Certification Process
The primary purpose of certification is to ensure that professionals in any given field meet high standards of performance. Certified professionals have completed a rigorous process to demonstrate they possess the competency necessary to provide quality services.
To earn an 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 a Certified Prevention Specialist.
- Live or work at least 51% of the time in Montana.
- High school education or equivalence.
- 18 years of age.
2,000 documented hours (one year) of prevention-related experience in the Prevention Performance Domains.
Prevention Performance Six Domains:
- Planning and Evaluation
- Prevention Education and Service Delivery
- Communication
- Community Organization
- Public Policy and Environmental Change
- Professional Growth and Responsibility
Supervised Hours
Of the 2,000 documented hours, a minimum of 120 hours of supervision* is required, with at least 10 hours in each domain.
- A minimum of 500 hours (25%) must be specific to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) prevention.
- Experience may come from internships/practicums and paid or voluntary work hours.
- Supervised experience must be for a position in which the job description includes prevention.
*Supervision is a formal or informal administrative, evaluative, observative, and supportive process. It can be provided by more than one person. Supervision includes observation, mentoring, coaching, evaluating, inspiring, and creating an atmosphere that promotes self-motivation, learning, and professional development. In all aspects of the supervision process, ethical and diversity issues must be at the forefront.
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.
A total of 120 hours of documented education and training.
- At least 60 hours must be ATOD prevention, including the following required courses:
- 31 hours must be obtained through the “Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training” (SAPST).
- You may substitute 31 hours of the 3-week (96-hour) Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) National Coalition Academy training for SAPST as long as you attended all three weeks of training.
- You may identify 31 hours of similar SAPST material and present it to the certifying board for approval.
- 6 hours of Ethics in Prevention completed within the last two years.
- 8 hours of Sustainability or another ATOD prevention course as it relates to sustainability.
- 31 hours must be obtained through the “Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training” (SAPST).
- The remaining 60 hours may be in other related prevention education and must include the following:
- 4 hours of Public Health 101
- 6 hours of Health Equity (known as Cultural Competency)
- 2 hours of Suicide Prevention
- 3 hours of Mental Health Education
Types of Education
Education is defined as formal, structured instruction in the form of workshops, seminars, institutes, in-service training, college/university credit courses, and MPCB-approved distance education. Courses or Continuing Education Units from an accredited college or university: Undergraduate or graduate coursework may be submitted for credit towards the required hours.
- One semester credit hour = 15 clock hours
- One credit hour on a quarter system = 10 clock hours, as long as all the hours in the course are relevant
If your situation falls out of these credit-to-hour ratio guidelines, check with the Certification Program Manager.
Online Training & Webinars
Online training or webinars can be applied to the education requirement. Trainings endorsed or sponsored by the following organizations are automatically pre-approved:
- International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC)
- Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
- SAMHSA’s Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC)
- Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Whenever possible, your education should be from pre-approved sources.
All workshops, in-service education, online training, or college course certificates of completion that are not pre-approved by the MPCB must be submitted with a syllabus, agenda, or description of the training as proof of its appropriateness. MPCB reserves the right to ask for additional information to determine the applicability of training/education for Prevention Specialist certification.
Calculating Training Hours
1 Hour/Contact Hour = 1 CEU
Documenting Education
Education hours by discipline must be documented in the Certemy software 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. This form can be useful when compiling training documents: Education Training Log.
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.
To become a Certified Prevention Specialist, applicants must pass a Prevention Specialist Examination administered by IC&RC.
- The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions.
- The exam has 800 points possible, and 600 points are considered passing.
- Applicants may retake the test after the mandatory 90-day waiting period.
- The Prevention Performance Domains addressed in the exam include:
- Planning and Evaluation
- Prevention Education and Service Delivery
- Communication
- Community Organization
- Public Policy and Environmental Change
- Professional Growth and Responsibility
To become a Certified Prevention Specialist, you must agree to abide by the Code of Prevention Ethics by signing an agreement to abide by the Code of Ethical Conduct.