Monday, February 1, 2021
Mississippi State University students hope to foster advocacy and spark interest in their department through the Counselors for Social Justice student group.
The student group is the brainchild of Chiquita Holmes, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations. Holmes explained that during the spring 2019 semester, the more she got involved in her classes the more interested she became in advocacy and social justice. After attending a discussion about having difficult conversations about race and gender bias and privilege she knew she couldn’t be the only student interested in these topics.
“Part of our mandate as counselors is to be an advocate, so if you’re counseling somebody you have to have some understanding of how to support them, and how to get them the things they need,” Holmes said, adding that she hopes the group will help teach fellow counseling majors to do just that.
The mission of Counselors for Social Justice is to promote social justice in society through confronting systems of power and privilege that affect professional counselors and their clients and to assist in the positive change in society through the professional development of counselors.
Holmes explains that during the group’s first years, she believes it’s important for the group to have a presence in the community and the state including fundraisers and hygiene drives during the semester. She hopes that the student group can be a catalyst to have more students who want to become counselors and want to come to Mississippi State.
In July 2020, the group and faculty advisor Dr. Joan Looby were recognized for its community advocacy and engagement, as well as its student leadership. In addition to the recognition, the group was also awarded a grant that focused on promoting social justice within members’ communities. The group members are hoping to use the money from the grant to host a virtual Social Justice Symposium on the MSU campus during the spring 2021 semester.
Holmes explained that following their award by the club’s national division, the antiracism committee in the department of counseling, educational psychology and foundation and the department’s head recognized the importance and feasibility of the symposium and agreed to support the club’s efforts.
“I am excited about the CSJ and their work,” said Daniel Gadke, head of the department. “I am particularly thrilled that it is being spearheaded by graduate students, as they are the future leaders of their disciplines. I look forward to supporting their efforts in the department.”
Holmes continued saying that the symposium is entirely student-created, student-driven and planned. In additional to departmental support, the group is excited to receive support from leaders in the counseling profession, including Dr. S. Kent Butler, the President - Elect of the American Counseling Association, who will be a keynote speaker.
“I believe this symposium will be the first of its kind at MSU, and I’m excited that we are moving important conversation regarding equity and justice forward.”
According to the Counselors for Social Justice website, social justice counseling represents a multifaceted approach to counseling in which practitioners strive to simultaneously promote human development and the common good through addressing challenges related to both individual and distributive justice. Social justice counseling includes empowerment of the individual as well as active confrontation of injustice and inequality in society as they impact clientele as well as those in their systemic contexts. In doing so, social justice counselors direct attention to the promotion of four critical principles that guide their work; equity, access, participation, and harmony. This work is done with a focus on the cultural, contextual, and individual needs of those served. Established in 1903, MSU’s College of Education is now home to six academic departments, one research unit and numerous service units. For more about the college, visit //www.educ.msstate.edu/.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
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