The National Board for Certified Counselors and Affiliates (NBCC) received its first MFP grant award in August 2012. Under this grant, the NBCC MFP will provide up to 24 fellowships per year to diverse doctoral students in counseling. In this way, the NBCC MFP will increase the number of professional counselors who have received advanced training and who are skilled in providing effective services to underserved populations. The first fellowships will be awarded in April 2013.
This program is made possible by a grant awarded to NBCC by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The NBCC Foundation has been contracted by NBCC to administer counseling fellowships, as well as training and collaboration activities that will be open to all National Certified Counselors.
Doctoral fellowships of up to $20,000 are awarded to doctoral-level professional counselors. Core requirements for fellowship eligibility include:
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens or have a permanent resident status
- Applicants must not receive any other federal funds or work for a federal agency
- Applicants must currently hold the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential* in good standing
- Applicants must be enrolled full time and in good standing in a CACREP-accredited doctoral-level counseling program
- Applicants must have demonstrated knowledge and experience with racially and ethnically diverse populations
- Applicants must commit to provide mental health and substance abuse services to underserved minority populations in the private nonprofit and public sectors
- African Americans, Alaska Natives, American Indians, Asian Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are especially encouraged to apply
*Individuals who do not hold the NCC credential may apply if they can document all of the following: a full state license as a professional counselor; a passing score on the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE), the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) or an NBCC-accepted state licensure examination; and a commitment to obtain the NCC within three months if awarded a fellowship.
Deadline:
The 2013 NBCC MFP application period is closed. Please check back in November 2013 for details on the 2014 fellowships.
For questions, please call 336-232-0376 or email foundation@nbcc.org, subject line NBCC MFP Fellowship.
The NBCC MFP has established an advisory council (MFPAC) to select and support fellows; create policy for administration of the program; support program planning, monitoring and evaluation; and provide education and leadership to the counseling profession. The MFPAC is comprised of five members.