QST Certified Trainer
Upcoming Courses
SPRING 2024
FALL 2024
SPRING 2025
Live Q&A Sessions
— Course Description
This course will certify graduates to provide both the QST parent-delivered intervention and the QST Certified Trainer-delivered intervention. Students will learn principles of training and coaching parents in the parent autism therapy, as well as receive hands-on training and skill development in the QST autism therapy protocol.
This course is designed for occupational therapists, physical therapists, autism specialists, and other professionals working with young children with autism.
The course is five (in-person) or six (online) months in length and can include both on-site training and distance clinical supervision via Skype or similar platform.
The total cost for the course is $3,250.
Prior to the course, each student will recruit one child with autism and his/her family to work with during this five-month course. To be eligible, the child should meet the following criteria:
- Have a diagnosis of autism
- Be under 12 years of age
- Take little or no psychoactive medication or chelation therapy
- Have no additional neurological disability (e.g. cerebral palsy or uncontrolled seizures)
- No other intensive autism interventions should be planned to begin at the same time as QST (e.g. 20-40 hours of ABA per week)
- Not be a family member or in the direct care of the QST Certified Trainer Course student
The course begins with intensive training on theory and practice over 4 days in person or 4 weeks online. This is followed by a five-month clinical supervision practicum. During supervision, QST therapist-candidates meet with the family on 20 occasions to support caregivers and work directly with the child. Therapists are supervised by a QST Master Trainer throughout this process. They create chart notes which are reviewed by the Master Trainer after each session and complete a series of reading assignments and learning objectives throughout this period. They also receive a minimum of two live-video supervisions and two reviews of recorded sessions. Working with a family during supervision allows therapists to hone their skills in delivering the protocol and resolve difficulties that arise for parents in implementing daily therapy. There is a discussion forum with weekly assignments that create opportunities for group learning within each training cohort, as well as case study teleconferences at the mid-point and end of the supervision period. Upon completion of care, therapist-candidates conduct an exit interview with parents/caregivers of the child with whom they work during the course and create a pre-post slide with the data they compile.
— Prerequisites
Students should:
- Have at least two years of professional or para-professional experience working with children on the autism spectrum – or – be a parent or close family member of a child with autism
- Be in good health, taking little or no chronic medication. The reason for this requirement is that Qigong Sensory Training utilizes the energy, intention and sensibility of the QST trainer. According to Chinese medicine, chronic illness and chronic medication decrease a person’s overall energy and sensitivity, and thus the resources they bring to working with QST.
Please note that the education portion of the course is intensive and, if you have a learning disability (e.g., ADHD, ADD) or if you have autism yourself, this course could prove to be challenging to complete.
— Responsibilities of Students
- Recruit and obtain the history and informed consent of a family with a child with autism that meets eligibility criteria for participation in the training. Click here to learn more about recruiting a family in order to finalize your registration.
- Attend all sessions of the training, including required teleconferences, as scheduled
- Collect pre- and post-test data from the child/family with whom they work during the course
- Complete 20 therapy sessions with the child/family with whom they work
— Graduation Requirements
- Successfully complete practical and written exams
- Complete 20 therapy appointments, including all QST Master Trainer supervised sessions, with a child with autism
- Demonstrate ability to successfully “de-block” and “fill” during qigong massage sessions
— Enrollment / Cancellation Policy
Classes will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please submit an inquiry of interest to participate here. If you are accepted into the course after meeting pre-enrollment screening, you will receive instructions to complete enrollment and pay tuition. The course fee is refundable, minus a 10% administrative fee, 30 days or more prior to the start of the course. No refunds are available within 30 days of the start of the course.
Full payment must be received with your enrollment. The course fee is refundable, minus a 10% administrative fee, 60 days or more prior to the start of the course. The registration fee, minus a 15% administrative fee, is refundable 30 to 59 days prior to the start of the course. No refunds are available within 30 days of the start of the course.
— Contact Hours
Upon graduation, students receive a certificate documenting 80 contact hours from the Qigong Sensory Training Institute.