National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) is a certification offered by National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). This exam is required to achieve Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) credential and obtain state counselor licensure in many states of USA.
Eligibility-
The applicant must be holding a NCC (National Certified Counselor) certification. The candidate must have completed 60 semester hours of college credits in counseling or 48 hours master’s degree. He/she must have 3000 hours of clinical experience in counseling or a major of counseling and 200 hours of counseling supervision over two years period from graduating.
Test Overview-
This exam consists of 10 simulated mental health cases. Each case is divided into five to eight sections categorized as Information gathering or Decision making. The exam assesses problem solving skills of a test taker. The content covered in this exam is-
Evaluation and Assessment: – Identifying precipitating problems or symptoms; Conducting comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment histories; Conducting mental status exam; identifying individual and relationship functioning.
Diagnosis and treatment planning: – Develop a treatment plan in collaboration with the client; Monitor client progress toward goal attainment; Integrate client assessment and observational data with clinical judgment to formulate a different diagnosis; Coordinate treatment plan with other service providers.
Clinical practice: – Determine if services meet client needs; Understand scope of practice parameters; Discuss legal and ethical issues.
Marking Scheme-
Each option in a section of a simulation problem is assigned weight ranging from -3 to +3 depending upon relevance of the option in given problem. The scores for Information Gathering (IG) and Decision Making (DM) sections are calculated and totaled to obtain a composite score. A candidate requires passing in both IG and DM sections. The score report contains scores of IG and DM sections, total score, and passing scores in DM and IG sections. The score reports are mailed to candidates in six weeks from the examination.
Schedule-
This exam is conducted in the months of April and October in a year. The candidates require mailing a completed application along with all supporting documents and fees within deadline. An application packet is available on NBCC website. The applicant is responded by a form letter which confirms receipt of application and details information pertaining to use of NBCC website for checking application status. NBCC reviews the application and sends a postcard or letter informing about approval to take the test. The admit cards are received by candidates two weeks before the exam date.
Exam Fees-
NCMHCE test fee is $295.