Prevention Training

Foundational Course of Study in Substance Misuse Prevention

The SPF Application for Prevention Success Training (SAPST) course was developed by SAMHSA. It is for entry-level prevention practitioners working in states, jurisdictions, tribes and communities, and is also appropriate for professionals working in related fields, e.g. treatment, mental health etc. Per the Prevention Guidelines, newly hired staff will be required to take this foundational training course within one year. Existing staff will need to verify they have completed the foundational coursework within the past three years or will need to re-take the coursework. Staff only need to complete SAMHSA’s Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training (SAPST) once. Certificates of Completion should be added to the employee’s personnel file.

The SAPST training is grounded in current research and SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework. It provides knowledge and skills to implement effective, data-driven prevention programs, practices, and policies that reduce behavioral health disparities and improve wellness. 

The SAPST prepares practitioners to:

• Address substance abuse prevention in the context of behavioral health.
• Improve practice by developing a comprehensive approach to prevention guided by SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework.
• Reduce behavioral health disparities by identifying the needs of vulnerable populations and improving cultural competency.
• Sustain prevention by collaborating effectively across sectors to address shared risk factors and improve the health and well-being of communities in a cohesive way.

Required Pre-requisite 

Introduction to Substance Abuse Prevention: Understanding the Basics (Pre-SAPST)

There is a pre-requisite component that must be completed, and a certificate of completion must be submitted at registration for a SAPST training. The pre-requisite is a 5-hour online training titled "Introduction to Substance Abuse Prevention: Understanding the Basics" available free of charge from HealtheKnowledge. 

In an effort to increase prevention training opportunities, NYS OASAS and SAMHSA have agreed to make this five (5) hour training available to New Yorkers distinct and separate from the four (4) day face-to-face SAPST training.

Expect to devote approximately five (5) hours to completing the online course. Depending on your schedule, you may complete the course in one session or over several sessions. To receive your certificate of completion, you must complete the assessment at the end of the course and receive a passing grade (get at least 80% of the questions correct).

This course is approved by OASAS for five (5) hours that meet CPP/CPS initial credentialing (section 2) requirements and CPP/CPS/CASAC renewal requirements.

The IC&RC Prevention Committee has endorsed the new SAPST as an IC&RC approved curriculum. This endorsement provides assurance that the SAPST is applicable to IC&RC’s prevention specialist domains and can be used toward the education/training requirement for IC&RC’s Prevention Specialist credential. The SAPST has also been approved by NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. Participants completing the Pre-Requisite and SAPST will receive 31 credit hours of participation which satisfies CPP/CPS initial and CPP/CPS/CASAC renewal requirements.

For more information on what the SAPST covers, you can review the SAPST training agenda. 

The SAPST training is offered by the NYS Prevention Resource Centers (PRCs) free-of-charge for prevention providers. To find out when a SAPST training will be held in your geographical area, email the OASAS Prevention team at [email protected], or contact your regional Prevention Resource Center. Contact information for PRCs is also available in Appendix B of the 2022 Prevention Guidelines. 

Webinar on Cannabis Prevention

The Division of Prevention Services hosted a Workshop series with presentations from experts from the Stanford REACH Lab on the prevention of underage cannabis use. This Workshop is a follow-up to the training on the Smart Talk Curriculum: Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Tool Kit training. The tool kit can be accessed here: Smart Talk Curriculum | Cannabis Awareness and Prevention Toolkit | Stanford Medicine

Topics include:

• Cannabis 101: What is Cannabis and Why Teens Use? Presented by Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, FSAHM, Professor of Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Stanford University.
• How Do We Reach Today’s Youth? Presented by Ben Cort, Author and Addiction Treatment Specialist.
• Supporting Parents and Families in Understanding Youth and Cannabis Use: Presented by Kim Porter, CFRS.

Needs Assessment & Technical Assistance Webinar

A two-hour webinar is designed to support prevention providers through how to create and use data-driven comprehensive needs assessments. Using data in the planning and evaluation processes allows providers to better serve their communities, schools, neighborhoods.

This webinar describes OASAS-accepted risk and protective factors, substance use/misuse consumption and consequence data and sources and best practices for using data-driven approaches to create a comprehensive prevention needs profile for decision-making. Additionally, the webinar will help prevention providers to complete the Needs Assessment module in the WITNYS 2022-2023 workplan as well as the Needs Assessment section in the 2021- 2022 Annual Report.

The webinar will support your knowledge in the following areas:

• WITNYS 2022-2023 Needs Assessment module workplan expectations.
• Annual Report review and guidelines.
• Understand and define the purpose of a Needs Assessment and the questions it answers.
• Provides insight on the questions you need to ask in order to conduct a comprehensive Needs Assessment
• Criteria for collecting data for the Needs Assessment, types of data and identification of proper data to use.
• Examples of consumption and consequence data, OASAS- accepted risk and protective factors, appropriate and inappropriate data sources.
• Understand how the Needs Assessment relates to identifying risk and protective factors and how this supports the implementation of evidence-based practices in the communities we serve.

