Credentialed Prevention Professional or Specialist (CPP and CPS)

The Credentialed Prevention Professional (CPP) or Credentialed Prevention Specialist (CPS) is intended for individuals interested in helping to prevent the development of substance use disorders. CPP’s and CPS’ use a comprehensive, multi-dimensional prevention services approach which includes the following six performance domains:

• Planning and evaluation; 
• prevention education and service delivery; 
• communication; 
• community organization; 
• public policy and environmental change; 
• professional growth and responsibility.

To become a CPP/CPS in New York state, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age;
• For a CPS, have earned at least a High School Diploma or High School Equivalency and for the CPP earned at least a Bachelor’s Degree;
• Live or work in New York State at least 51 percent of the time during the application period;
• Have two individuals complete an Evaluation of Competency and Ethical Conduct based on the CPP/CPS Canon of Ethical Principles.
• Document a minimum of 2,000 hours of supervised work experience for a CPS and 4,000 hours of supervised work experience for a CPP;
• Must Document a minimum of 120 hours of education and training for the CPS and 250 hours of education and training for the CPP.
• Must also complete mandatory one-time requirements for both credentials;
• Pass an examination approved by OASAS; and
• Successfully complete a criminal background check review.

All stated requirements are verified in the application process. The complete list of the CPP/CPS qualifications and requirements, as well as the full course curriculum, can be found on the CPP/CPS Application Instructions and Forms page.
 

Human Services Degrees

If you are an applicant who holds an Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's Degree in approved Human Services fields, or are a student pursuing any of these degrees, some of the course work associated with your degree may be claimed toward satisfying some or all of the education and training requirements. In order to determine what coursework may be applicable, your college transcript(s) should be submitted with your application.

For all of the CPP/CPS Application requirements, please review the CPP/CPS Application Instructions & Forms page.

CPP/CPS Application Instructions & Forms

The first step in the credentialing process is the submission of a CPP/CPS Application to the Credentialing Unit. 

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, are reviewed in the order they are received, and will remain active for five years from the date of the first initial review.

Credentialing Portal

To submit your application please visit the Credentialing Portal at https://credentialing.oasas.ny.gov and select “Apply for a Credential” to start the application process. NOTE: Please thoroughly read the application instructions prior to starting your online submission.

To access the portal application submission function, you will need to register using a valid my.ny.gov ID. If you need to create an ID, please go to NY.gov ID Login V4 and select the “Create an Account” link. Please note that any existing, valid my.ny.gov ID in your name can be used, e.g., if you have an ID that you use for NYS DMV, this ID will also provide you access to the Credentialing Portal.    

Paper Applications

If you need to request a paper application, please email [email protected]. Please note in addition to the $100 application processing fee, there is a $50 charge to have a paper application processed. Please include a check or money order in the amount of $150 with your paper application submission. Please note, after your paper application is initially processed, all additional documentation must be uploaded to your application on the portal.  

Important Information

Please Read

It is imperative that you keep your email address and addresses up to date. Access the Credentialing Portal to update your address at any time. The Credentialing Unit will notify you via email when you have new communications on the portal, therefore; it is also important that you have a current email address on record.

The OASAS Credentialing Unit will review your application to determine which requirements have been satisfied and which may be remaining. A review summary outlining what requirements have been approved and which are still outstanding will be published on the portal. Use the review summary to determine the remaining requirements you need to submit for review. You can submit and upload items at any time during the five-year application period without additional fees. An updated review summary will be posted with each new submission. 

When you are eligible to take the exam, you will be notified and given the registration information. If you are unable to complete all the requirements for either the CPP or CPS by the end of the five-year application period, your application will expire. If you are still interested in pursuing a credential you may submit a new application, with a new processing fee.

You may obtain a CPS and apply to upgrade to a CPP if your CPS is still active and in good standing and you meet the CPP requirements. To upgrade your credential level, please log in to the Credentialing Portal and select the credential number you wish to upgrade and select “Upgrade Credential.”

We are excited to announce that the Prevention Specialist Examination is now available in both English and Spanish for our candidates. Test takers will be able to switch between English and Spanish during the examination. Additionally, special accommodations can be made for any other language upon request.

The IC&RC computer-based exam for Prevention Specialists consists of 150 multiple-choice questions derived from the IC&RC Prevention Candidate Guide. This exam is offered weekly at secure locations worldwide with monitoring proctors.

Effective March 2023, the Prevention Specialist domains and examinations were updated as follows:

1. Planning and Evaluation
2. Prevention Education and Service Delivery
3. Communication
4. Community Organization
5. Public Policy and Environmental Change
6. Professional Growth and Responsibility
    

EXAMINATION STEPS

After approval of the candidate's application and pre-registration for the exam, ISO Quality Testing will send the candidate an email with further instructions to complete the registration process. Candidates will be able to choose their preferred location, date, and time for taking the test. Once candidates complete the exam, they will receive a tentative score at the testing center. The official results will be sent via email in approximately four weeks. Candidates must wait for their certificate to be issued before they can consider themselves officially credentialed after passing the examination.

Candidates who do not pass the examination will remain eligible to retest once every 90 days during the active period of their application. There is a non-refundable exam fee of $170 each time the examination is taken. 

Eligible examination candidates will receive an Examination Registration Form on the Credentialing Portal. This form includes information on requesting a reasonable accommodation.

Prevention EXAM PERFORMANCE

All fees must be made in the form of a check or money order made payable to “NYS OASAS”. All fees are non-refundable.
 

• Initial Application Processing Fee:  $100 online; $150 paper submission
• Computer Based Examination Fee: $170
• Examination Retest Fee: $170
• Failure to Update Contact Information Fee: $25
• Certificate Reprint Fee: $10