PREVENTION
CERTIFICATION: WHAT IS
THE BIG DEAL?
Pam Rush, CSPP
Axis I Center of Barnwell, SC
IC&RC Products Chair
SO What’s The Big Deal
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WHY SHOULD I BECOME CERTIFIED?
WHY IS CERTIFICATION IMPORTANT?
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
SIMPLE ANSWER
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Provides Structure for Workforce
Development
Builds professionalism in the field.
Value of Certification
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Anyone holding themselves out to be a
professional should be able to demonstrate
that they have met the accepted criteria, to
practice in that field. The prevention field
should not be an exception.
The value of any certification process is in the
standardization of the process.
Value of Certification
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Certification is a global accepted means of
establishing as well as assessing the
essential set of credentials required for a job.
They are evidence that you are competent
enough to perform the tasks assigned to you
or could be assigned to you in the future.
Provide management with an internationally
accepted benchmark against which your
current and prospective employers can
assess your competency.
Competency
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We cannot assume that someone has
competency. It must be measured and
monitored.
Other professions measure and monitor:
medicine, psychology, social work & law. So
should we.
Would you go to a doctor who did not have
the appropriate training?
Importance of Certification
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Prevention certification is the hallmark of the
prevention profession.
Holding certification allows individuals
working in the prevention field to qualify for
and receive recognition for achieving a
standard of professional education and
experience necessary to provide quality
prevention services.
Importance of Certification
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The importance that professions and companies
attach to certification has increased so much that in
some cases companies and agencies are
specifically asking for certified people when they are
hiring.
Certification is an objective measure of skills and
can be used to compare and contrast the talent
pool. It can be the critical distinguishing factor when
job candidates have similar skill sets and
experience.
Importance of Certification
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CSAP has recognized the value and worth of
IC&RC's prevention credential and has
provided the Prevention Specialists who go
through their Prevention Fellows program to
become certified prevention specialists.
Credentialing is an Effective
Means to:
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Assure that services will be provided by a
qualified work force that has meet national
certifying/accrediting body’s standards of
ethics, education, skills, and knowledge.
Increase feelings of professionalism, leading
to greater job satisfaction, improved
performance, and less staff turnover.
Upgrade the substance abuse field in a
society where credentials are viewed as
equivalent to competency.
Means to:
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Provide recognition to substance abuse
workers who have acquired valuable skills
through nontraditional means and work
experience.
Increase career mobility through reciprocity.
Establishes industry benchmarks and best
practices enabling practitioners to be
consistent in the delivery of services.
Benefits of Certification
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National and International recognition as a
professional
Reciprocity: If you move to another state and
you are certified through an IC&RC Board,
your certification moves with you.
Certification verifies your expertise and
qualifications. It provides your employer with
an accurate and reliable standard for
measuring expertise based on the knowledge
and skills needed to obtain certification.
Benefits for Prevention
Specialist
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Provides a quantifiable milestone of
achievement.
Establishes credibility and verifies mastery in
the field.
Enhances your reputation in the profession.
Confirms your proficiency as a prevention
specialist.
Benefits for Organization
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Increases internal and external customer
satisfaction and provides more consistent service
delivery.
Provides a way to measure competency and skills.
Enhances credibility with stakeholders and within
the organization.
Recognizes and rewards employees by validating
their expertise.
Identifies employees who are qualified to provide
leadership to team members.
For the Human Resource Mgr
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Ensures that the organization is hiring top
quality professionals.
Provides a way to determine individual and
organization training needs.
Supports decisions to place new hires in the
right position at the appropriate skill level.
Helps to link competency to compensation--$.
Provides reliable benchmarks for promoting
employees.
International Certification and
Reciprocity Consortium
The International Certification & Reciprocity
Consortium (IC&RC) sets the international
standards of practice in addiction
counseling, prevention and clinical
supervision through testing and
credentialing of addiction professionals.
International Certification and
Reciprocity Consortium
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Incorporated in 1981, and currently headquartered in Harrisburg, PA,
IC&RC is a not-for-profit voluntary membership organization comprised of
certifying agencies involved in credentialing or licensing alcohol and other
drug abuse counselors, clinical supervisors, prevention specialists, cooccurring professionals and criminal justice professionals.
IC&RC includes 73 agencies representing more than 37,000 certified
professionals internationally.
IC&RC and its members are committed to public protection through the
establishment of quality, competency-based certification programs for
professionals engaged in the prevention and treatment of addictions and
related problems.
The organization also promotes the establishment and recognition of
minimum standards to provide reciprocity for certified professionals.
Credentials Offered
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Certified Prevention Specialist-CPS
Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse Counselor-AODA
Advanced Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse CounselorAAODA
Certified Clinical Supervisor-CCS
Certified Criminal Justice Addictions ProfessionalCCJP
Certified Co-Occurring Disorders ProfessionalCCDP
Certified Co-Occurring Disorders Professional
Diplomate-CCDP-D
Certified Prevention Specialist - a reciprocal
credential for those professionals active in
prevention. Requirements include, but are not
limited to:
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Experience -- 2000 hours of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD)
prevention work experience.
Education -- 100 hours of prevention specific education. Fifty hours of this
education must be ATOD specific. Six hours must be specific to prevention
ethics. One hour of education is equal to 50 minutes of continuous
instruction.
Supervision -- 120 hours specific to the IC&RC prevention domains with a
minimum of ten hours in each domain.
Examination -- Applicants must pass the IC&RC International Written
Prevention Specialist Examination.
Code of Ethics -- Applicants must sign a prevention specific code of ethics
statement or affirmation statement.
Recertification -- 40 hours of continuing education earned every two years.
Certification Matters
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Becoming certified means you are dedicated
to providing exceptional patient care through
a rigorous, voluntary commitment to lifelong
learning through board certification.
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I CHALLENGE TENNESSEE TO
ESTABLISH A CERTIFICATION BOARD
AND I CHALLENGE YOU ALL TO SEEK
CERTIFICATION.
International Certification and
Reciprocity Consortium
International Certification & Reciprocity
Consortium
298 S. Progress Avenue
Harrisburg PA 17109
717.540.4457
717.540.4458 (fax)
Email: info@icrcaoda.org
Contact Information
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Pam Rush, IC&RC Products Chair
803-541-1245 (office)
803-671-2321 (cell)
email: prush@axis1.org