It Takes Two to Talk® Certification Workshop for Speech-Language Pathologists
The It Takes Two to Talk Certification Workshop is a three-day workshop led by a specially trained Hanen Instructor. Offered over 100 times per year in venues around the world, this workshop equips SLPs to apply the Hanen approach to working with families of young children (birth to 5) with language delays. This includes leading It Takes Two to Talk – The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children with Language Delays.
Why Take the It Takes Two to Talk® Workshop?
►Practical tools for effectively involving parents in their child’s early language intervention
After taking the It Takes Two to Talk Certification Workshop, you will have the tools to effectively involve parents in their child’s intervention. You will know how to help them learn to apply the strategies that facilitate a child’s language development and you will have a set of user-friendly resources to support and supplement your therapy.
►Certification to lead an evidence-based, early language intervention program to groups of parents
Developed by expert speech-language pathologists and grounded in extensive research, the It Takes Two to Talk Program has been proven in clinical practice to have positive effects on the communication development of young children.
For a detailed summary of the research on the program, click on the link below:

When you offer the It Takes Two to Talk Program to parents, you’ll be teaching them how to:
- Recognize their child’s stage and style of communication so they’ll know which steps to take next
- Identify what motivates their child to interact with them so they’ll know how to get conversations started
- Adjust everyday routines to help their child take turns and keep interactions going
- Follow their child’s lead to build his confidence and encourage him to communicate
- Add language to interactions with their child to help him understand the world around him
- Tweak the way they play and read books with their child to help him learn language
- Change the way they speak to their child so he’ll understand and learn new words
Naturalistic intervention forms the basis of the It Takes Two to Talk Program. Parents learn practical ways to tweak the way they interact with their child to promote language learning throughout every part of their child’s day.
Read more about the It Takes Two to Talk Program here.
►An effective teaching methodology
The It Takes Two to Talk Certification workshop shows you the most effective ways to engage parents to ensure absorption, retention, and generalization of the strategies you teach them.
Based on the core principles of adult learning, the It Takes Two to Talk Program recognizes that adults learn best when adequate demonstrations, discussions and opportunities to practice are afforded to them. When you offer the It Takes Two to Talk Program to parents, which includes individual videotaping and feedback sessions, you’ll be maximizing parents' ability to retain the strategies they have learned.
►User-friendly resources to use in your It Takes Two to Talk® Programs, as well as in your daily clinical practice
At the It Takes Two to Talk Certification Workshop, you’ll receive all the materials you’ll need to offer the It Takes Two to Talk Program for parents. These resources include:
1. The It Takes Two to Talk® Making Hanen Happen Leaders Guide
This step-by-step guide lays out the entire parent program for you, and includes all the handouts and checklists you’ll require to run the program.
2. The It Takes Two to Talk Program Slides DVD with embedded video clips
This DVD provides you with the PowerPoint slides you need to lead the program and includes real-life video examples of the strategies in action, allowing for deeper understanding and easy verification for parents that they’re applying the strategies correctly.
3. The It Takes Two to Talk® Parent Guidebook and Companion DVD
The parent guidebook and Companion DVD are used alongside the program to reinforce what parents learn and to provide them with fresh new ideas for interacting with their children to facilitate language learning.
4. Introduction to Hanen DVD
This DVD serves as an ideal introduction for parents to the Hanen approach.
Not every SLP who takes the It Takes Two to Talk Certification Workshop has the ability to lead parent programs. But even if you aren’t offering the It Takes Two to Talk Program, the workshop and accompanying resources can be very useful in other ways, including:
- Providing a framework for one-to-one therapy sessions for children with language delay.
- Checklists included in the Making Hanen Happen Leaders Guide will help you set goals for each child based on their developmental stage.
- Supplementing home programming by providing pictures and information about what you are doing in therapy.
- Giving a head start to parents whose children are on a waiting list for therapy by highlighting key strategies in the guidebook that they can begin to apply while they wait for treatment for their child.
To find out more about how It Takes Two to Talk resources can be integrated into your clinical practice, click on the link below:

►Professional development hours
The It Takes Two to Talk Workshop is a great way to earn 21.5 professional development hours. All North American workshops are registered with ASHA for 2.15 Continuing Education Units. If you are attending an International workshop and wish to receive ASHA CEUs, please email ceu@hanen.org at least 6 weeks prior to the workshop date.

►Ongoing support
As a Hanen member certified in It Takes Two to Talk, the Program Director and Hanen team will be there to support you and answer any questions you may have about facilitating the program or using the resources. You’ll receive frequent updates on the latest news and research concerning language intervention and the It Takes Two to Talk Program.
Taking the It Takes Two to Talk® Certification Workshop and Becoming a Hanen Member
Upon completion of the It Takes Two to Talk Certification Workshop, you receive a one-year renewable Hanen membership, and you join our worldwide network of over 8000 speech-language professionals. You can take advantage of exclusive member benefits, such as the ability to take Advanced Hanen Workshops and attend e-Seminars at reduced rates.
Learn more about the benefits of Hanen membership.
Find an It Takes Two to Talk Certification Workshop near you.
View the It Takes Two to Talk Certification Workshop Fact Sheet.
Note: This workshop will focus exclusively on the It Takes Two to Talk® Program and will include no or limited information on other similar or related products or services.