82 Chaptcr 3

be substituted for teaching experience. It is noteworthy that several states continue to requir.
teaching experience as a prerequisite to counselor employment, despite the absence of re-
search showing that such experience relates to effective school counseling (Baker, 1994).
Several states allow school counselors to become certified or licensed before thei
complete all the necessary requirements. These states offer provisional school counselo:
certification. which usually means a school system can hire a person while he or she fin-
ishes the final requirements for full certification.
State certification/licensure for school counselors is a credential that usually must b;
renewed periodically. To renew certification, counselors obtain continuing education unit.
(CEUs) or additional coursework in counseling or related fields of study. School counselo:
certification is typically handled by certification offices in state departments of education
and many states have reciprocal agreements so that candidates certified in one state ar;
eligible for certification in another.
N atio n al C e rtific ati o n
In the 1980s the American Counseling Association (ACA) became active in establishing :
national certification process for professional counselors. A National Board for Certifie;
Counselors (NBCC) was established and an application review and examination proces.
was created. The NBCC tests eight core areas of professional training on its national cer-
tification exam: the helping relationship; human growth and development; group dynamics.
processing, and counseling; lifestyle and career development; social and cultural founda-
tions; appraisal ofpersons; research ancl evaluation; and professional orientation. Note the
similarity of these knowledge areas with the recommended training components for schoo,
counselors, listed earlier in this chapter.
As nored in Chapter 1, the NBCC has also established speciality exams and certifi-
cations in certain areas, including school counseling. A11 these certifications are renewabli
in five-year cycles on completion of required continuing education experiences.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has also estab-
lished standards for national school counselor certification and this has presented a con-
flict for the NBCC and many school counselors who hold the National Certified Schoo-
Counselor (NCSC) certiflcate. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) anc
the National Board lbr Certified Counselors (NBCC) have attempted discussions with the
NBPTS because the NBCC already had its specialty certification for school counselors.
and several hundred counselors hold the credential. Because some states started to granl
salary bonuses to teachers who helcl a NBPTS certification, the issue became an important
economic one for school counselors
(Potts, 1999). Some counselors across the countn
continue to question a teacher cefiification board's right to set standards for a counseling
specialty. At this time, the debate and discussion about this issue continues.
Certification and credentialing processes at state, regional, and national levels aim at
improving the identification and pedomance of practicing counselors. They elevate the
counseling profession in the eyes of the public and in the esteem of those who join the
profession. Credentials are one way for a profession to monitor itself, ensure that services
being rendered are delivered by highly trained persons, and offer a clear identity fbr its
practitioners. In this way, state, regional, and national certification processes for schooj
counselors help define and describe what it is that counselors do in a school setting and the
training required to perform these functions.
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