Chi Sigma Iota, the prestigious international honor society for professional counselors, has initiated the first 28 members of the newly established Nu Chi Upsilon Chapter on the Northwest Christian University campus during a ceremony attended by more than 80 students, colleagues, family and staff on Fri., March 4, 2016.
“Chi Sigma Iota is important opportunity for students and faculty in NCU’s growing counseling program to share information, network with local counseling professionals, and support excellence in the profession,” said Marilyn Montgomery, Ph.D., chapter advisor and an associate professor in NCU’s clinical mental health counseling program and a nationally certified counselor. “Our chapter is a dynamic community for counseling students, faculty, and professional counselors in the area who share a common bond for excellence in research, professionalism, leadership, and advocacy.”
During the Nu Chi Upsilon Chapter initiation, all members took an oath and committed to the ethical and professional practice of counseling and the Chapter Bylaws. Members received official certificates stating their membership as well as official CSI chapter pins. The Chapter will meet monthly on the NCU Campus.
Renown author, columnist, blogger, and nationally certified counselor Tanya J. Peterson gave the keynote address for the chapter’s initiation into the honorary society.
Peterson is known for using writing to increase understanding of and compassion for people living with mental illness. Her most recent work, My Life in a Nutshell: A Novel (Inkwater Press, 2014) was awarded a Kirkus Star, an honor given by Kirkus Reviews “to books of remarkable merit” in 2014, and also received a coveted “Recommended” rating from The US Review of Books. Her novel Leave of Absence (Inkwater Press, 2013) was selected as a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards. Losing Elizabeth (Createspace, 2012) has been nominated to receive Storytellers Campfire’s Voyager Marble Award for its “contribution to the world.”
Peterson, a weekly columnist for HealthyPlace.com’s Anxiety-Schmanxiety blog, writes articles to help readers understand and overcome difficulties with anxiety disorders. The Anxiety-Schmanxiety blog was dubbed one of the Top Ten Anxiety Blogs of 2014 and awarded a “Best of the Web” designation by renowned psychology and mental health authority PsychCentral.com
A Lane County Oregon resident, Peterson serves on the board of directors of the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mentally Illness(NAMI).
In addition to the chapter initiation, officers for the Nu Chi Upsilon Chapter were installed, including: Whitney Elkington of Eugene, Co-President; Miah Long of Eugene, Co-President, and Tammy Hatling of Cottage Grove, Secretary-Treasurer. All officers are second-year students in the graduate Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at NCU.
Founded at Ohio University in 1985, Chi Sigma Iota has more than 100,000 affiliated members that include counselor educators and supervisors, students, and professional counselors in all settings and specialties of the profession. Sigma Chi Iota is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies.
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About Northwest Christian University
Northwest Christian University is a liberal arts institution dedicated to providing a transformational education that champions wisdom, faith and service. Accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the University was founded in 1895 and is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. Northwest Christian University offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in traditional undergraduate, adult degree, and graduate program formats, as well as online programs for MBA and M.Ed. More information about the University is available at www.nwcu.edu.