Rites of Passage

"I am devastated, I'm a failure!" These are words I often hear when clinicians and counseling students do not pass the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHCE). Even when they know about the low passing rate of this exam, therapists conflate their worth and skills with their success on the NCMHCE. After hours of studying, battling anxiety, spending hundreds of dollars in exam fees and study materials, therapists can experience firsthand what so many of their current or future clients describe: disappointment, low selfesteem, shame, rage, anxiety, and even depression.

Twenty-two years ago, I designed CounselingExam.com to combat the negative experience of test-taking by prophylactically educating students on the format and expectations of the licensing exam. I often find that realworld experience and the wisdom of seasoned therapists won't help when faced with a textbook-oriented and evidence-based exam. Many graduate students are taught necessary clinical skills and theoretical orientations in graduate school but fall short of being prepared for taking the NCMHCE.

I constructed my review program by putting together materials that break down the keywords used by the exam makers, determining what to expect on exam day, and what mental preparations are necessary to pass the exam. For this unique simulation exam, I found it helpful to reinforce subjects taught by graduate programs: information gathering, decision-making skills, diagnoses found in the DSM-5, theoretical orientations, assessments, and core competencies found in CACREP programs. Students frequently ask me, "How can I deal with my test anxiety? I NEED to pass this exam." I treat them how they are taught to treat their clients in graduate school: with respect and unconditional positive regard. I also provide practical tools and an online relaxation test anxiety program that offers meditation and mindfulness to combat anxiety and stress.

Most students don't have access to simulations in graduate school, so I found it essential to provide unlimited practice exams in the format and style of the actual NCMHCE. Students can choose to walk through simulations to practice or use the same format as an actual timed exam. At the end of their study sessions, I provide exam statistics so that students can track their progress and improve the areas where they are falling short. I have dedicated study plans for varying lengths of study times, like seven days, 30 days, 60 days, or 90+ days, where I suggest what areas the students should focus on and review before their exam.

I'm sure you've heard the common idea that physicians ought to experience the same pain their patients experience to know what it is like to undergo a particular procedure or surgery. With the failure rate of the NCMHCE, it is not a far stretch to say that many counseling professionals experience the same kind of pain as a client in therapy. It is devastating to many students when they do not pass the NCMHCE the first time or even after several attempts. I encourage them and remind them that this test is not a measure of their worth. And most importantly, I instill in my students what I know they will also teach their clients: hope, resilience, and self-worth in the face of disappointment and loss. I hope that their struggles with the exam will help them empathize with their clients, improving their compassion in the face of their client's pain. On a practical level, I offer this helpful process to every subscriber: if a student does not pass the NCMHCE, I put them back on the study site at no cost for the length of their original subscription. My goal is for every student to pass the NCMHCE with flying colors, experience renewed confidence, and embrace their newfound resilience in the face of difficulties.

Written By: Linton Hutchinson, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC

Linton Hutchinson, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC, has a degree in Counseling Psychology and Mental Health Counseling. He has dedicated his entire career to working with students who are on the road to becoming therapists. Along the way, Linton has taught every counseling course from Principles of Counseling to Research and Assessment and has worked with medical students at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies, and taught counseling at the University of the South Pacific in the Fiji Islands. Back in the States, Linton continued his teaching at Nova Southeastern University, University of Central Florida, Troy State, and Rollins College. He was the first Regional Coordinator for Webster University, where he designed and developed their Mental Health Counseling Program in Florida. For the past 22 years, Linton has prepared students for licensure online at CounselingExam.com and currently offers Master Classes covering the DSM-5. His passion is dream analysis, and he has presented seminars worldwide on the use of dreams in the counseling setting.