Certified Prevention Specialist: Certification

Anyone who successfully recovers from addiction has a pretty plain message for others sliding into substance abuse: never go down that path.

There are no golden moments to remember; you don’t build character or stack up experiences that will serve you later in life. There’s no education— except in things you end up wishing you never knew.

As everyone knows, though, Just Say No doesn’t quite get the job done. Heading off substance use disorders (SUD) is a more complex problem. It involves:

When prevention specialists stop addiction before it starts, they save money and lives.

Dedicated prevention specialists who understand all these elements and work at the individual, community, and even national levels occupy one of the fastest growing roles in substance abuse treatment in America. When they succeed, they save millions in treatment costs and untold suffering and death.

If you’re serious about stopping addiction in America, this may be the job that gives you the most opportunities to do it.

What Is a Prevention Specialist?

A certified prevention specialist works to reduce the occurrence of substance use disorders in the population they are working with. In some cases, that might be a single high school; it could be a particular neighborhood or a whole county; it could be among an area’s homeless population.

There are even prevention specialists hard at work developing programs that work to reduce the prevalence of substance use disorder throughout the country.

Prevention specialists are trained in the use of evidence-based approaches to achieve this end. Because they can be aimed at very different groups of people, though, those techniques and tools can vary from job to job.

More and more states either require or encourage prevention specialists to be officially registered or certified. In most states, the official title is simply Certified Prevention Specialist, but there are related roles such as:

Prevention specialists use their knowledge of psychology and substance abuse to develop and implement programs designed to shift people off the path to addiction before they get started. Creativity and interpersonal skills are important. Prevention specialists can work toward that goal with tasks like:

Designing and distributing informational handouts
Delivering lectures or presentations on risks to both individuals at risk and community groups
Organizing and leading other activities that disrupt the path to addiction, such as cleaning up and arranging for cameras in areas where drug transactions are common
Advocating for new laws and policies that aid in drug abuse prevention
Organizing other community prevention and assistance groups to support at-risk individuals

Ultimately, it’s a role that revolves around reducing risk factors in a target group and raising protective factors. While substance abuse counselors often deal with and count their victories in individual cases, prevention specialists are stats-based… the work is done when overall rates of substance use are going down.

It’s a job that takes patience and persistence to see it through.

What You Will See in a Typical Prevention Specialist Job Description

Prevention specialist job descriptions are pretty fuzzy, since it’s usually the job of the specialist themself to come up with the specifics. You’re likely to see pretty big-picture directives, stuff like:

Coordinate with community and treatment groups to strengthen prevention efforts
Develop programs to reduce addiction risks
Partner with healthcare providers and social services groups to bundle prevention efforts with existing services
Implement prevention and education activities among youth and adults

Some positions may be specifically oriented toward certain types of substance use disorders, such as tobacco and alcohol or prescription opioid medications. It just depends on the most significant threats to the community or the objective of the organization the position is with.

Many prevention specialists also have additional responsibilities in research and documenting the outcomes of their activities. In a profession that values evidence, you have to collect it to ensure the job is getting done.

Looking for grants and filling out grant applications to help sustain prevention activities is another common task for prevention specialists.

Some roles may have a more coordinating and policy advocacy focus. In these positions, you can expect to spend a great deal of time communicating with other agencies, legislators, and treatment professionals. You might help to develop larger community prevention strategies that bring together environmental changes, early intervention, and education. Or you may spend a lot of hours bending the ear of politicians, police, or school officials to advocate for changes in policies or processes that could help prevent addiction.

Where Can You Find Prevention Specialist Jobs?

Prevention specialists can find work at non-profits, faith-based organizations, schools, city and county public health agencies, or community centers. They are more likely to work directly for government than substance abuse counselors are, however. The scope of the efforts usually in play for SUD prevention work often lands it in the wheelhouse of government agencies.

Job titles often reflect the official state certification titles, but you can also find positions that come with job titles like:

Because substance abuse is found everywhere, prevention specialist jobs can be found pretty much everywhere too. Rural and urban schools, county governments small and large, military bases—you name it, there are prevention specialist jobs to be found.

Prevention Specialist Salary Levels Reflect Their Level of Responsibility

The role of prevention specialists is pretty new. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which collates salary and employment data for American jobs, hasn’t really nailed down what category they belong in. Moreover, there are prevention specialists who focus on risks and issues other than addiction… mental health, crime, and other areas with similar titles muddy the waters.

Probably the closest match is the same category used for substance abuse counselors. But, as you can tell from the title, that’s a fairly broad one, too: Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors.

For 2023, however, the average annual salary for those roles paid $53,710.

Like every other kind of job in addiction treatment and prevention, the rates vary based on factors like:

These roles can also take on quite a lot of administrative and management responsibility. That is also likely to push the salary range higher, particularly in positions that have a broad scope such as at the state level.

