Counseling would like to introduce it’s own LeAnn Wills, Chi Sigma Iota’s Upsilon Theta Chapter President, to speak about it’s presence here at UT and their excellent work in our community: Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society is the international honor society for counseling students, professionals, and counselor educators. CSI is dedicated to promoting and recognizing excellence in scholarship, professionalism, leadership, and research in professional counseling practice. Here at UT, our CSI chapter is Upsilon Theta. Our members are dedicated to fostering wellness and upholding human dignity and contributing to the development of a healthier society. We deeply value servant leadership, community connection, and developing professional counseling practice. For more information about CSI, go to www.csi-net.org! 

The Knoxville Day Reporting Center focuses on providing alternatives to incarceration for individuals struggling with substance misuse. The center provides classes focused on addiction recovery, community engagement, skills development, physical health and nutrition, mental health, parenting, employment readiness, anger management, holistic wellness, and strengths-based coping skills to assist members in maintaining recovery and working toward their goals. Upsilon Theta chapter with faculty sponsor Dr. Jamian Coleman, has engaged with the Knoxville Day Reporting Center to create and facilitate a 4-week curriculum centered on health and wellness, with a focus on what it means to lean into mental wellness within the context of addiction recovery. The group focuses on psychoeducation and coping skills to incorporate into their toolbox while also making space for therapeutic processing. “Being able to experience the impactful and inspiring work at the center, collaborating with co-facilitators, and witnessing collaboration, partnership, and community support has been heart-warming and eye-opening. My education at UT and my engagement with our CSI chapter have allowed me to build a strong foundation from which I can dive into my community and push myself toward continuous growth as a student, future counselor, and human being. Without the encouragement and support of those that I have the honor of sharing CSI membership with, these meaningful partnerships would not be possible. Counseling is such a deeply connected field focused on collaboration, self-reflection, and lifelong learning, and I remain honored and humbled to be a small thread in the beautiful tapestry being woven by our chapter with the assistance of those in our community.” -Deanna Pliagas Chapter Secretary 

The Wesley House Community Center was established in 1907, dedicated to community services, and continues today to focus on providing high quality, affordable, and accessible childcare, the opportunity for social connections for older adults, and meeting emergent needs of the Beaumont, Londsdale, and Mechanicsville communities in Knoxville. Our CSI chapter with the support of faculty sponsor Dr. Jordan Westcott, have recently partnered with the Wesley House to facilitate wellness-focused psychoeducational groups. “As a UT student, I feel privileged and honored to be engaged with the local community, particularly with an often overlooked yet growing population in Knoxville and across the United States. We come as students and professors to share some of our knowledge and strategies for wellness utilizing our counseling skills and leave spaces with expanded knowledge and strategies for wellness based in community members’ rich lived experiences and wisdom. This engagement has helped me understand more of what it means to engage in mutual, reciprocal community partnerships! “ -Haly Scott Chapter Community Engagement and Advocacy Chair