The National Board for Certified Counselors was incorporated in 1982 to establish and monitor a national certification system, to identify for those professionals and the public those counselors who have voluntarily sought and obtained certification, and to maintain a register of those counselors. NBCC has over 48,000 NCC's that live and work in the U.S. and more than 40 countries.(National Certified Counselors) to date.

NBCC offers a general practice credential (the NCC), which is required for all NBCC certificants. In addition, NCC’s may hold any of the following specialty credentials: career counseling, gerontological counseling, school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and addictions counseling.