Credit Counselor Certification Courses – NFEC Offerings
Those seeking credit counselor certification courses can pursue a pathway through the National Financial Educators Council that bestows confidence, credentials, and skills that ensure the highest level of competency. The NFEC’s training and certification show that individuals have become well-qualified to help others increase their financial well-being.
Clients served by those who have completed a certified credit counselor course are sure to come from a wide scope of backgrounds and have various habits and emotional connections with money. Therefore, credit counselors need particular expertise. The NFEC training is designed to accomplish top results for people looking to find out how to become a credit counselor with a diverse client base.
Target competencies of the certified credit counselor course
Graduates of these credit counselor certification courses have proven abilities and systems that empower them to support clients down a road toward more secure financial situations. Those who receive the certificate are prepared to conduct a broad range of activities that move clients and communities closer to financial health.
Gaining this certified credit counselor certification shows that you meet guidelines for rigorous academic study, have practical skills that you’ve displayed in hands-on exercises, and possess the advanced skills and know-how that prepare you to help clients reach their financial goals. The course requirements include 180 hours of instructional lessons and practicum adding up to 18 continuing education units. Some pieces of the training may be eligible for testing out.
The NFEC applies the National Institute of Health Competencies Proficiency Scale as an evaluation of its certified counselors’ competencies, and continues to support its graduates after program completion to position themselves as authorities in the credit counseling space.
Certified credit counselor certification training subjects
This certified credit counselor course was developed as a package that helps you to acquire expertise and create systems that maximize your counseling impact. The subjects in these credit counselor education requirements include key personal finance topics plus counseling principles and psychological aspects. All are presented in an interactive framework with practical application activities.
Training subject sections
Attain credit counseling experience
Watching videos and reading textbooks is only a tiny part of these credit counselor certification courses. If you want to be effective, you need counseling skills and application of those skills in practice.
If you needed an operation, you wouldn’t hire a surgeon who learned how to perform the surgery by watching YouTube. You’d want a surgeon with a proven track record of performing the same surgery on other patients. The same principle applies to clients hiring credit counselors.
That’s why the best certified credit counselor training programs include experiential training – so clients can come to trust you and you build the confidence you need to make a good impression.
Four tiers of practical training
National standards for credit counselors
To offer public assurance that counselors are held to high standards for competency and ethics, the NFEC developed a set of guidelines that center on the notion that counselors have fiduciary obligation to the client – they must put clients’ interests foremost. The International Coaching Federation (ICF), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are among the over 12 high-level agencies consulted in the development of these standards. The FTC, for example, provides people with information about choosing a credit counselor.
Credit counseling as an industry is not specifically regulated. However, the NFEC chose to be proactive about creating its criteria to make sure counselors and their clients were protected. The resulting benchmarks incorporate current theory to present a teaching framework that defines educational quality, standardized language to enhance communication, and awareness measures to underline the importance of choosing well-qualified counselors.
Program also has built-in resources and processes
These credit counselor certification courses have counseling processes and educational resources built in to help ensure your success. The experiential segments of the programming are designed to give you practice applying the processes and using the resources.
Resources that are relevant for each process phase are integrated into the training. Activities encourage you to use the same materials you’ll use with real clients in practice sessions – building your understanding, skill, and application experience.
The certified credit counselor course provides all resources you need to work with clients, such as:
100 instructional videos
Live weekly webinars (voluntary)
Course workbooks
Physical certification award
Client financial education resources (online learning center, handouts, forms)
To help ensure that our coaches are successful and have the resources they need to professionally serve their clients, the NFEC Financial Coach training comes with all the resources, including:
Client Financial Education Resources. Gain access to all NFEC financial education resources (eLearning center, client physical handouts, fillable PDF education resources) that allow you to easily assign lessons based on clients’ needs.
Coaching Software & Client Report System
Coaching Processes & Communications
Forms and Coaching Practice Resources
Client Financial Education Resources
Business Planning, Training, & Resources
Marketing, Promotions, & Client Leads
Packages & Pricing