The NBCC Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025 military scholarships for service members, veterans, and their spouses pursuing a career in professional counseling. The military scholarship was created to increase the number of counselors available to serve military personnel and families. These scholarships provide financial support to students who are currently enrolled in a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited master’s-level counseling program; are active duty, have served in the military, or are a military spouse; and who commit to serve military personnel in the United States within 1 year of graduation for the duration of a minimum of at least 2 years post-graduation. Five scholarships in the amount of $8,000 are available. 

Eligibility Requirements:  

• Applicants must currently live in the United States but can be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or an international student with an F-1 Visa.  
• Applicants must not already possess a master’s degree in a behavioral health field. 
• Applicants must be veterans or active-duty U.S. military service members or spouses of a veteran or active-duty U.S. military service member. Veterans must have received an honorable discharge. 
• Applicants must be currently enrolled full time and be in good standing in a CACREP-accredited master’s-level counseling program. Applicants must currently be taking courses. Applicants may not have a pending status, deferred status, or other future start date for coursework.  
• Applicants are expected to graduate by May 31, 2028 (within 3 years from the date of the scholarship funding). 
• Eligible applicants must not have an anticipated program completion date before Dec. 31, 2025, which will be verified in writing by their academic department prior to the awarding of funds. 
• Applicants must commit to becoming nationally certified by applying for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) certification prior to graduation and to completing the application process. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine their eligibility to obtain this certification prior to applying for the scholarship. 
• Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of and experience with military personnel and families. 
• Applicants must commit to providing mental health services to military veterans, individuals, and/or families in the United States within 1 year of graduation and for the duration of a minimum of at least 2 years post-graduation. 

To check the CACREP status of a program, search the CACREP website. The application opens Oct. 1, 2024, and the application deadline is Dec. 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm EST. Scholarship awardees will be announced by the end of March 2025.  

For questions, please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If you still have questions after reviewing our FAQ document, please email foundation@nbcc.org or call 336-232-0376. 

If you experience any issues with the Submittable application platform, please email Support@submittable.com. 

The NBCC Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025 rural scholarships for students pursuing a career in professional counseling. The rural scholarships were created to increase the number of counselors available to serve people in rural areas. These scholarships provide financial support to students who are currently enrolled in a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited counseling master’s program, live in a rural area, and commit to serve rural populations within 1 year of graduation for the duration of a minimum of at least 2 years post-graduation. Five scholarships in the amount of $8,000 are available. 

Eligibility Requirements:  

• Applicants must currently live in the United States but can be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or international student with an F-1 Visa. 
• Applicants must not already possess a master’s degree in a behavioral health field. 
• Applicants must reside in a rural area as defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  
• Applicants must be currently enrolled full time and be in good standing in a CACREP-accredited master’s-level counseling program. Applicants must currently be taking courses. Applicants may not have a pending status, deferred status, or other future start date for coursework.  
• Applicants are expected to graduate by May 31, 2028 (within 3 years of the date of the scholarship funding).  
• Eligible applicants must not have an anticipated program completion date before Dec. 31, 2025, which will be verified in writing by their academic department prior to the awarding of funds.  
• Applicants must commit to becoming nationally certified by applying for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) certification prior to graduation and to completing the application process. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine their eligibility to obtain this certification prior to applying for the scholarship. 
• Applicants must commit to providing mental health services in a rural area in the United States within 1 year of graduation and for the duration of a minimum of at least 2 years post-graduation.  

To check the CACREP status of a program, search the CACREP website. The application opens Oct. 1, 2024, and the application deadline is Dec. 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm EST. Scholarship awardees will be announced by the end of March 2025. 

For questions, please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). If you still have questions after reviewing our FAQ document, please email foundation@nbcc.org or call 336-232-0376. 

 If you experience any issues with the Submittable application platform, please email  Support@submittable.com. 

The NBCC Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025 application period for the Dr. Nicholas Vacc Scholarship. The NBCC Foundation will administer one doctoral-level counseling scholarship of $5,000. This program is made possible by an endowment in memory of Dr. Nicholas Vacc. The NBCC Foundation helps ensure that the behavioral health needs of all Americans are met, regardless of language or culture, thereby reducing health disparities and improving overall community health and well-being. By strategically promoting and providing scholarships to doctoral counseling students, the Dr. Nicholas Vacc Scholarship Endowment supports the infrastructure that engages individuals focused on research and/or testing that strengthens the profession of counseling. 

Eligibility Requirements: 

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status. 
• Applicants must not already possess a doctoral degree in a behavioral health field. 
• Applicants must currently be nationally certified by holding the National Certified Counselor (NCC) certification. If the applicant is not currently nationally certified, they must document all of the following:  

1. A full state license as a professional counselor;  
2. A passing score on the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE); and  
3. A commitment to apply for the NCC certification and to complete the application within the shortest possible timeframe after notification of the award. 

