NBCC joined the many counselors, counselor educators, and counselors-in-training who attended the American Counseling Association’s 2024 Conference & Expo in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 11–13. At the NBCC booth, attendees had the opportunity to discuss the latest developments in the counseling profession, discover how they can advocate for mental health care, and network with other mental health professionals.
According to the Bureau of Health Workforce, more than 122 million people live in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) in the United States. Everyone should have access to high-quality counseling and mental health care. NBCC provides resources to help counselors reach more populations while offering scholarship opportunities to help more counselors-in-training finish their education.
At the American Counseling Association’s conference, we talked to attendees about resources, including:
- The value of becoming a National Certified Counselor (NCC)
- Credentialing opportunities through the Center for Credentialing & Education
- The Professional Counselor journal
- The Minority Fellowship Program
- Scholarships
- The NBCC Foundation’s virtual career fair
- Continuing education opportunities
- Global affairs initiatives
- Approved Continuing Education Providers
Debbie Grant, PhD, NCC, LPC-S, CRC, is a faculty mentor in school counseling at the University of West Alabama. Dr. Grant connected with the NBCC team in the booth and shared that NBCC resources and support have been very helpful for her work in counseling and with students.
“I wouldn’t be a counselor if I wasn’t affiliated with NBCC. It’s the gold standard,” Dr. Grant says.
George Andrews, NCC, ACS, LPC-SA, LMFT-S, has been a National Certified Counselor since 1996. He says certification is valuable to the counseling profession because it sets a measure of excellence for mental health professionals to adhere to.
“I really appreciate NBCC. You need a national standard. I appreciate everything that NBCC does. I think that NBCC is on the forefront of many initiatives,” says Andrews.
NBCC has resources to support all counselors, no matter where they are in their career. Learn more about how we’re helping mental health professionals at https://www.nbcc.org/resources/nccs.