This presentation fulfills 2-clock-hour credits toward: 

• CASAC/CPP/CPS Renewal
• CPP/CPS Initial and Renewal
• CPP/CPP-G Renewal
• CPGC Initial and Renewal
• NYS Education Dept. Social Work Continuing Education
   

Ready to take the test and receive credentialing credit? Continue below.

TEST PORTAL

Youth Engagement for Adults

Effective community coalition work requires the involvement of youth at all levels, from leadership to strategy implementation, yet we live in a society that has consistently marginalized and disenfranchised young people. Where do we find young people to lead and participate effectively in our coalition work? How do we keep them involved? Our shared challenge today is to engage young people in ways that honor and respect their unique gifts and perspectives, while still operating strategically and effectively. In this training, we cover ways not only to bring youth to the table, but to redesign the table so that youth have a place of true equity.

This two-day training fulfills 12 clock-hour credits toward:

• CASAC/CPP/CPS Renewals​​​​

Ready to take the test and receive credentialing credit? Continue below.
 

TEST PORTAL

Social Media Literacy Training

The impact of a strategic social media presence in communities can provide opportunity to create community based best practices for substance misuse awareness and prevention as well as reach a significant number of youth and adults.

The training provides an opportunity for adult coalition members to:

• Gain a greater understanding, knowledge, and use of social media applications.
• Work alongside youth to brainstorm strategies to create compelling media messages for prevention
• Identify targeted population for appropriate media messages
• Identify actionable strategies to impact local conditions to create positive behavior change among teens

This training fulfills 9 clock-hour credits toward:

• CASAC/CPP/CPS Renewals

Ready to take the test and receive credentialing credit? Continue below.
 

TEST PORTAL

NeC Prevention Technology Transfer Center and OASAS held the following Strategic Planning training. NeC Prevention Technology Transfer Center and OASAS held a Strategic Planning training. The Northeast & Caribbean Prevention Technology Transfer Center is managed by the Center for Prevention Science at the School of Social Work, Rutgers University, and serves New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Its purpose is to strengthen the substance misuse prevention workforce through technology transfer activities, including the delivery of multifaceted training and intensive technical assistance to improve knowledge and skills in prevention science and evidence-based prevention practices.

This presentation fulfills 1.5-clock-hour credits toward: 

• CPP/CPS Initial
• CASAC/CPP/CPS Renewal

Ready to take the test and receive credentialing credit? Continue below.

TEST PORTAL

Applying a Comprehensive Environmental Strategy Approach

Environmental strategies are aimed at changing and managing environments to promote healthy choices and represent an important component of New York State’s community prevention efforts. Comprehensive Environmental Strategy Approach is a training opportunity presented by OASAS in collaboration with the Northeast and Caribbean Prevention Technology Transfer Center (NeC PTTC), provides a comprehensive overview of the role of environmental prevention strategies within the framework of the Strategic Prevention Framework.

The 2-hour training explores three components of environmental strategies: Policy, Enforcement, and Media, with a focus on implementing these strategies comprehensively in your geographic area. Once you are familiar with course materials, open the OASAS Test Portal and take the corresponding exam. If you don't have an OASAS Test Portal login, create an account. Registration is one-time only, takes just a few minutes

The training fulfills 2 hours of clock-hour credit for: 

• CPP/CPS Initial, Section 2
• CASAC/CPP/CPS Renewal

VIEW Training

"Teen Intervene” is a tested, evidence-based program (EBP) for teenagers (twelve to nineteen years old) experiencing mild to moderate problems associated with alcohol or other drug use. Teen Intervene integrates stages of change theory, motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavioral therapy to help teens reduce and ultimately eliminate their chemical use.

Teen Intervene can be administered in 2-6 sessions. The last session may include a wrap-up conversation with both the parent and the adolescent, if the teenager agrees for the parent/guardian to participate.

Teen Intervene is designed for trained professionals, including teachers, school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other professionals who are working with teenagers. 

Parent/Guardian or Community Members

Teen Intervene can also be a helpful training for the non-professional community. Forms and worksheets are provided that guides the interaction between the adolescent and parent/guardian and professional staff member. Research has demonstrated Teen Intervene to be very effective in reducing: the number of days of use of alcohol and marijuana; the number of alcohol use disorder symptoms; the number of cannabis use disorder symptoms; and the consequences related to alcohol and drug use. In addition, teenagers’ abstinence rates increased for both alcohol and marijuana. The results were more positive if the parents/guardian were involved.

To schedule a Teen Intervene training session, contact a local Prevention Resource Center.

The EVALCoach Project is a joint venture between OASAS and Education Development Center to explore a wide array of evidence-based prevention strategies and topics for the ongoing professional learning and development of the addiction prevention workforce. The series is available at the Youtube playlist linked below.

Each video fulfills 1.5 or 2 clock-hour credits toward CPP/CPS/CASAC renewals. Once completed, log into the OASAS test portal for a brief quiz on the training to receive credentialing credit. 

View Training