• Applicants must be currently enrolled full time for the fall 2024 semester and be in good standing in a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited doctoral-level counseling program. Applicants may not have a pending status, deferred status, or other future start date for coursework.  
• Applicants are expected to graduate by May 31, 2028 (within 3 years after notification of the award). 
• Eligible applicants must not have an anticipated academic program completion date before Dec. 31, 2025, which will be verified in writing by their academic department prior to the awarding of funds. 
• Applicants must focus their dissertation on research and/or testing that strengthens the profession of counseling.  
• Applicants must be a member of Chi Sigma Iota.  

To check the CACREP status of a program, search the CACREP website. The application opens Oct. 1, 2024, and the application deadline is Dec. 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm EST.  

Scholarship awardees will be announced by the end of March 2025.  

For questions, please review our Frequently Asked Questions or email foundation@nbcc.org. If you still have questions after reviewing our FAQ document, please email foundation@nbcc.org or call 336-232-0376. 

If you experience any issues with the Submittable application platform, please email Support@submittable.com. 

The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates is pleased to announce the 2025 nomination period for the Leadership Excellence for Counselors by Counselors Award. NBCC strives to recognize individuals who exemplify professional excellence in counseling and whose contributions toward expanding access to mental health services, strengthening the profession, and promoting equity in health and education have significantly impacted and advanced counseling and counselors domestically and globally.

Nominees should be leaders who have ensured that strong standards informed by counselors, intentionally equitable, and appropriately inclusive are in place to ensure key public protections. Individuals may be recognized in any of the following six pillars of sustaining the counseling profession:

• Educational Eligibility Standards
• Ethics
• Examination
• Continuing Education
• Regulatory Service
• Legislative Advocacy

Nomination Requirements

• Nominators can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual.
• Nominators must be an NCC or CCMHC in good standing.
• Nominees must have made significant and impactful efforts in at least one of the six pillars of sustaining the counseling profession.

Nominators can submit multiple nominations; however, they must complete a separate application for each nominee. The nomination packet limit is 20 pages for all uploaded documents. Nomination packets that total more than 20 pages will be disqualified.

The deadline for nominations is Oct. 13, 2024, at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Awardees will be notified by the end of December 2024.

The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates is pleased to announce the 2025 nomination period for the Propelling Mental Health, Powering the Future: School Counseling Award. NBCC strives to recognize individuals who exemplify professional excellence in counseling and whose contributions toward expanding access to mental health services, strengthening the profession, and promoting equity in health and education have significantly impacted and advanced counseling and counselors domestically and globally.

This award focuses on honoring the outstanding efforts of school counselors to address youth mental health needs and initiate suicide prevention programming in their school communities.
 

Nomination Requirements

• Nominators can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual.
• Nominees must be an NCC in good standing (with priority given to applicants holding an active NCSC in good standing).
• Nominees must be a practicing school counselor or a counselor educator with an active partnership for engagement with a school counselor.

Nominators can submit multiple nominations; however, they must complete a separate application for each nominee. The nomination packet limit is 20 pages for all uploaded documents. Nomination packets that total more than 20 pages will be disqualified.

The deadline for nominations is Oct. 13, 2024, at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Awardees will be notified by the end of December 2024.

The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates is pleased to announce the 2025 nomination period for the Innovation in Counseling Award. NBCC strives to recognize individuals who exemplify professional excellence in counseling and whose contributions toward expanding access to mental health services, strengthening the profession, and promoting equity in health and education have significantly impacted and advanced counseling and counselors domestically and globally.

Nominations for the Innovations in Counseling Awards will be accepted in three subcategories: Research Innovations in Counseling Practice and Counselor Education; Counselor Education Program Community Engagement; and Practice and Clinical Service.

Nominators can submit multiple nominations; however, they must complete a separate application for each nominee. The nomination packet limit is 20 pages for all uploaded documents. Nomination packets that total more than 20 pages will be disqualified.

The deadline for nominations is Oct. 13, 2024, at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Awardees will be notified by the end of December 2024.

Research Innovations in Counseling Practice and Counselor Education

Qualified nominees are researchers and/or counseling programs or research teams who have engaged in innovative, transformative research recognized by peers, colleagues, or the professional community as having potential for long-range impacts on mental health services, counselor preparation, or clinical practice in spaces where counselors serve.

Nomination Requirements

• Nominators cannot self-nominate.
• Nominators must be an NCC or CCMHC in good standing.
• Nominees must have made significant contributions through transformative research.

