My First Year in Prevention: A Guide for New Professionals

Even when BPHC staff are not working for BPHC they are thinking about substance misuse prevention and how to improve outcomes in Vermont!  For this reason, our Coalition Director, Mariah Flynn, recently completed her third Fellowship project with the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC). 

Mariah has over 23 years of experience working in the substance use field in Vermont and in more recent years has been increasingly dedicating her time to helping grow Vermont’s workforce. Vermont desperately needs more trained professionals to support much needed attention on strategies that help prevent people from developing a substance use disorder.  Mariah applied for the PTTC Fellowship to help her create this guide. She designed the guide to support individuals as they enter the prevention field to learn the science and strategy that drives prevention and public health work. 

The guide helps introduce someone new in the field to prevention, using examples of “Upstream” prevention - addressing risk factors and creating community protections early to prevent problems before they arise. The guide includes a detailed training and learning timeline for the first year, with opportunities for reflection and appropriate supervision with the goal of encouraging more professionals to become certified as a Vermont Prevention Specialist. Mariah also included resources for supervisors to help them support their new employee’s learning, and created editable versions in different formats so that supervisors can make the guide work for the needs of their organization and community.  

Mariah said she is excited to be a part of supporting the next generation of the substance misuse prevention field! If you end up using this guide for yourself or your staff please reach out to Mariah let her know. She would love to hear your feedback and how it can continue to be improved to support more effective prevention work in our state.