Thrive Advanced Practitioner is the next stage of professional development for Thrive Licensed Practitioners. Rather than revisiting the core principles of the Thrive Approach, it builds on the knowledge and practical experience practitioners have already developed, equipping them with advanced skills that strengthen support for children, colleagues, families and whole-setting practice.
Whether you're a Licensed Practitioner considering your own development or a senior leader looking to invest in your staff, this guide explains what additional expertise Advanced Practitioner develops - and why many settings see it as the natural next step.
Why progress beyond Licensed Practitioner?
Becoming a Licensed Practitioner equips professionals to assess children's social and emotional development, understand their needs and apply the Thrive Approach confidently in practice. But as practitioners gain experience, their role often evolves.
They begin supporting colleagues, contributing to inclusion strategies, interpreting Thrive-Online data across groups of pupils, working more closely with families and helping embed Thrive consistently across their setting. Thrive Advanced Practitioner has been designed for exactly this stage of professional development.
How your role develops as an Advanced Practitioner
| As a Thrive Licensed Practitioner you've learned to... | As a Thrive Advanced Practitioner, you'll be able to... |
| Assess children's social and emotional development. | Interpret patterns across groups and settings to inform wider practice and implementation. |
| Plan and deliver effective Thrive interventions. | Develop more advanced therapeutic and relational responses for children with increasingly complex needs. |
| Use Thrive-Online confidently to assess and plan support. | Use Thrive-Online strategically to evaluate impact, identify trends and support whole-setting improvement. |
| Build positive relationships with children and young people. | Strengthen partnerships with parents and carers through Family Thrive. |
| Apply the Thrive Approach in your own practice. | Support colleagues to develop confidence and consistency in their Thrive practice. |
| Make a difference to the children you support. | Help shape how Thrive is embedded across your organisation, creating sustainable long-term impact. |
Why do practitioners choose to become Advanced Practitioners?
Every practitioner's journey is different, but many choose to continue because they want to broaden the impact they're already making.
You may be ready if:
You want to influence practice beyond your own caseload
You've seen the difference Thrive can make and want to help create that same consistency across your whole setting.
Colleagues already come to you for advice
Whether it's understanding behaviour, discussing regulation or using Thrive-Online, you've become someone others naturally turn to for guidance.
Advanced Practitioner gives you greater confidence and expertise to support others.
You're helping shape inclusion, SEND or wellbeing
If you're contributing to wider conversations around inclusion or supporting your setting's strategic priorities, Advanced Practitioner provides the advanced knowledge to strengthen that work.
You'd like to work more closely with families
Children make the greatest progress when the important adults around them share a common understanding.
As part of the programme, you'll also qualify as a Family Thrive Course Leader, enabling you to deliver Family Thrive programmes that strengthen partnerships between home and your setting.
You're ready for your next professional development opportunity
Learning doesn't stop once you become a Licensed Practitioner.
Advanced Practitioner is designed for practitioners who want to continue developing their expertise while extending the impact they have across their organisation.
What new skills will you gain?
One of the biggest reasons practitioners choose Advanced Practitioner is the opportunity to develop a more advanced skill set.By the end of the programme, you'll be able to:
- apply advanced relational approaches with children and young people whose needs are more complex
- deepen your understanding of neuroscience, attachment and child development
- use Thrive-Online data strategically to identify trends, demonstrate impact and inform decision-making
- support colleagues to develop confidence and consistency in using the Thrive Approach
- strengthen partnerships with parents and carers through Family Thrive
- contribute more strategically to inclusion, wellbeing and whole-setting implementation
- lead with greater confidence as your setting continues its Thrive journey
These aren't just new areas of knowledge - they're skills that enable you to extend your influence across children, colleagues, families and your wider organisation.
A dual award that extends your impact
On successful completion of the programme, you'll achieve two recognised awards:- Thrive Advanced Practitioner
- Family Thrive Course Leader
This dual award enables you to expand your role beyond direct work with children and young people, equipping you to support families, champion relational practice and help embed Thrive more consistently across your setting.Is Thrive Advanced Practitioner the right next step?
If you're enjoying the impact you're making as a Thrive Licensed Practitioner and are ready to broaden that impact even further, Thrive Advanced Practitioner could be the natural next stage of your Thrive journey.
It's an opportunity to build on the strong foundations you've already developed, deepen your expertise and help shape how Thrive is experienced not only by the children you support, but by colleagues, families and your whole setting.
Whether you're looking to strengthen inclusion, develop your leadership or continue your professional development, Thrive Advanced Practitioner equips you with the advanced skills to make an even greater difference.
Explore becoming a Thrive Advanced Practitioner
(3)_680.png)
(3)_680.png)