Counselor Education Program Community Engagement

A qualified nominee is a counselor education program that integrates community engagement throughout the curriculum (e.g., service learning, action or program evaluation research for community partners, student projects with community engagement) with evidence of reciprocity and accountability.

Nomination Requirements

• Nominators can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual.
• Nominees must be a CACREP-accredited counselor education program.
• Nominees must have robust integration of community engagement opportunities with the best candidates evidencing community engagement integration in classes, course assignments, research, and faculty scholarship.

Practice and Clinical Service

Qualified nominees are counselors who initiated innovative services that improved their clients’ lives in meaningful ways and/or strengthen or expand counselors’ capacity to provide impactful services to clients. Nominees can have provided innovative services for their own clients or services that have been replicated and have transformed clinical practice for the profession.

Nomination Requirements

• Nominators cannot self-nominate.
• Nominees must be an NCC or CCMHC in good standing.
• Nominees must have made service contributions to the counseling profession for 5 or more years.

The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates is pleased to announce the 2025 nomination period for the NBCC Servant Leadership Award. NBCC strives to recognize individuals who exemplify professional excellence in counseling and whose contributions toward expanding access to mental health services, strengthening the profession, and promoting equity in health and education have significantly impacted and advanced counseling and counselors domestically and globally.

Nominees should be members of the professional counseling community who have dedicated their lives to advancing the counseling profession through service. These unsung heroes have invested time, talents, and resources in fostering a strong counseling community by recognizing and valuing the contributions of others; promoting the power of collaboration; encouraging resiliency; and serving others as counselors, mentors, supervisors, and/or leaders.

Nomination Requirements

• Nominators can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual.
• Nominators must be an NCC or CCMHC in good standing.
• Nominees must be an NCC or CCMHC in good standing.
• Nominees must have made service contributions to the counseling profession for 5 or more years.

Nominators can submit multiple nominations; however, they must complete a separate application for each nominee. The nomination packet limit is 20 pages for all uploaded documents. Nomination packets that total more than 20 pages will be disqualified.

The deadline for nominations is Oct. 13, 2024, at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Awardees will be notified by the end of December 2024.

The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates is pleased to announce the 2025 nomination period for the Global Advancement of Counseling Awards. This award category recognizes individuals and/or organizations that have substantially advanced the profession of counseling through global engagement.
 

Nominations for the Global Advancement of Counseling Awards will be accepted in three subcategories: Governmental Recognition, Counselor Education, and Community Capacity.

Nominators can submit multiple nominations; however, they must complete a separate application for each nominee. The nomination packet limit is 20 pages for all uploaded documents. Nomination packets that total more than 20 pages will be disqualified.

The deadline for nominations is Oct. 13, 2024, at 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Awardees will be notified by the end of December 2024.

Governmental Recognition

This award honors the work of an individual or partner organization who has strived to advance governmental recognition of counselors globally through certification, licensure, or a specific element of a national model for counseling in their nation/country, including through the development or advancement of a counseling examination, counseling code of ethics, educational standards for counseling training programs, professional development for counselors, supervision structures and policies, or other components necessary for national certification.

A qualified nominee has made significant contributions, such as developing language accepted by policymakers in a specific nation/territory for counseling policy, advocating to have policy or legislation approved, securing support for education programs for counselors, and other efforts to advance governmental recognition for the profession of counseling or counselors.

Nomination Requirements

• Nominators can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual.
• Nominees can be an individual or a partner organization.

Counselor Education

This award honors the work of a counselor educator serving in international settings who have formed or strengthened global partnerships for education exchanges, led the development of standards of counselor education, or advanced the process of educating counselors and promoting the identity of counselors.

Nominees must have made significant contributions to developing or strengthening global education opportunities for counselors. Significant contributions may include curriculum design and development, accreditation pursuits, formalization of recruitment and retention processes for counseling students, advocacy for governmental recognition, and support for education and training programs for counselors, etc.

Nomination Requirements

• Nominators can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual.

Community Capacity

This award honors an individual or community-based organization who are/represent clinicians, counselors, and/or community activists who have mobilized resources or dedicated themselves to global efforts to raise the public/global awareness of mental health, increase access to counseling globally/nationally/internationally, and reduce stigma related to mental health.

A qualified nominee has made significant contributions to reducing stigma and developing community capacity for mental health services and counseling, such as, but not limited to: developing and facilitating impactful public awareness campaigns, offering community-based education for mental health awareness, or partnering to bring stigma-reduction programs to youth and families.

Nomination Requirements

• Nominees must be nominated by an NCC.
• Nominators can self-nominate or be nominated by another individual.
• Nominees can be individuals or community organizations.

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 CCE Academy. 

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 2-4 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