If you’re training or working as a counsellor in Nigeria, you’ll hear about CASSON early. Here’s what the association is, what its membership tiers and credentials mean, how to join, and how it fits with the new statutory register.
CASSON is the Counselling Association of Nigeria, the main professional association for counsellors. It runs membership tiers and two credentials, CCN and LPCN. It isn’t the government regulator. That role belongs to the Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria (CPCN), whose registration rules require CASSON membership.
What CASSON is
CASSON grew out of an inaugural meeting at the University of Ibadan in November 1975 and elected its first executive in June 1976. It was known as CAN until 1992, when it adopted the name CASSON at its conference at Bayero University, Kano. In 2026 it is marking its Golden Jubilee, with a jubilee lecture, an essay competition for undergraduates and a national conference planned for Uyo.
The association has a national secretariat in Kuje, Abuja, and chapters in the states. Inside it, a Certification and Licensure Committee (CALC) acts as what CASSON calls its “professional regulatory, standards, etiquette and disciplinary organ”. CALC works under the association’s Certification and Licensure Policy (CALP), which sets the standards for its credentials.
So CASSON does more than hold conferences. It certifies members, sets ethical standards for them and can discipline them. But it does this as an association, for its own members. It isn’t a government licensing body.
CASSON and the CPCN are different things
People often mix up the two. The difference matters, because only one of them is set up by law.
| CASSON | CPCN | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A professional association | A statutory council, created by the Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria Act, 2022 |
| What it gives you | Membership, and the CCN and LPCN credentials | Registration as a Professional Counsellor, and a certificate of professional competence |
| Legal effect | None on its own | Practising for reward as a registered Professional Counsellor without registration is an offence |
| Status in October 2026 | Open for registration all year | Board inaugurated in April 2025; registration only just starting |
The two are tied together by the Act:
- Registration needs CASSON. Full registration as a Professional Counsellor needs three things: a course approved by the Council, a pass in a professional practice competence exam conducted by CASSON and moderated by the Council, and certified membership of CASSON.
- CASSON helps run the Council. The association appoints six members of the Council’s board.
- Some people can skip the exam. Foundation members of CASSON, and people whose accepted qualifications were obtained ten years before the Act began, may be exempted from it.
- Competence takes supervised practice. A certificate of professional competence needs two years of practical experience under the personal supervision of fully registered counsellors.
- Titles and posts are protected. It’s an offence to practise for reward as a registered Professional Counsellor, or to use a title suggesting you are one, without registering. Posts that need a Professional Counsellor, in government and in companies, are meant for registered counsellors. The offence carries a fine, imprisonment or both.
CASSON’s membership tiers
CASSON’s own site lists these individual tiers:
| Tier | Who it’s for | Credential |
|---|---|---|
| Student | People on a course leading to a counselling degree at a university, polytechnic or college of education | None yet |
| Associate | Graduates in psychology, sociology, social work, special education or educational psychology, and people in related roles such as career masters, welfare officers and personnel officers | None |
| Organisational | Holders of a counselling degree who haven’t yet passed CALC’s screening and examination | None yet |
| Professional (full) | Holders of at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited programme in guidance and counselling, counselling psychology or applied psychology, whose main duties are counselling | Certified Counsellor of Nigeria (CCN) |
| Licensed | Professional members who meet every requirement of CALP | Licensed Professional Counsellor of Nigeria (LPCN) |
| Foundation and honorary | People present at the 1975 and 1976 inaugural meetings, and non-members honoured for their contribution | Mcasson, H-mcasson |
There are also group tiers. Private practice membership is for counselling practices that meet CALP’s standards. Civil society and NGO membership is for organisations offering counselling services. Corporate membership is for businesses and institutions that support the association’s work.
Senior members can be made fellows. To become a Professional Fellow (Fcasson), a member must have attended five consecutive conferences, paid all dues, be a current member of their state chapter and have held elected office at state level. Fellows can later be named a Professional Icon (Icasson). There is also an Honorary Advocate Fellow (afcasson).
Suggested read: Importance of Guidance and Counselling in Nigerian Schools
What CCN and LPCN mean
CCN (Certified Counsellor of Nigeria) is the certificate CASSON gives professional members once CALC has checked their academic credentials. LPCN (Licensed Professional Counsellor of Nigeria) is the next step, for professional members who meet everything in CALP.
