The NBCC Foundation's mission is to: leverage the power of counseling to advance global health equity through expanded access to counseling and mental health services. Its primary objectives are to increase the number of counselors and Mental Health Facilitators working with high-priority populations and to engage them in becoming innovators of counseling practices that benefit the underserved.
Scholarships , fellowships, and capacity-building grants, are our primary tools for accomplishing our objectives. The Foundation’s strategy is to award scholarships to individuals pursuing careers as professional counselors who are affiliated with high-priority populations and commit to serving them after graduation. Capacity-building grants fund expansion efforts to increase mental health resources in rural and minority communities where access to mental health care is extremely limited. Scholars and Fellows participate in innovation training to expand effective practice in their communities.
Use the forms below to apply to open opportunities!
*Please note that application forms will appear below by 12:00 AM EST on the date the application opens. If no forms appear below, please check back on the open date of the application period.
The NBCC Foundation is pleased to announce limited funding for MFP Fellow participation during the 2023 NBCCF Bridging the Gap Symposium.
Alumni of the NBCC Minority Fellowship Program may be eligible to receive funding for registration, lodging, and/or travel to attend the 2023 Bridging the Gap Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia, June 2–4, 2023
If you are interested in being considered for this opportunity, please submit your answers to the following questions by 12 pm EDT on Monday, April 3, 2023.
The NBCC Foundation is seeking dynamic presenters for our monthly webinar programs on:
- Innovations in Counseling: Working with Minority Populations
- Building Professional Excellence
These webinars enhance care for underserved minorities and provide ongoing training to NCCs and CCE credential holders in addition to Foundation scholars and fellows. These resources become part of our capacity-building plan and are archived in our webinar library available on i-counseling. Webinars are conducted online, and no travel commitment is required from our webinar presenters. The NBCC Foundation handles all the logistics of managing the webinar platform, advertising and promotion. All webinar presenters must hold a minimum of a master's degree in counseling or a related mental health field and be a board certified counselor.
Please use this form to nominate a presenter for an NBCC Foundation webinar.
The NBCC Foundation is seeking dynamic presenters for our monthly webinar programs on (1) Innovations in Counseling: Working with Minority Populations and (2) Building Professional Excellence. These webinars enhance care for underserved minorities and provide ongoing training to NCCs and CCE credential holders in addition to Foundation scholars and fellows. These resources become part of our capacity-building plan and are archived in our webinar library available on i-counseling.
Webinars are conducted online, and no travel commitment is required from our webinar presenters. The NBCC Foundation handles all the logistics of managing the webinar platform, advertising and promotion. All webinar presenters must hold a minimum of a master's degree in counseling or a related mental health field and be a board certified counselor.
The NBCC Foundation (NBCCF) offers scholarships and fellowships to increase counseling services where they are needed most. NBCCF Board of Trustees determines priority areas annually. The current priority underserved areas are military communities, rural communities, minority populations, substance abuse, and career counseling and guidance. NBCCF also offers the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) scholarships and training awards. These awards enhance the careers of credentialed professionals by providing financial assistance to those seeking additional credentials and continuing education opportunities.
NBCCF is accepting applications for volunteer application reviewers and mentors.
NBCCF Volunteers Eligibility Requirements:
All NBCCF volunteers must meet the following eligibility requirements:
• A master’s degree (or higher) in counseling and a minimum of two years of postgraduate experience.
• Certification as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) in good standing.
• Counseling experience related to serving military, minority, rural populations, career counseling, or underserved minority populations.
• Volunteer application reviewers must commit to one review cycle.
• Volunteer mentors must commit to providing mentorship for a minimum of one year.
Application Reviewer Opportunities:
NBCCF volunteers will review scholarship and fellowship applications and rate applicants based on Board-determined criteria. Foundation staff will provide online training, the review periods will be 2-3 weeks in duration, and average eight hours of actual review time. All review processes will be online.
Interested NCCs should submit a brief letter of interest and résumé. The letter should demonstrate eligibility and availability and explain the potential candidate’s interest in being an application reviewer.
Additional Eligibility Requirements for Reviewers:
Fellowship and Scholarship Reviewers:
- Experience and knowledge with one or more of the following:
Career counseling and guidance
Substance abuse
Military and veteran populations
Rural communities
Underserved minority groups
Transition age youth
CCE Scholarship Reviewers:
- Must hold one of the following CCE credentials, and be in good standing:
CCE Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS)
Board Certified Coach (BCC)
Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF)
Board Certified-TeleMental Health Provider (BC-TMH)
- Extensive experience working with and knowledge of one or more of the populations that the listed credential holders serve.
Mentorship Opportunities:
Each year, the Foundation awards fellowships and scholarships to more than 80 counseling master’s students who commit to serving the Foundation’s priority underserved populations of military communities, rural communities and minority populations or providing career development services. The fellowships and scholarships provide substantial financial awards as well as training and support services, including mentors.
Experienced master’s-level National Certified Counselors (NCCs) have the opportunity to volunteer as mentors for the NBCC Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) and NBCC Foundation scholarship program. Fellows and scholars with active mentor connections demonstrate increased success in completing master’s programs, contributing effective research, and attaining related employment and other opportunities. NBCCF will match mentors and Fellows or Scholars based on interests and experience.
At minimum, mentors will provide four interactions with their assigned Fellow or Scholar and make themselves available for additional inquiries based on mutual agreement with their mentee. Mentors will receive online training and orientation prior to engagement. The duration of the commitment is one year.
NCCs interested in mentoring can submit their application (including a brief letter of interest and résumé). The letter of interest should demonstrate eligibility and explain the candidate’s interest in being a mentor and expected achievements and outcomes for the mentoring process.
