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College Counselor Certification Program

College Counselor Certification Program

We are now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 cohorts, beginning in January & June 2025. The January cohort starts on Jan. 6, with an application deadline of Dec. 15, 2024.

NACCAP's College Counselor Certification Program is a fully online course that offers collaborative, experiential learning through virtual sessions, one-on-one mentoring and cohort meetings. The program includes webinars, online written assignments and professional coaching and mentoring by expert Christian guidance professionals. Participants who complete the certification program are eligible for ACSI School Counselor certification credit, as well as Southeastern University graduate credit. Scroll down for specific details.

The College Counselor Certification Program is designed for high school college and guidance professionals who want to develop a Christian worldview of college and academic counseling and to apply their knowledge practically in their current role and/or school. Past participants have included: 

  • New college/guidance counseling professionals in their first school role
  • Independent counselors looking for a relevant certification from a Christian perspective
  • Experienced college/guidance counselors desiring new growth and networking opportunities in a rapidly changing profession

College Counselor Certification Program Information Meeting:

  • Tuesday, November 12, 2024 - 1:00 pm ET – Register

Watch the 2023 Cohort Capstone presentations. They include topics on Developing a College/Career Planning Guide, Grade-Level Guidance Meetings, Navigating GAP Year Experiences, Developing & Implementing a Career Day, and many more!

To view a recording of the College Counselor Certification Program Info Session, click here.

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College Counselor Certification Program Essentials
 
  • Six 6-week modules held January - December or June - May 
    • Module 1: The Christian College Counselor
    • Module 2: Relationships with Stakeholders
    • Module 3: Counseling the College Bound Student: Essentials
    • Module 4: Financial Aid Case Studies
    • Module 5: Counseling the College Bound Student: Advanced Essentials
    • Module 6: The Counselor's Toolbox & Capstone
  • Eighteen lectures offered to expand college/guidance counseling knowledge with opportunities for practical application.
  • Facilitated through a cohort model clustering participants in groups of 5-6 that remain together the entire program under the mentorship of a veteran high school guidance/college counseling professional
  • Six 1-on-1, hour-long coaching sessions with mentors
  • Option of earning nine graduate credits through Southeastern University
  • Option to replace up to 15 semester hours of college credit toward the ACSI School Counselor certificate or Professional Staff certificate for School Counselor
  • Certificate costs: Offered at a below-market rate of $2400 for NACCAP members or $2600 for non-NACCAP members


College Counselor Certification Program January Cohort Module Schedule

The year-long College Counselor Certification Program is offered in six 6-week modules. The schedule is designed with the busy college/guidance counseling professional in mind, providing breaks during the summer and early fall for vacations and the start of school, as well as four weeks for the Christmas season:

  • Module 1: January 5–February 15, 2025
  • Module 2: February 23–April 5, 2025
  • Module 3: April 13–May 24, 2025
  • Module 4: June 8–July 18, 2025
  • Module 5: September 7–October 18, 2025
  • Module 6: October 26–December 6, 2025

Applications for the College Counselor Certification Program January 2025 and June 2025 cohorts are available ONLINE.

Program Overview

Module Details

During each of the six 6-week modules, students will benefit from three Monday evening lectures (7-9 p.m. Eastern Time). In addition, their cohort will meet two times (60 minutes) at a time convenient for the group. Participants will also enjoy a 1-on-1 with their mentor during each module. Each module will involve written assignments and discussion board forums, and Module 6 will also involve a capstone project that focuses on a gap in the participant’s current guidance/college counseling program.

 
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Southeastern University Partnership

Southeastern University (SEU) is partnering with NACCAP to enable participants who complete the College Counselor Certification Program to earn nine graduate credits at Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. The nine credits can be applied toward either the Master of Education: Educational Leadership degree or the Master of Arts in Leadership: Organizational Leadership degree at SEU or participants can have the credits available to transfer to other graduate programs. To earn the nine credits, College Counselor Certification Program participants must submit the NACCAP certification of completion and be accepted to Southeastern University. There is no cost to the NACCAP College Counselor Certification Program graduates for the nine graduate credit hours.

ACSI Partnerships


The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) is partnering with NACCAP to enable participants who complete the program to replace up to 15 semester hours of college credit in school counseling required for the ACSI School Counselor certificate (meeting and exceeding the number of hours in school counseling required for the Standard Level certificate) or the ACSI Professional Staff certificate for School Counselor (meeting and exceeding the number of hours in school counseling required for the Standard Level certificate). CEUs are available upon request.

For more information about both partnerships, please contact Denise Cunningham, the vice president of initiatives & strategic partnerships for NACCAP.

Pricing Details
Tuition
 Member  $2400
 Non-Member  $2600


$200 off per participant for Society for Classical Learning (SCL) members (email for discount code)

College Counselor Certification Program Refund Policy
Full refund - before program start date (to be handled by NACCAP staff)
$500 cancellation fee up to end of Module 1-Week 2.

No refund after end of Module 1-Week 2


Certification Outcomes

  1. Develop a professional mission statement and practical use guide for the college counseling office.
  2. Identify new methods and tools for inclusion in the updated college advising process.
  3. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the current college counseling office based on NOSCA’s Eight Components of College and Career Readiness.
  4. Synthesize research into a single-year or multi-year Strategic Improvement Plan.
  5. Complete work on a Capstone Project for presentation at the end of the program.
 

