Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS)

• Supervised Experience: 2,000 hours of paid or volunteer prevention work experience specific to the IC&RC Prevention Specialist Domains (Planning and Evaluation, Prevention Education and Service Delivery, Communication, Community Organization, Public Policy and Environmental Change, and Professional Growth and Responsibility), including 120 hours of closely supervised work with a minimum of ten hours in each domain within the past five years.
• Education: High school diploma or jurisdictionally certified high school equivalency (HiSet or GED)
• Prevention Training*: 120 hours specific to the IC&RC Prevention Specialist Domains, completed within the past five years. 24 hours must be ATOD specific. Six hours must be in prevention ethics provided by the Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC), Prevention Training Services, CADCA, or other NCB approved prevention ethics training organization, and must have been completed within the past two years. As of January 1, 2024, all applicants for initial prevention specialist certification will be required to complete the SPF Application for Prevention Success Training (SAPST) as part of the 120-hour training requirement.
• Examination: All applicants must pass the IC&RC prevention specialist examination.
• Code of Ethics: The applicant must agree to adhere to the Nevada Certification Board’s certified prevention specialist specific code of ethics.
• Residency Requirement: You must live or work in Nevada at least 50% of the time to be certified by the Nevada Certification Board and to maintain that certification.
• Recertification: A renewal fee of $100 and 40 hours of continuing education earned every two years, including three (3) hours of training in ethics related to the field of prevention and three (3) hours of training in cultural competency/humility/sensitivity.
  • Cultural Competence/Cultural Humility: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Cultural Humility is “an attitude through which an individual learns about other cultures in conjunction with becoming more aware of one’s own beliefs and identities, intended to result in greater mutual understanding, equity, honesty, and trustworthy relationships.  (CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) Health Equity Glossary)

* For a PDF version of the application process, click here.

* For all continuing education hours, please submit a certificate of attendance or participation from an approved training organization that includes the following information:

• Name of training organization(s) and/or sponsor(s)
• Title of training/conference
• Date(s) of training/conference
• Name of participant/attendee
• Hours of attendance/participation