National Certified Counselor (NCC) Application Information
Students enrolled in the M.A. in Counseling programs at Regent University have the unique opportunity to begin the application process for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) while still in school. Well-advanced students can get a jump start on earning their national certification early in their professional career.
The NCC credential can significantly increase your marketability in the future. It shows your colleagues and the public that you have voluntarily met high national standards for the practice of counseling. For the benefits of this certification, please click here.
Students will choose to take either the NCE (National Counselor Examination) or the NCMCHE (National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination) to fulfill the examination requirement for the NCC before graduating. This may allow you to get a head start on completing state licensure requirements as well, however that is not guaranteed. Please know that California and New York will not accept NCMHCE scores for licensure if the exam was taken before graduation and without state approval. Students also cannot take both exams to apply for this credential.
In order to apply for the NCC credential:
- Students must be enrolled in one of the degree seeking programs (M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling; M.A. in Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling; or M.A. in School Counseling). Students in solely one of the Certificate of Graduate Studies programs offered at Regent University are not eligible to apply.
- Students must be well advanced in their program of study. At a minimum, you must have completed coursework in six of the eight major areas of counseling and be enrolled in the final two at the time of the exam:
- Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethical Practice – COUN 561 Ethics of Counseling
- Social and Cultural Diversity – COUN 570 Multicultural Counseling
- Human Growth and Development – COUN 540 Human Growth and Development
- Career Development – COUN 536 Career and Lifestyle Development
- Counseling and Helping Relationships – COUN 500 Orientation to the Counseling Profession
- Group Counseling and Group Work – COUN 554 Group Counseling
- Assessment and Testing – COUN 532 Assessment Techniques in Counseling
- Research and Program Evaluation – COUN 517 Research and Statistics
- It is also preferred that students be at the practicum/internship stage of their degree before applying for this credential.
The fee to apply for the NCC certification is $335.00 and is payable when you submit the NBCC application. This nonrefundable covers the cost of certification, the certification examination, and the first year’s certification maintenance fee.
Please also know that if you initiate this application process, it is for obtaining a National Certification and NOT solely for licensure purposes. It is also NOT required for graduation from Regent University.
To start this process, please complete the form below. Student information will be submitted to NBCC at the beginning of each month. Once NBCC enters your information into their database, you will receive instructions for accessing and submitting the application. After the application is reviewed, you will receive a 6-month window in which to schedule the examination. Please note that the application review period can take up to 8 weeks.
