before course commencement
50% – less than 28 days before course commencement
10% – less than 3 days before course commencement
0% – more than 3 days after the course commencement
