Associate Certification Requirements

Certification Process

The purpose of the Associate Prevention Specialist certification is to provide the new professional with resources and support in the field of Prevention, while also rewarding these determined individuals for their ongoing desire to learn and grow as Prevention Specialists. An Associate Prevention Specialist is a professional with drive and enthusiasm, who is actively working toward a full Standard Prevention Specialist Certification.

To earn this MPCB credential, all applicants must complete the application process that provides verifiable documentation demonstrating the applicant has met the necessary education, training, and experience standards.

Below is an outline of the application requirements to become an Associate Prevention Specialist.

Basic Requirements

Experience

1,000 documented hours of prevention-related experience in the Prevention Performance Domains. (Worked or volunteered.)

Prevention Performance Six Domains:

Planning and Evaluation
Prevention Education and Service Delivery
Communication
Community Organization
Public Policy and Environmental Change
Professional Growth and Responsibility

Calculating Hours of Experience

Hours of experience are based on actual time worked, interned, or volunteered. Hours are calculated based on start/end dates and the average weekly schedule. The following equivalents will help to calculate hours of experience:

1 year of full-time employment/volunteering = 2,000 hours
1 month of full-time employment/volunteering= 167 hours
1 week of full-time employment/volunteering= 40 hours

For example, if an individual worked half-time (20 hours per week) for a full year, they would accumulate 1,000 hours of experience.

Documentation of Support

If progress from Associate to Standard Certified Prevention Specialist will occur within the scope of current employment, support from your supervisor is required to confirm employer support in meeting expectations to become certified.

Education & Training

31 hours must be obtained through the "Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training" (SAPST).

You may substitute 31 hours of the 3-week (96 hour) CADCA National Coalition Academy for SAPST, as long as you have attended all three weeks of training. You may also identify 31 hours of similar SAPST training material and present it to the certifying board for approval.

6 hours of Ethics in Prevention completed within the last two years.

Calculating Training Hours

1 Hour/Contact Hour = 1 CEU

Documenting Education

Education hours by discipline must be documented using the Education Training Log and accompanied by certificates of completion. It is the applicant's responsibility to provide the required documentation, and any education without the required documentation will not be considered.

Undocumented Events

If a certificate of completion is not available, the Undocumented Training Form must be completed. A supervisor, program director, or applicable course instructor must sign this form to verify attendance at the workshop.

This form can also be used to document in-service training.

Note: Only 15% (18 hours for initial certification or 6 hours for recertification) of total education can be undocumented events.

Code of Ethics

Fees