Chi Sigma Iota is the international and professional academic honor society for counseling students, counselor educators, and professional counselors. CSI is an active member of the Association of College Honor Societies, where members and the society-at-large are protected by the standards of excellence set by ACHS. The society is a professional partner of the American Counseling Association.CSI is dedicated to those who have chosen professional counseling as a career. All specialties of counseling are a part of the Society's mission to promote excellence. As a result, rehabilitation counseling programs accredited by the Council for Rehabilitation Education are considered in our recognition.
Mission
CSI’s stated mission is to “promote scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership, advocacy, and excellence in counseling, and to recognize high attainment in the pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in the profession of counseling.” Stated briefly, CSI's goal is “promoting excellence in the profession of counseling.”
History
CSI was established on January 1, 1985 with the chartering of the Alpha Chapter at Ohio University. In 1988, CSI negotiated with Rho Chi Sigma, the NationalRehabilitation Counseling and Services Honor Society, to establish a single honor society for professional counselors. All chapters of Rho Chi Sigma were officially merged into CSI in March 1989. Dr. Thomas J. Sweeney, Professor Emeritus of Counselor Education at Ohio University, was the founding President and the association’s first Executive Director. Dr. Sweeney retired as Executive Director of CSI in May 2012. CSI Headquarters Staff consists of Dr. Holly Hartwig Moorhead as the current Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Stephen D. Kennedy as the Chief Operating Officer.
Membership
CSI's membership includes both master's and doctoral level graduate students enrolled in counseling programs, professional counselors, and counselor educators. The association's bylaws state that membership is by invitation to students or graduates of an active chapter’s counselor education program. To be eligible for membership, students must complete at least one semester of full-time graduate coursework in a counselor education degree program, earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 system, and be recommended for membership by the chapter as promising for endorsement as a professional counselor whose ethical judgment and behavior will be exemplary. Faculty and alumni of a chapter may be inducted into CSI if they meet the G.P.A. requirement as graduates of a counselor education program and are endorsed by the chapter. As of February 2020, Chi Sigma Iota has over 130,000 members who have been initiated into the Society through more than 400 chapters that have been chartered throughout our history. We are growing by welcoming over 7,000 new members and chartering new chapters each year. Our members are affiliated with campus-based chapters contributing to their counselor education programs and communities. Chapters are supported at least in part by funding from CSI New chapters of CSI may be established in counselor education training programs accredited by The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs or the Council on Rehabilitation Education as well as programs that can achieve CACREP or CORE accreditation within the next five years.
Leadership
Each chapter of CSI has a Chapter Faculty Advisor and chapter officers. The Executive Council of CSI includes elected officers, two CSI Leadership Interns, and the Executive Director. Active members of the Society can volunteer to chair or serve on CSI Committees and Review Panels for grants and awards, all of which receive charges from the Executive Council. Members may also volunteer to serve on editorial review boards for the CSI Counselors' Bookshelf.
Presidents
Dr. Amanda La Guardia, 2019-2020 Dr. Nicole Hill, 2018-2019 Dr. Barbara Herlihy, 2017-2018 Dr. Michael Brubaker, 2016-2017 Dr. Spencer Niles, 2015-2016 Dr. Craig Cashwell, 2014-2015 Dr. Andrea Dixon, 2013-2014 Dr. Victoria White Kress, 2012-2013 Dr. Casey A. Barrio Minton, 2011-2012 Dr. JoLynn V. Carney, 2010-2011 Dr. Catharina Y. Chang, 2009-2010 Dr. Donna A. Henderson, 2008-2009 Dr. June M. Williams, 2007-2008 Dr. Cynthia J. Osborn, 2006-2007 Dr. Richard J. Hazler, 2005-2006 Dr. Nancy E. Sherman, 2004-2005 Dr. Jamie S. Carney, 2003-2004 Dr. Geoffrey G. Yager, 2002-2003 Dr. Richard L. Percy, 2001-2002 Dr. Edwin L. Herr, 2000-2001 Dr. Don C. Locke, 1999-2000 Dr. William E. Name, 1998-1999 Dr. Mary Thomas Burke, 1997-1998 Dr. D. L. Warren, 1996-1997 Dr. Courtland C. Lee, 1995-1996 Dr. Judith G. Miranti, 1994-1995 Dr. Nicholas A. Vacc, 1993-1994 Dr. Carol A. Bobby, 1992-1993 Dr. Rose A. Cooper, 1991-1992 Dr. Larry Loesch, 1990-1991 Dr. Samuel T. Gladding, 1989-1990 Dr. Joseph R. Kandor, 1988-1989 Dr. Jane E. Myers, 1987-1988 Dr. Thomas J. Sweeney, 1985-1987
Publications
CSI publishes the Exemplar, a quarterly magazine for members, and the Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy. In addition, selected books are endorsed for publication. Most recently, Professional Counseling Excellence through Leadership and Advocacy was selected for the 2012 Publication in Counselor Education and Supervision Award, given annually by the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. The Counselors' Bookshelf is an online compendium of reviews of professional books, fiction, movies and television shows, and music with implications for how counselors can use the various media for personal and professional development as well as helping interventions with clients.
Annual Meetings
International meetings of CSI are held during the Annual Convention of the American Counseling Association. These events include a Business Meeting for representatives from every CSI chapter, a meeting of CSI’s Executive Council, a workshop on leadership, an awards ceremony, and opportunities for networking.