   

   

Program Instructors

  
 


Scott Sevey 

 

Scott Sevey is the College and Career Academy Coach at Roosevelt Community Education Center in Rockford, Illinois (https://roosevelt.rps205.com/). With 16 years of experience in education, Scott has served in both Christian education and the public sector as a school counselor. He is a former NACCAP Board President and formerly led the Chicagoland Christian Counselor Fellowship. He currently resides in Rockford, Illinois with his wife Laura, and their 4 children.


Caryn Thexton

 

  

Caryn Thexton began her career in college counseling in 2008. She joined the Trinity Christian Academy staff in Addison, Texas, in 2011, where she now serves as the Director of College Counseling. She attended Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, where she received her B.S. in communication in 2001. In 2019 she completed her Master of Education in Counseling from the University of North Texas.

Caryn joined the NACCAP College Counselor Certification program in 2016. She serves as the project manager and also facilitates the final Capstone project in Module 6. 

She and her husband have three children. Caryn enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her family in her free time.

 
  
                 
 

Mike Harper

 

  

Mike Harper has served as the Director of College Counseling at Trinity Academy in Wichita, Kansas, since 2016. Mike uses his experience in campus ministry, teaching in higher education, pastoral leadership, and business when counseling and guiding students through the post-high school decision process. He has worked in management, sales, financial advising, campus ministry, higher education, and vocational ministry.

He pursued graduate education and earned his Master’s in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics in 2002 at the University of Arkansas. Besides helping students pursue their God-given vocations, one of Mike’s passions is helping Christians value and grow in the life of the mind.

He and his wife, Stacey, have been married for 31 years and have three children: Jake (25), Sarah Cait (23), and Aidan (20).

  

Cliff Mack, Jr. 

 

Dr. Clifford H. Mack, Jr. obtained his Phd in Counselor Education from Florida Atlantic University (2016). He currently serves as a School Counselor at Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale). He has served in this capacity since 2014. Dr. Mack has extensive experience as an Adjunct Undergraduate and Graduate Professor assignments (Lancaster Bible College, Florida Atlantic University, Florida State University and Trinity International University.

Cliff is an active member in professional development organizations - American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Florida School Counselor Association (FSCA) and National Association of Christian College Admissions Professions (NACCAP). His mission is to serve, shepherd and support students' success. Dr. Mack is married with (3) children.

 
                 
                 
 

Leslie Patterson


Leslie Patterson has been married to her best friend and fiercest tennis competitor for 38 years. She has four beautiful daughters, two adorable grandsons and a precious granddaughter. She has been a member of the Lucas Christian Academy (LCA) family in Lucas, Texas, since 2003. Leslie's LCA resume includes parent volunteer, elementary arts and ministry teacher, chapel leader, admissions personnel, registrar, and academic advisor (since 2010).

Leslie is a proud graduate of Pepperdine University where she earned her BA in Communication (’83). She received her certification as a Professional Guidance Counselor from NACCAP, Cohort 1, 2016, and is also a certified Life Coach.

Leslie loves watching her students explore their post-secondary options. She says that so many students want to serve the Lord in special and unique ways, and God always reveals the perfect place for them to plant and grow!

     

Jodi Benavidez

Jodi Benavidez began her educational career serving in Student Development at Collin College, a community college in the North Dallas area. After six years with Collin, Jodi then moved into Christian education in the DFW metroplex where she has served since. She has spent the last 16 years working in Christian Schools as a Director of College Counseling.

Jodi has been blessed by her participation in NACCAP for the last fifteen years. She has been a Board member since 2020 and currently serves on the Finance and Strategic Initiatives Committees. Jodi has a Master of Education in Higher Education Degree from Dallas Baptist University and has also completed the Christian Counselor Certification program through NACCAP.

Jodi is married to Paul, and they have two children, Gavin, Class of 2023, and Charis, Class of 2025.

  


Program Director

Caryn Thexton began her career in college counseling in 2008. She joined the Trinity Christian Academy staff in Addison, Texas, in 2011, where she now serves as the Director of College Counseling. She attended Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, where she received her B.S. in communication in 2001. In 2019 she completed her Master of Education in Counseling from the University of North Texas.

Caryn joined the NACCAP College Counselor Certification program in 2016. She serves as the project manager and also facilitates the final Capstone project in Module 6. 

 

She and her husband have three children. Caryn enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her family in her free time.


 

 

Message from Phil Cook, NACCAP President

“In more than 25 years of service at a NACCAP member institution’s enrollment office, I observed college admissions change dramatically. It is more data driven, more competitive, more complex and more pressured than ever before. But what hasn’t changed is the critical role high school counselors play in the college selection process. NACCAP is committed to serving our K12 membership—the fastest growing constituency of our association—with outstanding opportunities for professional development and networking. And the College Counselor Certification Program (CCCP) is doing just that.

I encourage you to consider NACCAP’s College Counselor Certification Program which was created, developed and implemented by leading college counselors from around the country. NACCAP has existed for more than 50 years to advance the cause of Christian education and this certification program is one of our most important endeavors..”

 











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