Student Organizations
Chi Sigma Iota
CHI SIGMA IOTA is the Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International. As such, members are committed to maintaining high standards of professional competence and service. Our goal is to serve others to the best of our ability and to encourage others to do the same as members of the counseling profession. Members of the Society have distinguished themselves through scholarship and professional excellence which is exemplary.
Meaning of CSI Symbols
The Greek letters for CSI were selected to denote that we are the Counseling Society International.
The mission is to promote excellence in the profession of counseling on a truly international scope.
CSI Colors:
- White for Virtue – goodness; general moral excellence; right action and thinking
- Blue for Trustworthiness – honesty, integrity, reliability, and justice toward others is affirmed
- Integrity is implicit within these as well.
The wreath was chosen to encircle the Greek letters as a symbol of honor earned and promise for continued commitment to high ideals.
What is a Professional Counselor?
CSI is an honor society dedicated to promoting excellence in the profession of counseling. Because common usage of the term “counselor” can be misleading, professional counselors are distinguished by their preparation at the graduate level in pursuit of both Masters and doctoral degrees. One’s highest or terminal degree in counselor education is considered evidence of desire to identify with the profession and through membership to support the mission of the Society.
For purposes of clarity among helping professionals who use counseling as a method or its techniques, the graduate education of members of the profession of counseling are defined by the national standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Individuals whose programs of study in counselor education were accredited by the Council of Rehabilitation Education (CORE) also are eligible for membership.
While a small number of members may be enrolled in programs that are not accredited by CACREP at the present time, the program where chapters are located must prepare its graduates to be eligible for state or national credentialing as professional counselors and fundamentally meet the minimum standards as defined by CACREP.
Over eighty percent of the counselor education programs that sponsor CSI chapters are nationally accredited. CSI’s goal is to encourage and ultimately expect all chapters to be located in nationally accredited counselor education programs in the next few years.
The CSI Executive Council (5/2010) in an effort to support solidarity in the profession endorsed the ACA and AASCB 20/20 Visions for the Future of Counseling consensus definition of counseling by incorporating it into the following statement to be consistent with the mission of CSI. CSI was a participating organization throughout the 20/20 initiative:
Professional counselors hold their highest graduate degree in counselor education from a nationally accredited preparation program, are credentialed by authorized state and/or national agencies, and adhere to its competency standards on matters of ethics, diversity and behavior in order to contribute to the realization of a healthy society by fostering wellness and human dignity. As a consequence,counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.
Professionalism
CSI values high standards in the relatively young and emerging field of counseling. Along with credentialing, standards, and graduate school accreditation, CSI is striving to define and unify the counseling profession. One way we do this is through active, service oriented university based chapters composed of neophyte and experienced professional counselors.
Recognition
Recognition for the pursuit of personal excellence is a fundamental purpose of the Society. It is through the efforts of individual members that the collective influence of the Society is realized. As a consequence, the Society seeks to identify and encourage all those who have made a commitment to excel in all that they do. From the time of their first invitation to join the Society and throughout their professional careers, CSI strives to support and promote the activities of its members and chapters. In addition to the membership frameable certificate and recognition pin, members are encouraged to display honor regalia in their offices and to wear them at official functions as both a sign of their accomplishments and their continuing commitment to excellence.
Psi Chi Honor Society
Psi Chi is an international psychology honor society which seeks to encourage, stimulate, and
maintain scholarship and to advance the science of psychology. Eligibility for the Immaculata
Chapter is open to psychology majors and minors and requires that you:
- have completed at least nine credits in psychology
- achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0
- attain at least a 3.0 grade point average in all psychology courses
Graduate Psychology and Counseling Student Diversity Forum
The Graduate Psychology and Counseling Student Diversity Forum is an organization that meets
at least quarterly to foster an appreciation, knowledge, and understanding of other cultures.
Students can choose to work with faculty to generate publications relating to human diversity, to
engage in community outreach in culturally diverse neighborhoods, and to socialize with others
interested in diversity. The Forum provides an environment of unity, advancement and success
for students by offering peer networking and mentorship as well as academic and spiritual
leadership.
American Psychological Association of Graduate Students
APAGS provides a voice for graduate student’s concerns with the APA. It is the largest group of graduate psychology students worldwide and provides information to students about relevant education and training issues, legislative positions and developments, and future directions or changes in the field.