Speaker
Chi Pham
Counseling Psychology, Doctoral Student, Community Support Specialist, UW–Madison
Chi Pham, MS, is a 4th-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology Department at UW–Madison. She is serving as the DDEEA community support specialist at the Counseling Psychology Training Clinic (2024-2025). She practices therapy using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and feminist theories. Ms. Pham also served as a Posse Mentor for the Posse Foundation. Through her roles, she gained experience helping students with historically underrepresented identities with their college journey by drawing from their cultural strengths, building their confidence and resources to increase their sense of belonging to their college community. She is passionate about delivering culturally responsive and social justice-oriented mental health services through a warm and collaborative space to
help students with their career, academic concerns and socioemotional health, and connecting them with campus resources and building a supportive community that helps enrich their journey through college. Outside of work, she is a powerlifting competitor and a certified scuba diver.
Speaking in
Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Underrepresented Collegiate Students Through the Community Support Specialist Role at UW–Madison
On college campuses, BIPOC, first-generation and low-income students are disproportionately underrepresented in seeking mental health services, highlighting systemic disparities in access to support. In this session, the panelists plan to discuss the role of the Community Support Specialists (CSS), who work exclusively with DDEEA students. This position was created by the Counseling Psychology Training Clinic (CPTC) in partnership with UW-Madison’s Mental Health Services (MHS) to increase counseling access among underrepresented students at UW-Madison using a social justice framework. The speakers will present an overview of the program’s history, including data and testimonials from past DDEEA students. During the session, panelists will share their experiences in the CSS roles, including their positionalities as BIPOC graduate students responsible for supporting the mental health needs of other underrepresented students. They will address questions about various interventions for supporting students, such as individual therapy, the role of outreach, and creative methods for disseminating interventions.
Session Objectives
- An increased understanding of the rewards and obstacles faced by BIPOC mental health professionals while providing services to underrepresented students at a predominantly white college campus
- An awareness of the mental health resources on campus and the role of the Community Support Specialist
- Insight into the collaborations between CPTC and MHS in addressing systemic disparities faced by underrepresented students seeking mental health services
- Awareness of resources for supporting BIPOC students’ mental health needs