PCB CPS Application | www.pacertboard.org | info@pacertboard.org | Revised January 2021
CERTIFIED PREVENTION SPECIALIST REQUIREMENTS
All requirements below must be met to apply. All required documentation must be sent in with an application
except for the official college transcript which is sent to PCB directly prior to application.
FORMAL EDUCATION
REQUIRED: Minimum bachelor’s degree.
It is recommended you obtain documentation approximately three weeks prior to sending in your application.
Documentation of bachelor’s degree may be mailed to PCB or emailed to info@pacertboard.org
by the
educational institution prior to application.
The degree must be from an accredited college/university that is recognized by the US Department of Education
or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. An official transcript sent directly from college/university is
required. If the degree is from outside the United States, a degree equivalency must done by an organization
that specializes in that process. The applicant is responsible for arranging this process and all costs.
Official transcripts are required and must be sent directly from college/university to PCB prior to application.
Official transcripts may be mailed to PCB or emailed to info@pacertboard.org
.
It is recommended you request transcripts approximately three weeks prior to sending in your application.
If you have a sealed official transcript in your possession, you may mail it in the sealed envelope to PCB prior to
your application arriving or mail it in with your application.
If you have outstanding debt or other issues which prevent the college/university from releasing your official
transcript, you must resolve these issues with the school prior to applying for certification.
PREVENTION WORK EXPERIENCE
REQUIRED: Two (2) years of full time or 4000 hours of part-time work experience as an
alcohol, tobacco, and drug use prevention specialist.
Qualifying work experience is based on a professional who has demonstrated competency related to alcohol,
tobacco, and drug use prevention, and who provides services that help individuals, families, and communities to
develop the capacities needed to achieve behavioral health and wellness. Prevention specialists deliver
evidence-based prevention programming in a wide range of settings including schools, workplaces, health care
centers, behavioral health programs, community-based organizations, and prevention coalitions. No other work
experience in the drug and alcohol field can be used for prevention certification other than what is stated above.
Qualifying work experience can be from multiple employers to accumulate the required years/hours.
If the applicant’s work experience requirement is not fulfilled from their current employer, they must include
documentation from previous employer(s) verifying their title, duties and dates employed with their
application. DO NOT submit a resume as proof of previous work experience. Applicant must contact previous
employers and request detailed documentation of their employment from them.
The applicant must be currently employed as a prevention specialist at the time of application. All work
experience must have occurred within the last seven (7) years. Volunteer work is not acceptable.