What is the NBCC?

The National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. and Affiliates (NBCC) was established in 1982 and has grown to be the largest national counseling certification organization in the United States.  

One of NBCC's most notable contributions is the creation of the National Certified Counselor (NCC) certification. The NCC credential signifies to potential clients and the public that the bearer has voluntarily met rigorous standards set by the NBCC. To maintain the NCC certification, counselors must adhere to established conduct standards and complete NBCC approved continuing education (CEs) from an NBCC approved continuing education provider (NBCC ACEP™).  

Because of the NBCC’s rigorous continuing education standards, many state counseling licensure boards accept NBCC approved CEs to meet their qualifications for continuing education requirements.  

Despite the high standards set by the NBCC, the Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health does not offer blanket approval to NBCC continuing education providers. This means that continuing education providers must be approved by the Board of Behavioral Health, regardless of NBCC approval status.  

The Oklahoma Counseling Institute (OCI) is an approved continuing education provider for the Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health, as well as the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers and the Oklahoma State Board of Alcohol and Drug counselors. 

To better serve counselors with the NCC credential, the Oklahoma Counseling Institute applied and was awarded the status of an approved NBCC continuing education provider in April 2024 (NBCC ACEP™ 7524). Though only our live trainings meet criteria for the NBCC continuing education at this time, all OCI courses, including live, in-person, and on-demand courses, are approved by the Oklahoma Board of Behavioral Health, Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers, and the Oklahoma State Board of Alcohol and Drug counselors.