Which organization offered national certification for mental health counselors in 1979?

Which organization offered national certification for mental health counselors in 1979?

• A. National Academy for Certified Mental Health Counselors
• B. National Board for Certified Counselors
• C. Council for Rehabilitation Education
• D. American Association for Counseling and Development

Answer: (A)

In the late 1970s, the counseling field was moving toward a nationally recognized standard of competence for mental health counselors, beyond what state licenses could offer. The National Academy for Certified Mental Health Counselors took the lead by offering a national certification in 1979. This established a portable credential that signified a counselor met agreed-upon criteria for education, ethics, and professional practice on a nationwide basis, helping to raise the profession's credibility across state lines. The other options fit different roles or timelines. The National Board for Certified Counselors became the prominent certifying body later, but it wasn’t the organization issuing a national credential in 1979. The Council for Rehabilitation Education focuses on education standards rather than a national practitioner credential, and the American Association for Counseling and Development was more about professional development and advocacy than issuing a national counselor credential at that time.

In the late 1970s, the counseling field was moving toward a nationally recognized standard of competence for mental health counselors, beyond what state licenses could offer. The National Academy for Certified Mental Health Counselors took the lead by offering a national certification in 1979. This established a portable credential that signified a counselor met agreed-upon criteria for education, ethics, and professional practice on a nationwide basis, helping to raise the profession's credibility across state lines.

The other options fit different roles or timelines. The National Board for Certified Counselors became the prominent certifying body later, but it wasn’t the organization issuing a national credential in 1979. The Council for Rehabilitation Education focuses on education standards rather than a national practitioner credential, and the American Association for Counseling and Development was more about professional development and advocacy than issuing a national counselor credential at that time.