I Matter Practitioners Pathway

An I Matter Relationship Health and Parenting Certified Practitioner can:

Think, Formulate, Communicate, Educate 

The I Matter Certified Practitioner pathway develops professionals’ ability to think relationally, formulate clearly, communicate meaningfully, and educate in ways that builds confidence and problem-solving capacity in parents and adults.

Certification focuses on the use of the I Matter Framework to inform assessment and case formulation, and on the skilled communication and support for guided learning through the I Matter Learning Journey required to share this understanding safely and effectively with others.

Link certification is our entry level programme
Lead certification applies to practitioners working directly with parents and families.
Lead+ certification applies to professionals working with other practitioners, teams, and systems to embed relationship-healthy practice.

Practitioners learn to use the I Matter Framework confidently to inform assessment and case formulation decisions, and to use the I Matter Learning Journey to communicate with and educate clients so they can problem-solve and communicate with more confidence themselves.

Certified Practitioners can:  

• Think relationally under pressure

• Formulate what is going on in a family or system using the I Matter lens

• Make defensible, compassionate decisions about next steps

• Teach parents / adults how to think with the framework themselves

• Reduce dependency on the professional by building client capacity
  
  

The I Matter Professional Practice Cycle

(Our signature model)

Think → Formulate → Communicate → Educate

1️⃣ THINK – Relational Thinking Under Pressure

A Certified Practitioner can:

• Hold the I Matter Framework in mind during complex, emotionally charged situations

• Recognise alarm responses (in self and others)

• Avoid premature solutions or blame-based interpretations

• Maintain curiosity and relational safety

We focus on how professionals think, not what they do.

2️⃣ FORMULATE – Making Sense of What’s Going On

A Certified Practitioner can:

• Use the I Matter Framework to organise information meaningfully

• Develop a relational formulation that explains why things are difficult

• Identify strengths, stressors, capacity limits, and leverage points

• Decide what matters most now

Professional sense making and judgement is a vital explicit part of the role.

3️⃣ COMMUNICATE – Sharing Understanding Clearly and Safely

A Certified Practitioner can:

• Translate formulation into clear, compassionate language

• Share thinking without overwhelming, blaming, or professional jargon

• Adjust communication to emotional state, readiness, and context

• Build shared understanding rather than compliance

This includes:

• Explaining why certain strategies may or may not help

• Naming relational patterns in ways that feel supportive

• Supporting reflective conversations rather than directive ones

Communication of professional insights is a vital  professional skill, not an afterthought.

4️⃣ EDUCATE – Building Confidence and Problem-Solving Capacity

A Certified Practitioner can:

• Use the I Matter Learning Journey as a teaching and orientation tool

• Help clients locate themselves within the journey

• Support parents/adults to generate and test their own ideas

• Gradually reduce dependence on professional input

Education of clients means increasing relational literacy, not just delivering content.

I Matter Certification Summary Table

Notes for clarity:

• Trainee stages (Trainee Link / Trainee Lead / Trainee Lead+) are developmental and part of being accepted into training; no certification assessment is required.

• Certification demonstrates independent competence appropriate to the level of scope.

• All certified practitioners are assessed against the I Matter Practice Cycle: Think → Formulate → Communicate → Educate.

Benefits of Becoming A Relationship Health and I Matter Informed Practitioner

1.  I Matter Informed (completed the I Matter Fundamentals)
+ You will be able to understand child and adult challenges through the lens of relationship health and an I Matter Approach
+ You will be part of a community of practice taking forward this thinking.

2. I Matter Trainee and Certified Link Professional (completed the I Matter Fundamentals and Link Training)
+ You will be able to informally discuss I Matter and relationship health ideas with your clients
+ You will be able to offer adults that you work with a personal invitation to take part in Taster and I Matter Fundamentals courses
+ These will either be run centrally (mainly professionals) or in your locality (usually a focus on parents)
+ Adults who have an invitation from you as a Link professional will be able to self fund or be funded (if your organisation purchases licenses) 
+ As part of the invitation you will make some recommendations about the level of study support they are likely to need to benefit from the training.
+ Please be aware that there is more restricted access to gold and intensive levels of coaching support.

3a. I Matter Trainee and Certified Lead Professional (completed the I Matter Deep Dive and Lead Training)
+ You will be able to offer your own clients 1:1 or responsive workshops using the I Matter Resources (through face to face sessions)
+ In partnership with a hub, you will be able to offer your own clients an invitation to take part in Taster and I Matter Fundamentals online training hosted centrally and you can take a role in offering study support sessions.

3b: I Matter Trainee and Certified Lead Plus: Option: Set up a Locality Hub
+ If you are a licensed education, health or community professional with post graduate training and a current listing on a professional directory
+ You will also have the option to have your own I Matter Local account to use to provide online I Matter Training services to your clients
+ Your clients will be able to self fund or be funded (if your organisation purchases licenses centrally or for your locality.