The structure of qualifying examinations for professional colleagues to be a SSLD practitioner is designed to cover conceptual understanding, ability to apply SSLD principles and methods in practice, and demonstrable competence in actual practice.

A certificate confirming that the candidate is qualified to practice SSLD will be issued after completion of all parts of the Qualifying Examination, and full payment of the requisite fees.

Before taking any of the qualifying examinations, an applicant has to meet the following criteria:

1. Possession of professional qualification in one of the human service professions by licensing or regulatory authorities in the applicant's country/region (e.g., registered social workers, licensed psychologists, registered nurses, certified human resource professional, licensed medical practitioner, etc.).
2. Successful completion of at least 30 hours of SSLD training in a recognized or accredited program. Supervision and/or consultation sessions with a recognized SSLD trainer can be counted towards the qualifying hours.

This part will consist of multiple choice and true-false questions related to SSLD theory, concepts, and practice principles.

This part of the examination can be taken on-line.

The purpose of Part II Examination is to ascertain that the candidate can apply SSLD theory, concepts, and principles to a given practice situation. The case situation will be in the area of the candidate's intended field of practice, which will be specified in the Certificate.

The Case Study will be assessed by at least two qualified SSLD examiners. Written feedback and evaluation will be given to the candidate.

This will take place in an actual or simulated practice situation in which the examiner can directly observe the performance of the candidate to determine if the candidate has mastered adequate skills as a SSLD practitioner.

Actual practice situation will only be used when full informed consent has been obtained from service clients and relevant parties. A practice situation simulated by trained actors will be used when real-life practice situation is not available for the purpose of examination.

When direct observation cannot be arranged, a video recording can be used for examination.

The examination can include the examiner's assessment of the observed session, in real-life or on video. It may also include an oral examination related to the principles and methods of SSLD practice.

1. 1Completion of the initial application form, indicating intention to qualify as a SSLD practitioner.
2. 2The form will be vetted by the CLC, with a determination of whether the Basic Professional Qualification has been met. Notification will be sent to the applicant, usually within a month.
3. 3Upon the receipt of the notification, the applicant can register to take Part I of the Qualifying Examination (Theory, Concepts, and Principles), which is available on-line.
4. 4Applicants who have passed Part I will be issued a notification of their successful completion. They can then proceed to take Part II and Part III of the Qualifying Examination.
5. 5Applicants who have failed Part I can re-take the examination in three months and will need to pay the exam fee again. Once an applicant has passed Part I, a notification of successful completion will be issued to them.
6. 6Successful completion of Part II (Case Analysis) and Part III (In-Vivo Performance) does not have to be sequential. Applicants who have passed Part I can proceed with either or both of these parts.