Founded January 1, 1985 Publication Exemplar (quarterly) | Type Honor society Website www.csi-net.org | |
Headquarters Greensboro, NC 27425, USA | ||
Chi Sigma Iota (ΧΣΙ or CSI) is the international honor society for counseling students, counselor educators, and professional counselors.
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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. 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. Dr. Jane Myers, Professor of Counselor Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, is the current Executive Director.
In 1988, CSI negotiated with Rho Chi Sigma, the National Rehabilitation 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.
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 August 2012, CSI has more than 82,000 members who have been initiated into the Society. Each year, more than 14,000 people maintain active membership. The association includes 277 chapters located at college and university counselor education programs, most in the United States and one in the Philippines. New chapters of CSI may be established in counselor education training programs accredited by The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) or the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) as well as programs that can achieve CACREP or CORE accreditation within the next five years.
Leadership
The Executive Council of CSI includes elected officers (President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer), 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. Each chapter of CSI has a Chapter Faculty Advisor and chapter officers.
Publications
CSI publishes the Exemplar, a quarterly magazine for members. 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.
Institutional Affiliations
CSI is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The Society is one of four professional partners of the American Counseling Association.