CPS Courses

Prevention Specialists work in settings as diverse as schools, hospitals, faith-based organizations, government, and non-profit agencies. To be effective, a Prevention Specialist must be skilled in impacting Public Policy, Community Organization, and Program Coordination, as well as Education and Training. Professional Responsibility coursework ensures Prevention Specialists meet the highest standards of the profession.

Planning and Evaluations

As a Prevention Specialist, you will be responsible for implementing programs and managing projects. You must know how to assess the needs of your community, choose and deliver the proper services to respond to those needs, and then be able to evaluate your initiatives to ensure they achieve their goals. With the data you collect, you then need to be able to communicate your message effectively to your community stakeholders.

Prevention Education & Service Delivery

It is impossible to be an effective Prevention Specialist without a solid foundation of knowledge about all aspects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Whether educating youth with and evidence-based curriculum or testifying before the legislature to advocate for system-wide change, you must have your facts straight and be able to communicate that knowledge effectively.

Communications

Prevention Specialist professionals will have to possess the following knowledge, skills and/or attitudes, knowledge of information gathering techniques and data sources, ability to collect, organize and interpret data, knowledge of current prevention program best practices, models, and the continuum of care, knowledge of current theory and models and more.

Community Organization

Prevention Specialists accomplish many of their goals by bringing individuals and organizations together in the form of coalitions working toward common goals. Working with community-based organizations is a way to maximize impact while generating the best buy-in for your efforts.

Public Policy and Environmental Change

While providing evidence-based programming to individuals and families is central to the work of Prevention Specialists, nothing has a greater impact on the larger community than changes in policy. Whether they come in the form of school regulations, local ordinances, or state laws, policy changes have the ability to change community norms related to substance use in powerful ways.

Personal Growth & Responsibility

As professionals in the field of prevention, it is critical to understand the ethics and legal issues that impact your work. In this time of few resources being directed toward prevention, it is even more important that Prevention Specialists ensure the services provided best meet the needs of their communities.

CPS Courses

CPS Courses

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