The International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium certified New Hampshire's first 18 drug and alcohol prevention specialists this month, the Portsmouth Herald reported on July 4. 

Certification requires at least a bachelor's degree in a related field, 50 hours of drug or alcohol training, HIV prevention and education training, and signature on a code of ethics.  The certification is voluntary as New Hampshire law does not require drug or alcohol counselors to be certified. The nonprofit organization, New Hampshire Prevention Certification Board, oversees the certification for the state.

Jackie Valley, director of the Community Diversion Program, sees many benefits to this new certification process.  She believes that the public will be in safe hands going to trained professionals.  She also hopes that agencies with certified employees will be entitled to more state aid. 

"If you have certified specialists, the state knows they're funding qualified professionals," Valley said.

Valley wants to see 20 more counselors receive certification in the next year in New Hampshire.