Counseling and Student Affairs

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Brittany Shantae McNear Awarded $11,000 Counseling Fellowship From NBCC and Affiliates

Frankfort, KY—The NBCC Foundation, an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), recently selected Brittany Shantae McNear, of Frankfort, Kentucky, for the NBCC Minority Fellowship Program-Addictions Counselors (MFP-AC). As an NBCC MFP-AC fellow, McNear will receive funding and training to support her education and facilitate her addictions counseling service to underserved minority transition-age youth (ages 16–25).

The NBCC MFP-AC is made possible by a grant awarded to NBCC by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in September 2014. The Foundation is contracted by NBCC to administer the NBCC MFP-AC, as well as training and collaboration activities, such as webinars, that are open to all National Certified Counselors (NCCs). The goal of the program is to reduce health disparities and improve behavioral health care outcomes for racially and ethnically diverse populations by increasing the available number of culturally competent behavioral health professionals.

The NBCC MFP will distribute up to $11,000 to McNear and the 29 other master’s-level addictions counseling students selected to receive the fellowship award. McNear is a graduate of the University of Louisville, in Kentucky, and is currently a master’s student in the clinical mental health counseling program at Western Kentucky University, in Bowling Green. After graduation, McNear plans to work with adolescents battling with addiction. Specifically, she would like to work with individuals at-risk of exclusion from services because they have the least amount of resources available. This fellowship will allow McNear to specialize her graduate courses with an emphasis on addiction and treatment. These courses will support Brittany’s training and passion for youth struggling with addictions.

The Foundation plans to open the next NBCC MFP-AC application period in September 2016. To learn more about the NBCC MFP and its fellows, please visit www.nbccf.org.

About the NBCC Foundation

The NBCC Foundation is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), based in Greensboro, North Carolina. NBCC is the nation’s premier professional certification board devoted to credentialing counselors who meet standards for the general and specialty practices of professional counseling. Currently, there are more than 60,000 National Certified Counselors in the United States and more than 50 countries. The Foundation’s mission is to leverage the power of counseling by strategically focusing resources for positive change.

Press Release sent from NBCC May 10, 2016; posted May 10, 2016

NBCC Foundation
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