NCC | NBCC

The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. (NBCC) administers a rigorous, examination-based, professional certification program titled as the NBCC National Certified Counselor (NCC) Program. Professional counselors who wish to be granted the NCC credential must show that they have completed specific educational and training requirements and demonstrate an ongoing professional commitment to the field of counseling by satisfying the other requirements of this Program. Once certified, you will need to meet ongoing requirements in order to maintain and recertify your NCC.

NCC Eligibility Requirements

You must meet the following requirements in order to obtain certification as an NCC. After reviewing the requirements and the National Certified Counselor™ (NCC®) Certification Eligibility Policy, you can click the button to begin your application.

Education Requirements

You must hold a counseling degree with at least 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours of graduate-level coursework from a CACREP-accredited program or a counseling program administered by a institutionally accredited institution. Regional Accrediting Information (PDF).

Is your counseling degree from a CACREP-accredited program?

Yes

CACREP Accredited:
You earned a master’s, education specialist/educational specialist, certificate of advanced study, or doctoral degree in counseling from either a CACREP-accredited degree program. NBCC must verify your completion of the degree program through the review of an official transcript.

No Experience Verification Required

No Educational Review Required

Institutionally Accredited:
You earned a graduate degree from a degree program that is administered by an institutionally accredited educational institution. Your coursework will be subject to NBCC review and approval. NBCC must verify your completion of the degree program through the review of an official transcript.

Supervised Post-Master's Counseling Work Experience Requirement:
Demonstrate your successful completion of at least 3,000 hours of documented, supervised postgraduate clinical counseling work experience and at least 100 hours of supervision, each over a minimum of 24 months. Your supervisor(s) must verify your completion of this experience requirement.

Educational Review Requirement:
NBCC will perform a review of your coursework as part of determining your eligibility. In the course of this review you may be asked for course descriptions or syllabi for courses shown on your transcript(s).

Professional Endorsement Requirement:
Submit an endorsement from a professional colleague who holds a graduate degree in a mental health field. The individual providing the endorsement cannot be related to you.

Examination Requirement:
You must pass either the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE). If you have previously passed the NCE or NCMHCE you can use those exam scores and do not need to re-take the test.

Ethics Requirement:
As a National Certified Counselor (NCC) , your professional and public behaviors must be consistent with the conduct standards set forth in the NBCC Code of Ethics, the Certification Eligibility Ethics Policy, and the NBCC Ethics Case Procedures. You must accurately and fully complete the required NCC application sections “Ethics Attestation” and “Applicant Agreement and Release Authorization,” which require the disclosure of all prior legal, criminal, and disciplinary matters related to the applicant. These disclosures are reviewed by NBCC in accordance with the Certification Eligibility Ethics Policy.

Education

You must hold a master’s, education specialist/educational specialist, certificate of advanced study (CAS), or doctoral degree in counseling from one of the following options:

A CACREP-accredited degree program: The program must have held CACREP accreditation the month you graduated.

or
A counseling program administered by an institutionally accredited educational institution: The program must include at least 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours of graduate-level coursework AND at least six semester or 10 quarter hours of graduate degree–related supervised field experience in counseling.

Coursework

Your graduate-level coursework must cover the following nine content areas:

Human Growth and Development Theories in Counseling
Social and Cultural Foundations in Counseling
Helping Relationships in Counseling
Group Counseling Theories and Processes
Career Counseling and Lifestyle Development
Assessment in Counseling
Research and Program Evaluation
Professional Orientation to Counseling
Counseling Field Experience

Learn more about the required coursework content areas.

Supervision

You must document at least 100 hours of postgraduate counseling supervision over a minimum 24-month period. This requirement may be waived in certain circumstances: for graduates of CACREP-accredited programs; for fully state-licensed professional counselors; for those who have had a degree conferred from a regionally accredited doctoral program in counseling.

Professional Endorsement

You must obtain endorsement from a professional colleague who holds a graduate degree in a mental health field. The individual providing endorsement cannot be related to the applicant and cannot be the same individual verifying supervision.

Work Experience

You must document having completed at least 3,000 hours of postgraduate counseling work experience over a minimum 24-month period. This requirement may be waived in certain circumstances: for graduates from CACREP-accredited programs; for fully state-licensed professional counselors; for those who have had a degree conferred from an institutionally accredited doctoral program in counseling.

Ethics

You are required to adhere to NBCC’s ethical policies, including the NBCC Code of Ethics, the Certification Eligibility Policy - Ethics, and the Ethics Case Procedures. These important policies are available at: nbcc.org/ethics/certification.

Examination Requirement

You must obtain a passing score on the National Counselor Examination (NCE) or the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examinations (NCMHCE).

Application Fees for Certification
Credential	Without Exam Registration	Exam Registration Included
NCC	$250	$375
CCMHC	$250	$375
NCSC	$250	N/A

Begin Application

Examination Information

For purposes of national certification, the examinations are throughout the year. The NCE and NCMHCE handbooks provide specific information regarding each examination.

National Certified Counselor (NCC)