Brianna Berry Awarded $10,000 Counseling Fellowship from NBCC Foundation

(Clark Atlanta University August 21, 2020) – ATLANTA, GA – Clark Atlanta University (CAU) graduate student Brianna Berry was recently selected for the NBCC Minority Fellowship Program-Mental Health Counseling-Master’s (MFP-MHC-M). The NBCC Foundation is an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), based in San Antonio, Texas. As an NBCC MFP-MHC-M Fellow, Berry will receive funding and training to support her education and facilitate her service to underserved populations. 

The NBCC MFP-MHC-M is made possible by a grant awarded to the NBCC Foundation by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The NBCC Foundation administers the MFP-MHC-M, including training and collaboration activities, such as webinars, that are open to all board certified counselors. 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 number of professional counselors providing effective, culturally competent services to underserved populations.

The NBCC Foundation will distribute $10,000 to Berry and the other 29 master’s-level counseling students selected to receive the fellowship award. Berry is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and is currently enrolled at Clark Atlanta University, where she is pursuing a master’s degree in the School of Education counseling program. Berry has always had a passion for helping underprivileged youth in lower socioeconomic communities.

“I am so lucky to be at a university that pours into their students and genuinely wants saw us to succeed,” said Berry. “I hope this opportunity opens doors for not only my department, but also to highlight the change agents and excellence we have at CAU.”

Upon graduation, Berry hopes to work with marginalized groups, specifically Black and Brown children. She intends to implement programs that focus on the whole child, wellness, and breaking stigmas about mental health. As a 2020 NBCC MFP Fellow, she hopes to establish a strong professional identity as a counselor, network with others in the profession in order to promote reforms, and open more doors for other people of color in the profession.

The NBCC Foundation has also awarded 20 $20,000 doctoral fellowships through the MFP and 40 master’s-level fellowships of $15,000 through the MFP for Addictions Counselors (MFP-AC). The NBCC Foundation plans to open the next NBCC MFP-MHC-M application period in fall 2020. To learn more about the NBCC MFP and its fellows, please visit nbccf.org/Programs/Fellows.

About Clark Atlanta University (CAU)

Established in 1988 by the consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869), Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is one of the Nation’s foremost research institutions, offering students from around the United States and several foreign countries the opportunity to engage in 38 exciting areas of study at bachelors, masters and doctoral levels.

Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson; American civil rights activist, poet and song writer, (Lift Every Voice and Sing “The Black National Anthem”; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.