The NBCC Foundation and NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, are pleased to announce the 2019 application period for the National Board for Certified Counselors Minority Fellowship Program (NBCC MFP) for Addictions Counselors (MFP-AC). This program is made possible by a grant awarded to the NBCC Foundation in collaboration with NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The program will administer up to 40 master’s degree-level counseling fellowships of $15,000 for addictions counseling students, plus the travel expenses to participate in other program-related trainings.

The NBCC MFP helps ensure that the behavioral health needs of all Americans are met, regardless of language or culture, thereby reducing health disparities and improving overall community health and well-being. Minorities include but are not limited to racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, sexual orientation, rural, or military groups. By strategically promoting and providing fellowships to master’s-level counseling students, the NBCC MFP strengthens the infrastructure that engages diverse individuals in counseling and increases the number of substance use disorder professional counselors who provide direct substance use disorder services minority populations.

Eligible applicants must demonstrate knowledge of and experience in addictions/substance abuse services to one or more of the following: underserved minority communities, child/adolescent and geriatric groups, minority communities in inner cities and rural areas, minority persons (including LGBT), or those who are veterans or are from military families.


Eligibility Requirements:

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status.
• Applicants must not receive any other federal funds (except for federal student loans) or work for a federal agency.
• Applicants must be enrolled and be in good standing in one of the following programs.
  1. A Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)-accredited master’s-level addictions counseling program or other master’s-level counseling program with a concentration in addictions.
  2. A regionally accredited master’s-level addictions counseling program or other master’s-level counseling program with a concentration in addictions.
  3. An addictions program accredited by the National Addictions Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC).
• Applicants must be currently taking courses. Applicants must have taken courses during the fall 2018 semester. Applicants may not have a pending status, deferred status, or other future start date for coursework.
• Applicants must commit to obtaining an addictions counseling credential, as evidenced by showing proof of applying for a state addictions certification before the end of the fellowship year.
• Applicants are expected to graduate by May 2022 (within three years of the date of the fellowship funding).
• Eligible applicants must not have an anticipated academic program completion date before December 2019, which will be verified in writing by their academic department prior to the awarding of funds.
• Applicants must demonstrate knowledge of and experience with addressing the substance use disorder needs of one or more of the following: underserved minority communities, child/adolescent and geriatric groups, minority communities in inner cities and rural areas, minority persons (including LGBT), or those who are veterans or are from military families.
• Applicants must commit to providing substance use disorder services to one of the above-named populations within one year of graduation and must commit to providing such services for the duration of two years post-graduation.
• Applicants must commit to securing a substance use services-related internship that provides experience with one or more of the minority populations listed above.
• Applicants must commit to becoming board certified by applying for the National Certified Counselor (NCC) certification prior to graduation and to completing the application process.
• Applicants must be able to attend the NBCC Foundation’s Bridging the Gap Symposium to open their fellowship year the week of May 20-24, 2019, and to close their fellowship year at the 2020 Symposium during the week of May 18-22, 2020. Applicants must also be able to attend the NAADAC Annual Conference (typically in September or October) and potentially one other training event during their fellowship year. All travel expenses will be covered by the NBCC Foundation.
• African Americans, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders are especially encouraged to apply.*

To check the CACREP status of a program, search the CACREP website. To check the NASAC status of a program, search the NASAC website.
 
For questions, please review our Frequently Asked Questions, call 336-232-0376, or email foundation@nbcc.org.

*Eligibility requirements for MFP awards are defined by SAMHSA. The program is not limited to individuals from minority populations; however, SAMHSA does prioritize individuals from the following communities: African American, Alaska Native, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander. SAMHSA’s priority population decision is based on the documentation of significant mental health disparities within these communities and the SAMHSA-identified strategy of increasing the number of individuals representing these communities in counselor education and leadership. This priority is considered when there are applicants with equivalently strong results to the review process. In that case, those applicants who meet the SAMHSA priority are chosen.