Both are association credentials. “Licensed” in LPCN means licensed by CASSON, not by the government. The legal register belongs to the CPCN. CALP itself isn’t published on CASSON’s public pages, so check its current requirements with the association before you plan around them.
How to register with CASSON
CASSON’s Prospective Membership Guide sets out the process. Registration is open from January throughout the year.
- Get your documents ready. You upload your original credentials, bundled into a single PDF.
- Open the registration portal on cassonnigeria.org. The guide says it works best on a computer. Use your own email address and phone number; each applicant needs a separate one.
- Pay first. You pay before you see the form, through Remita. The portal generates a Remita Retrieval Reference (RRR), and you can pay by card, USSD or at a bank branch. CASSON doesn’t publish the fee on its public pages; you see it at the payment stage.
- Fill in the form. After payment, your application number is sent to your email. Complete every field, click “Preview” to check it, then “Submit”. CASSON’s head office can’t see your application until you submit it.
- Wait for updates by email. For professional membership, the association verifies your form, and successful applicants are inaugurated and inducted as members.
Students join through their institution’s counselling body or their state chapter. Once you’re a member, keep your dues paid: good standing, and later a fellowship, depend on it.
Where the CPCN register stands
The Council’s board was inaugurated in Abuja in April 2025. When we checked on 22 October 2026, cpcn.org.ng, a site carrying the Council’s name and board members, still said “Registration Portal Opening Soon”, and no fees were published.
Until the register is fully open:
- keep your CASSON membership current, since the Act requires it;
- keep a record of your supervised practice and your supervisors’ details, which you’ll need for a certificate of competence;
- confirm any CPCN portal or fee with CASSON or your state chapter before you pay anything.
For the full route, from degree to registration, read how to become a therapist in Nigeria. For CPD and the other professions, see therapist licensing and CPD in Nigeria.
CASSON, APROCON and other bodies
CASSON isn’t the only counselling association. The Association of Professional Counsellors in Nigeria (APROCON) held its 10th annual international conference at Bayero University, Kano, in August 2026. It’s a professional association too, but the CPCN Act gives it no role in registration.
Other professions have their own bodies. Psychologists belong to associations such as the Nigerian Psychological Association and the Nigerian Association of Clinical Psychologists, and social workers have their own institute and council. Our guide to guidance and counselling in Nigeria covers how the profession got here.
Checking a counsellor’s credentials
If you’re looking for a counsellor rather than becoming one:
Suggested read: Guidance and Counselling in Nigeria: History and Today
- Ask which body they belong to and what their post-nominals mean. CCN and LPCN tell you CASSON has checked them; they aren’t a government licence.
- Once the CPCN register is open, ask whether they’re registered with the Council.
- Ask about their training and supervision. Our list of questions to ask a potential therapist helps.
On Mytherapist.ng, therapists choose their qualifications from a list and upload proof, and a person reviews each application before users can book them. You can browse licensed therapists and read how each describes their training. If you’re a qualified counsellor, read how to apply to join as a therapist.
Frequently asked questions
What does CASSON stand for? The Counselling Association of Nigeria. It was called CAN until 1992, when it adopted the acronym CASSON.
Is CASSON a regulatory body? It regulates its own members through its Certification and Licensure Committee, but it isn’t a government regulator. The statutory regulator for counsellors is the Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria, set up by an Act of 2022. The Act gives CASSON a formal role: it runs the competence exam and appoints six board members.
How much does CASSON registration cost? CASSON doesn’t publish the fee on its public pages. You see it on the registration portal when you generate a Remita payment reference.
What is the difference between CCN and LPCN? CCN (Certified Counsellor of Nigeria) is given to professional members once CASSON has checked their credentials. LPCN (Licensed Professional Counsellor of Nigeria) is for professional members who meet all the requirements of CASSON’s Certification and Licensure Policy. Both are association credentials.
Do I need CASSON membership to register with the CPCN? Yes. Under the Act, full registration as a Professional Counsellor needs certified membership of CASSON, an approved course and a pass in the competence exam.
Can students join CASSON? Yes. Students on a course leading to a counselling degree at a university, polytechnic or college of education can register as student members through their institution’s counselling body or their state chapter.
When was CASSON founded? It grew out of an inaugural meeting at the University of Ibadan in November 1975 and elected its first executive in June 1976. It is marking its Golden Jubilee in 2026.
