TPC_Journal_10.4_Full_Issue

The Professional Counselor | Volume 10, Issue 4 605 through education, research and practice benefiting vulnerable underserved consumers. The fellowship program will increase system capacity by increasing the number of culturally competent professional counselors available to underserved populations through engaging 24 doctoral fellows per year, by promoting national standards in culturally competent care and by providing online and conferencebased training to practicing professional counselors. We like to project this yearly number over a decade to imagine more than 200 doctoral-level counselors and counselor educators being added to our ranks. (as cited in Shallcross, 2012, para. 8) The inaugural NBCC MFP awarded 24 fellowships to doctoral students enrolled in CACREPaccredited CES programs (NBCCF, 2014). From 2013 to 2018, NBCC MFP doctoral-level fellowships were awarded to 138 students (NBCCF, 2018). Table 1 offers a demographic breakdown of doctorallevel NBCC MFP recipients. Table 1 MFP Demographic Information from 2013–2018 Year Number of Fellowships Awarded Female Male Other Racial Category AA W H AI A/PI MR Doctoral Completion Post-Doctoral Employment CE Clinical 2013 24 17 7 17 2 5 - - - 100% - 2014 22 15 7 10 5 4 1 1 1 100% 1 2 2015 23 20 3 18 - 2 1 1 1 100% 7 2 2016 23 19 4 9 3 6 1 2 2 IP 6 2 2017 23 19 4 12 5 1 2 2 1 IP 2 2 2018 23 19 3 1 15 5 - - 3 - IP 2 2 2019 20 13 7 10 4 5 - 1 - IP - Total 158 122 35 1 91 24 23 5 10 5 18 10 Note. The U.S. Census defines racial categorization based on identifying with “original peoples” of designated racial group (N. A. Jones & Bullock, 2012, p. 2): African American (AA), White (W), Hispanic/Latinx (H), American Indian (AI), Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI), and Multi-Racial (MR). IP = degree completion in progress; CE = counselor education. NBCC MFP Structure Applications for the doctoral MFP are reviewed by NBCCF volunteers, many of whom are NBCC MFP alumni (NBCCF, 2019). Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to working with underserved and marginalized populations—including those who identify as racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse as well as members of the LGBTQIA population—after completion of their CES doctoral degree. Final applicant decisions are made by the MFP Advisory Council, composed of six counselors and/or counselor educators who represent diverse ethnic, racial, or linguistic backgrounds and have extensive experience “providing mental health counseling services to underserved racial and ethnic minority communities” (NBCCF, 2019, p. 63). Before MFP awards are conferred, finalists must agree and attest to the terms of the MFP: (a) documentation of enrollment in a CACREP-accredited program, (b) attendance at required MFP orientation and relevant training, and (c) continued and ongoing collaboration with underserved and marginalized clients or students within counselor education (NBCCF, 2019).

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