Prevention Specialist Certification

Certification can be a complicated topic in the substance abuse treatment and prevention world.

For starters, the primary way that states credential prevention specialists is through certification. In most cases, this would come from state boards affiliated with the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC).

IC&RC prevention specialist certification carries the benefit that your credential is recognized in any other state that also has an IC&RC board.

Even in states that have other paths to becoming a prevention specialist, though, this kind of professional credential is an important validation of your training and expertise in the position.

How To Become a Certified Prevention Specialist in Your State

Forty-six states have credentialed roles for certified prevention specialists. Several of those states have more than one role, reflecting probationary status or increasing levels of authority within the specialty.

They have a patchwork of standards and qualifications, but all of them involve the same basic criteria:

Attaining a specific level of education - In some states, a high school diploma or GED is adequate; a few require a bachelor’s degree, and a master’s is needed for the top level credential in most states.
Attending a certain number of dedicated training hours in specific subjects - Anywhere between 40 and 250 education hours are needed, but most states cluster around 120 hours.
Accumulating a number of prevention-related practice hours in the field - This can range from as many as 10,000 to only 240, but around 2,000 hours is most common
Undergoing a certain number of hours of supervision with a qualified prevention specialist - 120 hours of supervision is standard
Taking and passing a standardized test on prevention specialist knowledge and skills - All states that require an exam have standardized on the IC&RC Prevention Specialist Exam

The table below lists all the relevant titles and degree requirements for prevention specialist credentials in the United States. States that do not have a credential for the role are left blank. Those that don’t specify their degree requirements have a dash in that column.

State	Titles	Degrees
Alaska
Alabama	Certified Prevention Manager/Certified Prevention Specialist/Associate Prevention Specialist	Bachelor/Bachelor/High School
Arkansas	Certified Prevention Specialist/Associate Prevention Specialist	–
Arizona	Certified Prevention Specialist	–
California	California Certified Prevention Specialist	–
Colorado	Colorado Certified Prevention Specialist	–
Connecticut	Certified Prevention Specialist	–
Washington DC	Certified Prevention Specialist or Professional	–
Delaware	Certified Prevention Specialist	Bachelor
Florida	Certified Prevention Professional/Certified Prevention Specialist	Bachelor/High School
Georgia	Criteria Internationally Certified Prevention Specialist	Bachelor
Hawaii	Certified Prevention Specialist	High School
Iowa	Advanced Certified Prevention Specialist/Certified Prevention Specialist	Bachelor/High School
Idaho	Certified Prevention Specialist	High School
Illinois	Certified Senior Prevention Specialist/Certified Prevention Specialist	High School/High School
Indiana	Certified Prevention Specialist	–
Kansas	Certified Prevention Professional/Certified Prevention Technician	Bachelor/High School
Kentucky	Certified Prevention Specialist	Bachelor
Louisiana	Certified Prevention Professional/Prevention Specialist in Training/Registered Prevention Professional/Licensed Prevention Professional	Bachelor/High School/High School/Master
Massachusetts	Certified Prevention Specialist	High School
Maryland	Certified Prevention Professional/Certified Prevention Specialist/Associate Prevention Specialist	Bachelor/High School/High School
Maine	Certified Prevention Specialist	–
Michigan	Certified Prevention Consultant/Certified Prevention Specialist	–
Minnesota	Certified Prevention Professional Advances/Certified Prevention Professional	High School/High School
Missouri	Missouri Advanced Prevention Specialist/Missouri Prevention Specialist	High School/High School
Mississippi	Certified Prevention Specialist/Certified Prevention Specialist Manager/Associate Prevention Specialist	Bachelor/Bachelor/-
Montana
North Carolina	Certified Substance Abuse Prevention Consultant	High School
North Dakota
Nebraska
New Hampshire	Certified Prevention Specialist	–
New Jersey	Certified Prevention Specialist/Certified Associate Prevention Specialist	Bachelor/-
New Mexico	Senior Certified Prevention Specialist/Certified Prevention Specialist/Certified Prevention Intern	-/-/High School
Nevada	Certified Prevention Specialist	High School
New York	Certified or Credentialed Prevention Professional/Certified or Credentialed Prevention Specialist	Bachelor/High School
Ohio	Ohio Certified Prevention Consultant/Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist/Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist Assistant	Bachelor/Associate/High School
Oklahoma	Certified Prevention Specialist/Associate Prevention Specialist	Associate/Associate
Oregon	Certified Prevention Specialist	–
Pennsylvania	Certified Prevention Specialist	Bachelor
Rhode Island	Advanced Certified Prevention Specialist/Certified Prevention Specialist/Associate Prevention Specialist	Bachelor/High School/High School
South Carolina	Certified Senior Prevention Specialist/Certified Prevention Specialist	High School/High School
South Dakota	Certified Prevention Specialist/Prevention Specialist Trainee	Bachelor/Bachelor
Tennessee	Certified Prevention Specialist II/Certified Prevention Specialist I	Bachelor/High School
Texas	Certified Prevention Specialist/Advanced Certified Prevention Specialist/Associate Prevention Specialist	-/Associate/High School
Utah	Certified Prevention Specialist	–
Virginia	Certified Prevention Specialist/Associate Prevention Specialist	Bachelor/High School
Vermont
Washington	Certified Prevention Professional/Associate Prevention Professional	High School/-
Wisconsin	Certified Prevention Specialist/Certified Prevention Specialist In Training	-/-
West Virginia	Certified Prevention Specialist II/Certified Prevention Specialist I	-/-
Wyoming	Certified Prevention Specialist	–

