Counseling Events, Scholarships, & Professional Development Opportunities
Please click on a link to view a more detailed description of each event. Please click “See All” at the bottom of the page to view descriptions of all opportunities.
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Events and Professional Development Opportunities
Scholarships, Awards, and Fellowships
Karr Scholarship
2026 Nancy Howell Scholarship Award
The Licensed Clinical Counselors of North Carolina (LCCNC) is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the 2026 Nancy Howell Scholarship Award.
This scholarship recognizes three graduate students who demonstrate strong leadership as counseling students and show exceptional potential as future LCMHCs. Recipients will each receive a $500 monetary honorarium and have the opportunity to collaborate with the LCCNC Board of Directors on advocacy projects across the state of North Carolina.
Application Deadline: Sunday, September 13, 2025
Eligibility:
- Must be a current LCCNC student member (non-members may join to apply)
- Must be enrolled in a CACREP-accredited counseling program
Application Requirements:
- Verification letter of enrollment
- Two letters of recommendation
- Resume/CV
- Description of leadership experience (100 words max)
- Statement of professional goals (300 words max)
- Additional documents and demographic information as applicable
How to Apply:
Click here to begin your Nancy Howell Scholarship Application.
To access your application as a student member, visit www.lccnc.org and log in. Then go to: Membership > Members Only > Engagement > Forms > LCCNC 2026 Nancy Howell Scholarship Application and complete the form.
Recipients will be notified on September 24, 2026, and the Nancy Howell Scholarship recipients and LCCNC Award recipients will be recognized and presented with their awards at the upcoming 2026 LCCNC Annual Conference.
If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Phillips at .
Thank you for your dedication to your education and your commitment to becoming a mental health professional.
New Hanover County Mental Health Fellows Program
Please see the New Hanover County Fellows opportunity. Please consider applying as many of our students have benefited from this opportunity and scholarship funds in the past. We were just notified that this application was live, so you will need to submit your application quickly.
New Hanover County created two programs providing tuition assistance to in-state college students seeking a career in the mental health care field, pursuing either a master’s-level mental health degree program or a doctoral degree as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
These programs aim to create a pipeline for mental health and substance use disorder providers locally to serve the growing needs of our community and fill critical gaps in services for underserved populations. This initiative was developed in partnership with community stakeholders to ensure every resident can access services that support their mental well-being.
New Hanover County developed a Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder strategic plan (view the plan here) which identified criteria and priorities for funding from the national opioid settlement and the New Hanover County Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder fund, which will support these fellows programs.
Full-time enrolled students taking part in the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Fellows Program will be awarded $4,500 per semester, with a total funding limit not to exceed $36,000; while full-time enrolled students taking part in the Mental Health Provider Fellows Program will receive $3,500 per semester, with a maximum funding limit of $14,000.
Samba Recovery’s Hope for Addiction Scholarship
Samba Recovery’s Hope for Addiction Scholarship is an annual $1,000 award for students who are pursuing education that can help individuals and families affected by addiction or substance use disorders.
Scholarship details:
Name: Samba Recovery’s Hope for Addiction Scholarship
Award amount: $1,000
Deadline: February 28
Winner announcement: March 15
Apply for the Samba Recovery’s Hope for Addiction Scholarship here.
Eligibility: Open to students of all majors who are enrolled in or accepted to a college, university, or trade school.
ACA Awards
Please view a list of awards provided by the American Counseling Association. This list includes the Samuel T. Gladding Unsung Heroes Award (next submission deadline November 20, 2026) and the ACA Graduate Student Ethics Awards for Master’s Students (next submission deadline November 20, 2026).
Announcements
Events and Professional Development Opportunities
Asynchronous
The Essentials of APA Style (7th Edition)
Various dates from August 26 – December 16, 2026
Wednesdays at 8pm
2026–2027 Lunch & Learn Webinar Series
Various Dates Sept 17, 2026 – May 6, 2027
October 13, October 29, November 9
Paging Dr. AI: AI and the Future of Health Care
October 28, 2026 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Association for Creativity in Counseling 2026 Conference
November 12-14, 2026
International Association for Counselling (IAC) Conference 2026 – Punta del Este, Uruguay
November 20-22, 2026
North Carolina Counseling Association Annual Conference
February 18-20, 2027
NBCC Bridging the Gap Symposium
February 22-23, 2027