While there are many professionals that help people struggling with addiction, there also are many professionals out there that work to help prevent addiction and risky behaviors. These people are known as Prevention Specialists, and Sober College can help you jump start this career.
What Does A Prevention Specialist Do?
Prevention Specialists work in many places, including schools, faith-based organizations and community centers. They might even be employed at various workplaces, such as those tasked with providing counseling services.
As a Prevention Specialist, you might develop a substance abuse prevention program for local schools or community centers or you might be in charge of operating an existing program. You might create materials and host presentations to students, families or other members of the community, such as teachers or even law enforcement liaisons.
In some cases, you might lead a group discussion, and talk about ways to avoid risky behaviors or share resources for community members experiencing addiction or mental health-related issues.
Prevention Specialists don’t always concentrate on drug and alcohol addiction prevention, they also might work to prevent other types of risky behavior, such as promoting safe sex or suicide prevention or even violence prevention.
Is Certification Required?
For some addiction professionals, certification is required. In California, you are not required to be certified by the Department of Health & Child Services (DHCS). However, not only will you be much better prepared if you are certified, many jobs are not available for those without certification.
Additionally, the certification is recognized outside of California, in all 50 states. Once you’ve passed the IC&RC exam, you may even be eligible to work in another country as a Prevention Specialist. If you end up moving to another state or country, proper certification can make it much easier to find a job.
Getting Certified
The good news is that getting certified is fairly easy, and we can help! There are several steps that you need to take in order to get certified, including:
Education – In order to get certified, you will need to complete 120 hours of approved prevention education. Among these hours, 50 hours must be AOD-specific (Alcohol and Other Drug) and six hours of prevention-specific ethics education.
Practicum – You also will need to complete 120 hours of practicum. This is basically an internship, and you will need to complete practicum experiences in several specific domains.
Pass An Exam – In order to earn certification, you must pass the IC&RC Prevention Specialist exam. This is a written exam, and Sober College can help you with test prep for this exam.
Obtain a Letter of Reference – This professional letter of reference must speak to your applicable knowledge as a prevention specialist as well as your experience and your character.
Complete Supervised Work Experience – You will need to complete 2,000 hours of supervised work experience, specifically AOD prevention experience. This may sound like a lot, but it really adds up to about a year of work, and it will be a paid work experience.
Sign & Pay – The California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) is authorized by DHCS to award credentials to those that have completed the aforementioned requirements. There is an initial fee for this credential as well as renewal fees, and you also need to sign the CCPS Code of Ethics.
How Sober College Works
Our Prevention Specialist curriculum is CCAPP-approved and IC&RC-approved, as well. We offer rolling admissions so you can get started at any time. Our program is online, and you can complete your education in as little as six months. While you will learn online, you will have access to your professor via email and phone Monday through Friday.
Our professors for this program have earned extensive credentials and each has more than 30 years of experience working in the fields of mental health and addiction treatment. These professionals will be valuable resources as you complete your educational requirements and prepare for the IC&RC exam.
In addition to our Prevention Specialist education program, we also can help you earn education units toward becoming a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor (CADC). We can help you with education for a CADC-I, CADC-II or a CADC-III credential. If you are ready to get started on your career as a Prevention Specialist or want to learn more about our CADC program, you can click on the Get Started tab on our homepage.
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