Advantages of National Certification through NBCC
Obtaining a certification through NBCC provides benefits to the individual certificants, employers, potential clients and the profession as a whole.
For the counseling profession, NBCC's certifications:
- Provide national standards based on research in the profession.
- Furnish a mechanism for the profession to self-regulate through the implementation of the NBCC Code of Ethics.
- Offer standards that are managed by professional counselors. (Professional counselors hold key positions at NBCC.)
For certificants, possession of national certification through NBCC:
- Represents completion of national standards determined by the counseling profession.
- Enhances professional reputation and credibility.
- Provides a sense of personal accomplishment.
- Demonstrates a high level of commitment to the profession.
- Offers an opportunity to demonstrate a specialization (i.e., school counseling, clinical mental health, addictions).
- Encourages continued professional development and skill expansion.
- Increases opportunities for career advancement and/or increased earnings.
For employers, having NCCs on staff:
- Demonstrates a commitment to the populations served.
- Aids in making employment decisions..
- Boosts confidence in the abilities offered by staff members.
- Provides a resource for adjudicating ethical concerns.
- Assures the continued professional development of staff.
For the general public, the NCC credential:
- Assists in the identification of counselors who have voluntarily met national professional standards in addition to what is required by a state to practice.
- Provides an established process to have concerns and disciplinary actions reviewed.