Earn Continuing Education
Continuing education is an integral part of professional practice. There are many ways you can earn continuing education credit. Any of the following activities will qualify for continuing education clock hours to recertify your NCC, as long as the activity relates to an approved content area.
For any continuing education activity, you must have proper documentation, as described below, in order to claim credit. You can use the NBCC continuing education credit verification form for activities that do not provide a certificate of completion.
College or University Courses (No clock hour limit)
All courses must be graduate level. Courses may be audited. A transcript, grade report or verification form is required for documentation.
1 semester hour = 15 clock hours
1 quarter hour = 10 clock hours
Seminar, Workshop or Conference Courses (No clock hour limit)
NBCC ACEP approval is not required; however, the courses must meet NBCC guidelines for continuing education. A certificate, verification form or letter verifying attendance is required for documentation. The documentation must include your name, date attended, hours completed, program title and signature of presenter/provider.
Home Study Continuing Education (No clock hour limit)
Any amount of your continuing education clock hours can come from home study programs, including online activities. The same standards for selecting live programs apply to selecting home study programs. That is, they do not have to be NBCC ACEP approved, but they must meet NBCC guidelines for continuing education. A certificate, verification form or letter verifying attendance is required for documentation. The documentation must include your name, date attended, hours completed, program title and signature of presenter/provider.
Publication/Presentations/New Program Development (Limit of 20 clock hours)
Publication activities are limited to articles in refereed journals, a chapter in an edited book or a published book. Required documentation for publication credit is a copy of the cover page of the article or book. For a chapter in an edited book, include a copy of the table of contents.
Presentations and New Program Development include a new course, seminar, workshop, community program, or presentation developed within your current certification cycle.
- New course development is one that you developed. A course with an existing curriculum that you are teaching for the first time does not meet the requirements for continuing education. Courses may be graduate or undergraduate but must be at institutionally accredited colleges or universities. Documentation required is a letter from the department chair verifying your participation in the development of the course.
- New school, hospital or agency in-service programs, hospital mental health team designs, or extensive community outreach systems may also be submitted. All such programs must include documents, dated proposals and supporting materials. Documentation for presentations must include a copy of the program brochure listing you as the presenter and a print out of the presentation.
Dissertation (Limit of 45 clock hours)
List the dates for which credit was granted by your college or university for work done toward the completion of your dissertation. List the title of your dissertation and the name of your college or university. A transcript, grade report or verification form is required for documentation.
Supervision/Consultation (Limit of 25 clock hours)
Continuing education clock hours can only be granted for formal consultation/supervision with a clinical focus received on a regular basis. Credit cannot be granted for supervision you provide to others. List the start and end dates and the site where you received supervision, as well as the name and credentials of your supervisor. A signed letter from your supervisor is required for documentation. Supervision for academic credit should be listed under coursework. A maximum of 25 contact hours can be granted in a certification cycle for supervision taken for academic credit. This supervision must appear on your transcript or grade report.
Leadership (Limit of 20 clock hours)
To qualify for continuing education credit, you must hold a leadership position for a minimum of one year and be within your current certification cycle. The position must be in a state or national counseling organization or state counseling licensure/certification board and must be unpaid. List the position, the start and end dates, and the name of the organization. A signed letter from the organization with the dates and type of service is the required documentation.
Volunteer (Limit of 10 hours)
Volunteer hours may be earned from a national, state, or humanitarian organization. The mission of the organization must fit into an approved content area. A certificate, verification form, or letter verifying attendance and a written statement explaining how the activity assists in your direct service to clients is required for documentation. The documentation must include your name, date attended, hours completed, title of the activity, and signature of a presenter/provider. Activities are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Unrelated Programs (Limit of 20 hours)
Clock hours earned for activities on topic areas that do not fit within NBCC’s nine counseling topic areas may be considered if the activity helps in your direct service to clients. A certificate, verification form, or letter verifying attendance and a written statement explaining how the activity assists in your direct service to clients is required for documentation. Programs are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Recertification/Reinstatement by Examination
A passing score on the NCE or NCMHCE may be used in lieu of the required continuing education hours in the recertification and reinstatement processes.
Calendar of Events
Remember to check the calendar of events for upcoming NBCC-approved continuing education events in your state.
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