People who are knowledgeable about the various Merit Badge subjects are selected, approved, and trained by Council and District Advancement Committees to serve as Merit Badge Counselors. For example, a Dentist might be asked to serve as a counselor for the Dentistry Merit Badge. A counselor must not only possess the necessary technical knowledge but also have a solid understanding of the needs, interests, and abilities of Scouts. A counselor must also be a registered adult with the BSA. (BSA FactSheet - Merit Badges)

Read the Guide for Merit Badge Counselors which will answer the following questions about being a Merit Badge Counselor.

Also take a look at the Guide for Merit Badge Counseling which will answer the following questions about Merit Badge Counseling and more.

1. What are the Merit Badge Counselor's responsibilities?
2. What is a Merit Badge?
3. What do I agree to do?
4. What is the process of earning a Merit Badge?
5. How does the Merit Badge Counselor help?
6. Where do you meet?
7. How many at a time?
8. Can you 'sell' your subject?
9. Do you need a Merit Badge Pamphlet?

The steps to "Becoming a Merit Badge Counselor"

1. You must be knowledgeable in the subject area of a specific Merit Badge, either by vocation, avocation or special training.
2. Complete Youth Protection Training and send a copy of the training card along with your application. Check the Council Training Calendar (each month) for scheduled Youth Protection Training.
3. Fill out the Orange County Council Merit Badge Counselor Application form Rev. 01/01/11, pdf 393 KB
4. Fill out the BSA Adult Registration form. Use 42 for position code.
5. Fill out the BSA Disclosure/Authorization form (included with the BSA Adult Registration form).
   Note: The Disclosure/Authorization form need only be submitted once for your initial Merit Badge Counselor registration.
6. Send the 4 documents to either your District Advancement Chairperson, or Merit Badge Counselor Coordinator.

Email Your District Merit Badge "Counselor Coordinator"

District	Merit Badge Counselor List Coordinator
Canyons	Theo Geukens
El Camino Real	Krik Lindahl
El Capitan	Hui Ly
Los Amigos	Brent Meredith
Orange Frontier	Sandy Sova
Pacifica	Ed Hill
Portola	Paul Weddell
Rancho Del Mar	Chiara Day-Brookes
Saddleback	Amanda Morrell

7. The Orange County Council will have a background investigation conducted, which will take up to 6 weeks; whereupon, your District Advancement Chairperson will be advised if there was an issue with the background investigation.
8. Your name and Merit Badge(s) will then be added to your District's Merit Badge list. The list is "PRIVATE" and shall not be reproduced beyond the District Advancement Chairperson/Merit Badge staff and the unit Scoutmaster and Troop Advancement Chairperson.
9. During the 6 weeks it takes for the background check, get yourself trained.
   Contact your District Training Chairperson and ask for a Merit Badge Counselor Training session as a breakout at the next Roundtable.
10. After you have completed all of the above steps, make sure your name and the names of the Merit Badge(s) you will counsel appears on your District's Merit Badge Counselor lists - contact your District Merit Badge Coordinator, or Scoutmaster or unit Committee Chair.

Notes:

1. BSA Adult Leader Application (No unit leader signatures are needed.
2. Background Investigation form (included with the new BSA Adult Registration Application).
3. OCCBSA Merit Badge Counselor Application also known as the Merit Badge Counselors Worksheet.
4. On the BSA Adult Leader Application under Position Code, use "42" for Merit Badge Counselor. Complete all of the leader application and Merit Badge Counselor Application.

Yearly Reregistration Required

The National Council policy for Merit Badge Counselors is that unless a person specifically registers as a Merit Badge Counselor annually they are to be removed from the list of active Counselors. This is because over the past years, National has received up to 1,000 letters per month from the surviving spouses of Merit Badge Counselor’s that they are still being called by Scouts.

The renewal procedure for merit badge counselors is [Need OCC Advancement Committee Policy if different-TBS].
Are you on the current list? Check your District's Merit Badge Counselor List to find out.

District Advancement Chairs

What this means: if you are not on the Merit Badge Counselor's list, then you most likely need to submit a new registration form as a Merit Badge Counselor if you haven’t for the current year. Annually you will be contacted by a Merit Badge Coordinator in your Unit to confirm whether you are interested in continuing for the upcoming year and the opportunity to make any changes. There is no cost for this. If you do not have any changes, you will need only fill out the BSA Adult Application with position code of 42. If you have any changes in your Merit Badges list, then the Merit Badge Counselor Application will also need to be filled out listing all Merit Badges for which you wish to provide Counseling services.(TBR)

All forms must be forwarded to your District Advancement Chair for review and processing.

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Source of information on this page was kindly provided by: The Boy Scouts of America, National Council and the Orange County Council Advancement Committee.

Last revision was made on: June 22, 2010 by Dave Exter.