Counseling and Student Affairs

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Jessica P. Johnson Awarded $15,000 Counseling Fellowship From NBCC and Affiliates

Louisville, KY—The NBCC Foundation, an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), recently selected Jessica P. Johnson, of Louisville, Kentucky, for the NBCC Minority Fellowship Program-Addictions Counselors (MFP-AC). As an NBCC MFP-AC Fellow, Johnson will receive funding and training to support her education and facilitate her addictions counseling service to underserved minority populations.

The NBCC MFP-AC is made possible by a grant awarded to the NBCC Foundation in collaboration with the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Foundation administers the MFP-AC, including 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 Foundation MFP will distribute up to $15,000 to Johnson and the other 39 master’s-level addictions counseling students selected to receive the fellowship award. Johnson is both a student and graduate of Western Kentucky University, in Bowling Green, where she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the clinical mental health counseling program. Upon graduation, Johnson plans to work with individuals struggling with addictions, including but not limited to drugs and alcohol. She has also facilitated a LGBTQ+ group and plans to continue to be an advocate and work with this population as well. Earning this fellowship will allow Johnson to attend conferences, learning evidence-based practices that will assist her in better serving and advocating for underserved populations. Johnson will also be able to establish a strong professional identity as a clinical mental health counselor.

The NBCC Foundation has also awarded 20 $20,000 doctoral fellowships through the Minority Fellowship Program and 30 $10,000 master’s-level fellowships through the MFP-Mental Health Counseling-Master’s (MFP-MHC-M). The Foundation plans to open the next NBCC MFP-AC application period in fall 2019. To learn more about the NBCC MFP and its fellows, please visit http://www.nbccf.org/Programs/Fellows.

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 65,000 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 and posted August 8, 2019.

NBCC Foundation
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