Additional Eligibility Requirements for Mentors:
Master’s Level Fellowship or Scholarship Mentors:
- Counseling experience related to serving military, minority, rural populations, career counseling, or underserved minority populations.
- Commit to providing mentorship for a minimum of one year.
Doctoral Level Fellowship Mentors:
- Doctoral degree in counseling and a minimum of two years of postdoctoral experience;
- Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with racially and ethnically diverse populations; and
- Counseling experience related to providing mental health or substance abuse services to underserved minority populations.
- Commit to providing mentorship for a minimum of one year.
For more information about the Foundation scholarship and fellowship programs, visit www.nbccf.org
The NBCC Foundation (NBCCF) is accepting proposals from individuals interested in presenting at its 2023 Bridging the Gap Symposium: Eliminating Mental Health Disparities, to be held June 2–4, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. The theme for the Symposium is From Awareness to Action, with an emphasis on counseling skills, research, and resources that progress counseling practices and counselor education toward actionable change to address the mental health–related inequities and disparities faced by individuals and communities.
We welcome submissions from presenters who can provide creative and unique presentations that highlight evidence-based and culturally relevant practices or research addressing ways to serve and bridge the gap for: underserved communities (including underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, children, veterans, the elderly, military or rural populations, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals). Presenters are expected to include or cultivate with attendees action-oriented applications to implement lessons learned in their sessions.
Category Descriptions:
- Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care – Topics that increase awareness of action-oriented and culturally relevant research and application of trauma-informed care for underserved clients and communities (including underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, children, veterans, the elderly, military or rural populations, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals).
- Expanding Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents – Topics that increase awareness of disparities in care while demonstrating action-oriented and culturally relevant research and clinical practice for promoting optimal mental health and wellness for child and adolescent development. Focus must be on serving underserved clients and communities (including underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, children, veterans, the elderly, military or rural populations, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals).
- Strengthening the Profession Through Leadership and Advocacy – Topics that increase awareness and demonstrate the significance of action-oriented counselor leadership, advocacy, and political engagement for issues that impact underserved clients and communities (including underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, children, veterans, the elderly, military or rural populations, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals).
- Underserved Clients and Societal Institutions – Topics that increase awareness and understanding of racism, discrimination, and other societal or systemic barriers to care in educational, governmental, religious, health care, occupational, and other societal institutions. Presentation must increase awareness and understanding of serving underserved clients and communities (including underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, children, veterans, the elderly, military or rural populations, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals).
- Decolonizing the Counseling Profession – Topics that increase awareness of action oriented and culturally relevant strategies and interventions to in the research, leadership, and practice of counseling, with a specific focus on unique needs and experiences of underserved clients and communities (including underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, children, veterans, the elderly, military or rural populations, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals).
- Treatment of Substance Use and Addiction in Underserved Communities – Topics that increase awareness of action-oriented research and evidence-based practices in culturally relevant treatment of substance use disorder and addiction in serving underserved clients and communities (including underrepresented ethnic and racial groups, children, veterans, the elderly, military or rural populations, and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals).
Proposal and Policy Guidelines:
Proposals to present must contain and convey sufficient detail to allow NBCCF’s Symposium Planning Committee to understand how the proposed presentation will contribute to the Symposium objectives. Selection is competitive, so you must submit a compelling and complete proposal.
- Persons presenting at the Symposium are expected to use material and language that does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, physical ability, and/or sexual orientation.
- If your proposal is selected, NBCCF reserves the right, with your consent, to revise presentation titles and/or edit the program summary for promotional and program materials. Please note the word/character limit as described below. NBCCF will adjust bios, titles, descriptions, and objectives that do not meet this requirement.
- Biography – 250 words
- Presentation Title – 100 characters
- Description and Objectives (combined) – 250 words
- NBCCF follows the style guide set forth by NBCC and Affiliates, and any edits necessary to conform with these requirements will be made.
- NBCCF reserves the right to cancel a presentation based on noncompliance at any point. This includes, but is not limited to, failure to register for the Symposium by the due date, failure to return required documents by the due date (e.g., agreement, presentation materials, bios, photos), or failure to make presenter changes by the due date.
No more than two proposals from one speaker will be considered. Please complete a separate application for each proposal.
Presentation Types:
- 60-minute Keynote Presentation: The 60-minute sessions will be a standard keynote format consisting of a presentation and brief Q&A session.
Presenter Benefits Provided by NBCCF:
- Presenters (including co-presenters) receive a complimentary Symposium registration, including admission to the pre-Symposium events, concurrent presentations, and networking events as applicable.
- Presenters will receive a copy of their attendees’ evaluation report summary with presentation ratings and feedback after the Symposium.
- NBCCF does not pay an honorarium or expenses for presenting at the Symposium, but we hope that the benefits of being a part of our programming and sharing expertise with an emerging group of mental health counselors make the effort worthwhile for presenters.
Call for Presenter Proposal Evaluation:
Proposals are evaluated objectively with consideration of the following criteria:
- degree to which the proposed presentation meets the Symposium/program objectives
- presenter’s presentation skills and experience
- desirability of the topic
- clarity of learning objectives
- overall clarity of proposal
Other Speaker Requirements:
- Acknowledge availability to speak during any time frame of the event and do not request a change to the presentation time frame assigned, if selected.
- Work closely with event programming department and meet all deadlines.
- Design and provide high-quality PowerPoint, Prezi, or other similar presentations, in electronic format, by the deadline given.
- Recognize that a presentation is an opportunity to share information and is not a showcase for promotion of business, practice, service, or product.
- Acknowledge that although this event is being planned as an in-person event, circumstances may require the event to be delivered in a virtual format. Please take this into consideration when answering the question(s) related to adapting your presentation to a virtual format.