HHS Region: Region 10 - Northwest 

Title: Certified Prevention Specialist

Examination: Upon submission and approval of a completed application the candidate will be scheduled for examination and must achieve a passing score as established by the IC&RC on the Prevention Credentialing Examination.

Educational / Training Requirements: Prevention experience is defined as paid or volunteer experience working in primary prevention. Primary prevention is defined as interventions that occur prior to the onset of a disorder and are intended to prevent or reduce risk for the disorder. Broad prevention experience across a variety of issues is preferred to single-issue experience. Prevention experience can be distributed between individual, family, school and community foci, among behavioral health promotion and universal, selective and indicated prevention categories. Qualitative Evaluation of supervised experience in the Prevention Domains.
Minimum educational requirement of a high school diploma or alternative, e.g., GED.

• CPP education prerequisites – total 120 hours
• 24 hours Drug Education (e.g. pharmacology, classification of drugs, potential for abuse/addiction, effects of drugs on the brain/body, etc.)
• 6 hours Prevention Ethics
• 45 hours of ATOD Prevention Education
• 45 hours General Prevention Education   
• 50% or 60 hours can be earned beyond ten (10) years (i.e. 11 years +)
• 50% or 60 hours shall be earned within the last ten (10) years.
• 67%  or 40 hours of  the 60 hours earned within the last 10 years shall be earned within the last two (2) years.

Prevention Experience:

• Verification of at least 2,000 hours (approximately 1 year full time) prevention related experience.  
• A minimum of 50% of these hours must be alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention-specific experience.
• The balance may be other types of general behavioral health prevention, such as suicide prevention, HIV prevention and bullying prevention.

Supervised Prevention Experience:

Of those 2000 hours, a minimum of 120-hours of supervised experience must be in the six (6) Prevention Domains (minimum of 10 hours in each). The domains are:

• Planning and Evaluation 
• Prevention Education and Service Delivery
• Communication 
• Community Organization
• Public Policy and Environmental Change
• Professional Growth and Responsibility
• Commitment to professional code of ethics through a signed statement.
• Criminal History Background Check obtained within one (1) year prior to the date of application to be reviewed and approved by the PSCBW. 

Pre-IC&RC Certification Level Title: Associate Prevention Professional

Pre- IC&RC Certification Level Requirements:

• Verification of at least 500 hours (approximately 3 months-full time) ATOD prevention related experience.
• Education/Training: Verification of a minimum of 70 contact hours of prevention education/training. 50% of the required 70 education hours (35 hours) must be earned within the last ten  years, and 50% (35 hours) earned within the last two years. Specifically, the 70 hours must be comprised of: 
• 35 hours minimum combined from the following:
• Experience: 
• Verification of at least 500 hours (approximately 3 months-full time) ATOD prevention related experience.
• Education/Training: Verification of a minimum of 70 contact hours of prevention education/training. 50% of the required 70 education hours (35 hours) must be earned within the last ten  years, and 50% (35 hours) earned within the last two years. 
• Specifically, the 70 hours must be comprised of: 
• 35 hours minimum combined from the following:
• Drug Education (e.g., pharmacology, classification of drugs, potential for abuse/addiction, effects of drugs on the brain/body, current drug trends, addiction theory, signs and symptoms of addiction, addiction and the family, etc.) and/or 
• ATOD Prevention Education  (e.g., training in evidence-based prevention strategies and programs, prevention curriculum training, planning and evaluation of prevention interventions, substance abuse in older adults, substance abuse in veterans, coordinating and/or implementing prevention activities, social marketing, community organizing, coalition development, environmental prevention strategies, etc. if specific to ATOD prevention)
• 35 hours minimum General Prevention Education (e.g., cultural competency, behavioral health promotion, suicide prevention, HIV/AIDS prevention, community mobilization, media messages, social marketing, public policy, communication, professional growth and responsibility, etc. not specific to ATOD prevention)       
• Code of Ethical Conduct for Prevention Professionals: Commitment to professional code of ethics through a signed statement.
• Criminal History Background Check obtained within one (1) year prior to the date of application to be reviewed and approved by the PSCBW. 

Certification & Licensing Board: Prevention Specialist Certification Board of Washington (PSCBW) https://www.PSCBW.com