Frequently Asked Questions
The first thing that the NCC credential can do for any counselor who obtains it is to show clients, employers, and the public that you have met the national standards set by the counseling profession. It shows that you have gone above and beyond what the state may require and have obtained the credential administered by the board that administers every examination for every state licensure board in the United States. Holding the NCC credential makes you part of NBCC and part of all we are doing to promote the counseling profession in the United States and around the world. NCCs qualify for a reduced rate on liability insurance with Lockton Affinity. Some states recognize the NCC in the licensure process by reducing some licensure requirements for counselors who hold the NCC credential. NBCC is the largest counselor credentialing organization in the world with over 42,000 NCCs in every state and in over 40 other countries. Many NCCs express great pride in being part of one of the organizations that is leading the counseling profession.
Counselors who complete the national certification process through NBCC are called National Certified Counselors. The acronym is “NCC”. National Certified Counselors may use the NCC on business cards and all professional materials. NCCs also receive a certificate suitable for framing.
No, counselors who hold to the NCC credential and who wish to do private practice counseling in their state must still comply with all state laws regulating the practice of counseling. This will usually mean that they must obtain the state license in order to do private practice.
No, some states have an abbreviated licensure process for counselors who hold national certification with NBCC. Also, if your state utilizes the same examination that you took to get your NCC credential, you may not have to pay another examination in order to be licensed. To find out if your state offers an abbreviated application process for NCCs, contact your state counselor licensure board. You will see a button on the home page of this Web site called State Licensure that will lead you to information on each state counselor licensure board.
It is standard practice to charge an annual fee for the maintenance of any professional credential including a license or national certification. Annual maintenance fees support all NBCC certification, testing, legislative, and advocacy programs.
NCCs are required to do several things in order to maintain certification. First and foremost, you must adhere to the NBCC Code of Ethics. This means that you must report to NBCC within 60 days if you become the subject of any ethics, disciplinary, criminal, or lesser offense, complaint, or charge. You must also pay the annual fees on time each year. By the end of the five-year certification cycle, you must have accrued a minimum of 100 clock hours of continuing education that meet NBCC requirements.
Yes, NBCC will send you a bill each year 90 days in advance of the due date. If the fee is not paid by that due date, there will be a $15 late fee charged to your account. In the fifth year, instead of an annual bill, you will receive a green recertification form in the mail. That form will bill you for your annual fee and in addition will tell you whether or not you have been selected for the mandatory audit. If you are selected then you must submit copies of your 100 hours of continuing education along with the green recertification form and fee payment. If you’re not selected for audit, you must submit only the green recertification form with your signature and fee payment in order to be recertified.
NBCC will grant up to one year of extension in order for you to obtain the required number of clock hours of continuing education. You should request this extension in writing stating the reason that you did not complete the hours, how many hours you did complete, and the plan for completion of the remainder. The letter requesting an extension should be attached to the green recertification form and fee payment and submitted to NBCC as stated on the blue instruction sheet.
If you have allowed your NCC credential to lapse, you may apply for reinstatement by completing the reinstatement application and submitting it with 100 hours of continuing education and the required fee payment. In order to find out what fees you owe, please contact the recertification department at recertification@nbcc.org.
If you decide that you need to relinquish your NCC credential, you must fill out the Request to Relinquish Form and turned it in as soon as possible in order for charges to stop accruing on their NCC account. Simply stopping payment will not end your certification. The relinquish form may be obtained in the NCC Service Center on the Status Changes page.