CCE Credential Spotlight: Human Services-Board Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP)

Human services is a broad field of professions dedicated to advocacy and helping others meet their needs by connecting them to necessary resources—work you also do for your clients. Though your role as a Counselor is clinical, focused on your clients’ personal growth and emotional healing, it is also fundamentally human services work.

In 2008, the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE), an NBCC affiliate, collaborated with the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS) and the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE) to develop the Human Services-Board Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP) credential. The credential was created to help human services practitioners advance their careers and is a voluntary, independent verification of an individual’s knowledge and experience.

Mona A. Alnaeemi, PhD, HS-BCP, LCDC, obtained the credential in 2014. She is the Executive Director of the Dallas Institute for Immigrant Women and the owner and founder of Counseling Consultations Network, a private practice where she helps clients build healthier, more productive lives. Dr. Alnaeemi has extensive experience supporting individuals who have experienced violence and trauma. She has worked in shelters and hospital settings and for nonprofit organizations.

The HS-BCP credential felt like a natural progression along her career path, she says.

“I chose to obtain the HS-BCP credential because I wanted to strengthen my professional knowledge, expand my skills, and demonstrate my commitment to providing ethical, competent, and effective human services,” she says.

Dr. Alnaeemi often works with survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and says earning the HS-BCP has helped her better understand broader social systems and the community resources that are most helpful to her clients.

“Through my professional experiences, I have seen how domestic violence can have profound and lasting effects on survivors, children, and families,” she says. “I wanted to develop specialized knowledge and skills to better understand the complexities of domestic violence, provide meaningful support, and connect survivors with appropriate resources and services. This specialization reflects my commitment to advocacy and to helping individuals move toward safety, healing, stability, and empowerment.”

To be eligible for the HS-BCP, candidates must have an associate, bachelor’s or advanced degree in a human services-related field such as Counseling, social work, child development, psychology, or criminal justice from an accredited institution, and meet the requirements for postgraduate work or volunteer experience in human services. Individuals who did not graduate from an NOHS member school are required to complete training from a CCE Registered Credential Training Provider (RCTP). After submitting an application, transcripts, and other supporting documents through the Credentialing Gateway, the candidate’s professional qualifications, including education, clinical knowledge, and ethical standing, are evaluated and verified by CCE.

Next, applicants must pay the required fee and successfully complete the national HS-BCP examination (HS-BCPE), which tests applied knowledge and core competencies in human services. The credential is valid for 5 years, with a yearly maintenance fee of $40. Credential holders must also complete 60 clock hours of relevant continuing education every 5 years.

“Earning this credential represents an opportunity for continued professional growth while maintaining high standards of practice and accountability,” Dr. Alnaeemi says. “Most importantly, it allows me to enhance my ability to support individuals and families navigating challenging and often life-changing circumstances.”

Learn more about the HS-BCP credential here. A list of CSHSE accredited programs can be found on the Council for Standards in Human Service Education website. If you have questions after viewing the application in the Credentialing Gateway, please contact us at credentialinfo@cce-global.org with the subject line HSBCP.

Opinions and thoughts expressed in NBCC Visions Newsletter articles belong to the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or practices of NBCC and Affiliates.