You can see fairly clearly where states offer multiple credential levels in this role, or require that you become credentialed in a preliminary fashion to earn your experience toward full certification.

In some cases, there can be multiple tracks toward credentialing, either through certification or licensure. The primary difference is that certification is offered through an independent board that has been delegated authority by the state to evaluate and regulate prevention specialists. A license, or registration, is handled directly by a state agency.

What Kind of Degree Do You Need To Achieve Certified Prevention Specialist Certification?

Certified prevention specialists have a lot of flexibility in the types of degree they can earn to qualify for the job. While substance use disorder counseling is a field that has plenty of degree options available at every level of college, there are no majors in substance abuse prevention available yet. Everything from public health to human services may be accepted.

However, a degree like an Associate of Applied Science in Substance Abuse Counseling or a Bachelor of Science in Addiction Counseling also happens to be a great way to get qualified for SUD prevention work. With coursework covering everything from the pharmacology of substances to the psychology of addiction, they cover the same bases of knowledge that prevention specialists have to master.

Substance abuse counseling degrees won’t necessarily cover the required training for prevention specialist certification, which is slightly different in nature.

It’s important to note that, even if your state doesn’t require a college degree to become a certified prevention specialist, many jobs in the field will require at least a bachelor’s degree.

There are, however, a number of schools that are now offering certificate programs such as a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Occupational Certificate or Substance Abuse Prevention Certificate which focus directly on prevention specialist training. These are often aligned with the specific training requirements for certification in the states where they are offered.

What Goes Into Specialized Training for Certified Prevention Specialists?

Most states will accept degrees in everything from human services to social work as educational qualification for prevention specialists. Because these won’t meet the required education hours, either, you’ll either also have to earn a certificate or line up those hours elsewhere.

Many states offer at least some free training that will count toward prevention specialist education hour requirements.

In other cases, you can find those education classes offered directly by the professional boards in charge of certification. You may also find private training providers, online and national, that deliver the kind of classes you need.

Those classes will cover the six major performance domains of substance abuse prevention work:

Planning and Evaluation - Assessing issues, audiences, and resources is always step one in prevention. This coursework teaches you how to go through the details and make plans for creating serious impacts on substance abuse in the community.
Prevention Education and Service Delivery - A lot of the details of how prevention happens comes down to the kind of services and education you can deliver. This coursework teaches you how to teach about addiction, both to the community at large and to important and influential workers, like police officers and social workers.
Communication - Communication skills are critical to just about every part of the prevention specialist’s job, so you will learn about public speaking, effective listening, interpersonal interaction, cultural humility, and even best practices in marketing.
Community Organization - Even the most heroic prevention specialist can’t stop substance abuse on their own. It takes a village, and these classes give you the basics of community organizing: networking, advertising, identifying demographic trends, building coalitions.
Public Policy and Environmental Change - One of the ways that prevention specialists differ from SUD counselors is a broader and better understanding of the various environmental factors that influence addiction. These can range from community attitudes to the proximity of major smuggling ports to the availability of jobs and higher education. These courses help prevention specialists understand how those deep factors can be influenced via media and policy efforts in government
Professional Growth and Responsibility - This coursework covers ethical and professional standards, including training in self-care and ongoing continuing education responsibilities.

Building Your Experience To Qualify for Prevention Specialist Positions

Accumulating experience hours is the other major challenge in becoming a certified prevention specialist. If you do decide to go for a substance abuse counseling degree, you will at least get your feet wet through practicum and internships that put you in related roles as part of your education.

Otherwise, you’ll have to work up to the magic number through some combination of volunteer work with prevention agencies, community groups, or other prevention-oriented non-profits. You may be able to arrange for your own internships at these agencies, as well. Often, work at public health programs or in certain education roles will count.

The task is made marginally easier because many states require only about half of their experience hours to be specific to substance abuse. Experience in prevention for any other sort of behavioral health issues is acceptable for the rest.

2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2024.