Southeastern student awarded counseling fellowship from NBCC and affiliates
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
by: Tonya Lowentritt
Photo credit: Leah Stone
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University counseling student Leah N. Stone
of Baton Rouge was selected by the NBCC Foundation, an affiliate of the National Board
for Certified Counselors, as recipient of the group’s Minority Fellowship Program-Youth.
As an NBCC MFP-Y Fellow, Stone will receive funding and training to support her
education and facilitate her service to underserved minority populations with a specific
focus on transition age youth, ages 16–25.
“The counseling faculty members are very excited that Leah took the initiative
to apply for this scholarship,” said Assistant Professor of Counseling Reshelle Marino.
“Her dedication to professional development beyond the classroom is exemplary. We
encourage all students to seek out these opportunities.”
The NBCC MFP will distribute $8,000 to Stone and the 29 other master’s-level
counseling students selected to receive the fellowship award. Stone is both a student
and graduate of Southeastern, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in clinical
mental health counseling.
Stone plans to serve marginalized transition-age minority youth within urban
areas that are often underserved. The fellowship will help her obtain training through
conferences that allow her to gain awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary to develop
her professional identity and multicultural competence.
The NBCC MFP-Y is made possible by a grant awarded to NBCC by the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in September 2014. The Foundation
is contracted by NBCC to administer the NBCC MFP-Y, as well as training and collaboration
activities, such as webinars, that are open to all National Certified Counselors (NCCs).
The goal of the program is to reduce health disparities and improve behavioral health
care outcomes for racially and ethnically diverse populations by increasing the available
number of culturally competent behavioral health professionals.