A CERTIFIED PREVENTION SPECIALIST (PS-C) is a professional who uses a specialized set of knowledge, experience, training and skills to encourage healthy attitudes and behaviors which prevent the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD). The role of the PS-C is to empower individuals and communities to assess needs and to develop and implement strategies that effectively meet those needs. PS-C candidates must have:
- 2,000 documented hours of work experience in the six IC&RC Prevention Performance Domains
- a minimum of 120 of those hours of experience must be supervised, including at least 10 hours in each domain
- a minimum of 500 (25%) of those hours must be providing ATOD prevention services within the domains
- 120 hours of documented education/training. Of these, 24 hours must be related to ATOD, 6 to Prevention Ethics, and 31 hours (26 in-person and 5 online) must be obtained through the “Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training” (SAPST), CADCA-approved equivalent, or MPCB-approved equivalent. The remaining “other hours” of education/training must be related to the six IC&RC Prevention Domains.
- A signed agreement to abide by the PS-C Code of Ethics
- Three professional references
- A passing score on the IC&RC Certified Prevention Specialist Exam
The following links provide the information you need to apply or reapply for PS-C certification.
Maine Prevention Certification Manual
The forms packet below contains copies of all forms needed in the application process. HOWEVER, for fillable forms that you can submit, please go to the DOWNLOADS section of this site.
Forms Packet for PS-C Non-fillable
Please note: There have been changes to the PS-C Initial Certification and Re-certification applications, effective 1-1-2018.