The success of prevention programs relies heavily on a competent, well-trained, ethical and highly professional workforce of Prevention Specialists. Credentialing ensures that professionals have undergone development of competency requirements which includes the demonstration of knowledge through experience, education, supervision, and rigorous exam to qualify to deliver evidence-based prevention programs….

Substance prevention efforts and strategies have come a long way in America within the last one hundred years. Do you know about the history of prevention and how we focus the lens of the profession in modern programs?

When are communities ready to change? And how do you as a prevention professional help them make changes with positive outcomes? This article focuses on the responsibilities of the prevention specialist in understanding community readiness and assessing a community’s resources and capacity for the implementation of prevention strategies.

The Stages of Change explains how individuals and as a part of communities not only overcome addiction by going through cycles of development in understanding and awareness of their own role in how the addiction affects their life and those around them. This also establishes how Prevention Professionals can use this model to promote positive outcomes before addiction escalates.

Prevention is a science. Our work in this field is evidenced-based and constantly evolving with the new research found from leaders of our field…