NBCC Awards Spotlight: Global Advancement of Counseling Community Capacity

Half of all people will develop a mental health condition in their lifetime. With stigma, cost, and other challenges to care, many individuals don’t receive the mental health support they need. NBCC believes mental health is an essential element of health and celebrates counselors who are increasing access.

The 2025 NBCC Global Advancement of Counseling Community Capacity Awards recognize Arthur Dela Cruz Tolentino, PhD, NCC, ACS, MAC, LMHC, LMFT, LPC, PRC, SAP, SUDP; and Sylvia Nassar, PhD, ACS, LPC, CDF-I, CSP-T, MHF-T, for substantially advancing the counseling profession on a global level. They have mobilized resources and dedicated themselves to raising awareness of mental health, increasing access to counseling, and reducing stigma related to mental health.

Dr. Tolentino grew up in the Philippines but moved to the United States in his 20s. He earned his Master of Arts from George Fox University in Oregon and served on a crisis response team after graduation. Advanced opportunities opened for Dr. Tolentino, including becoming Clinical Director for a substance abuse program in South Korea for the U.S. Army. Dr. Tolentino has observed mental health conditions around the world and is passionate about ensuring access to care for everyone—no matter their home country. 

“The [counseling] profession is not just based in the U.S., and [mental health] is a global issue. I want to leave something not only in my birth country, but also in the States by creating programs that are meaningful, innovative, and impactful,” he says.

Dr. Tolentino launched Mental Health First Response (MHFR) in 2018 and serves as its Clinical Director and Program Director. MHFR provides basic mental health training online and in person and supports mental health efforts in universities, workplaces, and communities around the world. It equips individuals with skills to address mental health needs and respond in crisis situations, including creating safety plans and making referrals to mental health professionals, if needed. Participants can become certified as Mental Health First Responders.

Mental health stigma is common in Dr. Tolentino’s birthplace, the Philippines, with mental health care often disregarded as a necessity. This motivates Dr. Tolentino to advance mental health in the Philippines and other countries. By equipping individuals with basic mental health training, Dr. Tolentino is helping more people understand the importance of mental health care.

“Asia is a little behind in terms of mental health. They’re catching up rapidly and it’s a perfect opportunity for me to assess the development of mental health innovative programs, especially here in the Philippines,” he says.

Dr. Tolentino’s work involves supporting individuals after they attend the MHFR training. His staff provide clinical guidance, so individuals who have attended trainings can ask questions and continue to support their communities. “That is capacity building for you, for your company or organization, and also sustainability because you're connected,” he says. “Once you form your own team, you’re connected to us—to a bigger global mental health first response.”

This NBCC Award recognizes Dr. Tolentino and MHFR for decreasing obstacles to mental health care and helping individuals become confident in providing peer care.

“The award is really beneficial for MHFR. We are new. We’re continuing to develop. It will really help make us known. Not just in the Philippines, but maybe globally,” he says.

Mental health is a global challenge, and counselors are on the front lines. Dr. Tolentino encourages counselors to consider all obstacles to care to advance mental health, such as location and resources available to individuals.

Learn how you can get involved with MHFR at https://mentalhealthfirstresponse.org/mhfr-mainpage.

Dr. Sylvia Nassar became passionate about global mental health issues at the start of her counseling career. Her cultural background is a key part of her identity. She understood that a client’s culture plays a role in their mental health challenges, and perhaps is the reason they show up for counseling.

“Even 40 years ago, I knew in my heart that who we are somehow connects back to a past experience that our family has had, or maybe our ancestors have had,” she says. “I had this notion of . . . how can these be separate things, because they never were separate things to me. In that sense, I view my work as always having been domestic and global.”

Currently the coordinator of research methods courses and a professor at North Carolina State University, Dr. Nassar now inspires counselors-in-training to consider a client’s cultural context. Her research has centered on connecting identities, counseling individuals of Arab descent, and career development.

She served on the NBCC Board of Directors from 2000–2006 and supported the launch of NBCC International (now the NBCC Global Capacity Building Department) in 2003. She traveled around the world with NBCC staff members to learn how other countries view mental health and the counseling profession.

“What counseling is to us is, in many cases, not what it is to people in other countries. It was such a powerful experience,” she shares.

Dr. Nassar continues to drive conversations around global mental health through working with the International Institute for the Advancement of Counseling Theory (IIACT) through Old Dominion University. Recently, she co-directed a podcast series in which eight mental health professionals from across the world were interviewed about their work. While the series is not published yet, the project aims to educate individuals about how counseling is viewed around the world and the necessity for different approaches with each client.

Dr. Nassar says that winning this NBCC award is a full-circle moment for her. She earned her Master of Arts in 1986, when some states didn’t require counselors to be licensed to practice. Dr. Nassar connected with NBCC, as the organization enforced high professional standards for National Certified Counselors. From the start of her career, to serving on the NBCC board, to today, NBCC has played an important role in Dr. Nassar’s counseling career.

“NBCC has always just been an entity that’s very near and dear to my professional heart. For me to have been doing this work so long—people like us who are committed and passionate about the profession—we don’t do this for kudos and awards. But it is really nice to get external validation and kudos,” Dr. Nassar shares.

Other counselors can be inspired by how Dr. Nassar has advocated for global mental health since the very start of her work in mental health.

“I would say the biggest piece [of advice] is to recognize the power of your voice in the profession, regardless of people around you who may or may not recognize it,” she says. “To collaborate with others can be really helpful too in making sure that everyone’s voice is heard and everyone’s voice is at the table.”

Dr. Nassar provides additional information on her areas of expertise and her professional experiences on her website. She encourages counselors-in-training or seasoned professionals to connect with her to learn how they can collaborate.

NBCC extends deep gratitude to the 2025 NBCC Global Advancement of Counseling Community Capacity Award winners and their valuable contributions to global mental health.

Listen to Drs. Nassar and Tolentino share their stories and what winning the award means to them on NBCC’s 2025 Awards YouTube playlist.

Arthur Dela Cruz Tolentino, PhD, NCC, ACS, MAC, LMHC, LMFT, LPC, PRC, SAP, SUDP, is the Clinical Director and Program Director of Mental Health First Response. He is also the Clinical Director of Pathways Mental Health Services in Washington. Dr. Tolentino earned his Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from George Fox University and his PhD in psychology with a specialization in family psychology from Capella University. 

Sylvia Nassar, PhD, ACS, LPC, CDF-I, CSP-T, MHF-T, is the coordinator of research methods courses and a professor at North Carolina State University. She earned her master of arts degree in Guidance and Counseling from Eastern Michigan University and her doctor of philosophy degree in Counseling and Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

 **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.