Senna Dillsi, the daughter of Palestinian Americans, grew up in Eastern Washington, a place where few people could relate to her Palestinian identity. Now, preparing to graduate from PSU with a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the College of Education, Dillsi reflects on her academic journey and the support she’s felt in expressing her identity along the way.
After graduating from Washington State University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Dillsi was unsure of her next career steps. She enrolled in a study abroad program at Birzeit University in the West Bank, Palestine, to gain a different perspective and explore her options. It was there, while studying political science and Arabic, that she discovered a passion for teaching.
Upon returning to the U.S., she secured a long-term substitute teaching position at a middle school in her hometown of Richland, Washington, teaching theater and English Language Arts. In this role, Dillsi found that the one-to-one connections she was forming with her students were incredibly important. She was honored that these teens were comfortable opening up to her about their lives, and the challenges they were grappling with. The counseling aspect of the job, she quickly realized, was what she relished most.
“That teaching experience really changed the trajectory of my life,” Dillsi says. “Especially in connecting with kids from my own background because I really didn’t have that growing up.”
Choosing a path
Dillsi admits she really didn’t know much about pursuing a counseling license when she started researching graduate schools. But after exploring the four different programs offered in the Department of Counselor Education at PSU, she determined that the Clinical Mental Health Counseling track was the best path for her. It stood out as being more open ended, and allowed for creativity when it came to career options.
“In terms of academia, I felt like the clinical mental health track had a little more pizzazz and more room for flexibility,” she explains.
The three-year program prepares graduates to work with clients in a variety of settings including mental health agencies, community counseling agencies, psychiatric hospitals and group and private practices. The preparation is centered around coursework, interpersonal growth experiences, practicum training in a low-barrier community counseling clinic and an internship placement.
The program has challenged Dillsi in ways she didn’t expect. It began with remote school during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been an intense journey since day one. Amidst personal grief and loss, Dillsi struggled to balance family obligations and self-care alongside the rigorous demands of her graduate studies.
Also surprising to Dillsi was that beyond the expected test-taking and paper-writing lay a compulsory focus on inward personal reflection.
“The program is set up to have you address stuff that you maybe have not addressed within yourself in order to be able to hold space for other people,” she says. “I think that's really beautiful.”
Building Community
Despite the demands of graduate school, and on her time, Dillsi was determined to make the most of her university experience and build community within and outside her program.
She worked as a graduate assistant in the program’s community clinic, co-founded Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights at PSU, and served as the PSU chapter president of Chi Sigma Iota, an honor society for professional and student counselors. Through these experiences, Dillsi was able to connect with her classmates and peers, professionally, and integrate with a diverse range of PSU students across campus.
For Dillsi, one of the true highlights of the program has been the people and the way they’ve embraced her, and her cultural background. “I never really felt comfortable talking about being Palestinian in an academic space. There wasn't really room for that in my undergraduate program,” she says. “ But throughout the duration of this program, people have really shown up for me.”
Dillsi also leaned into the cohort model and formed strong bonds with the 10 students in her cohort. Peer support was especially key to navigating the intensity of the program’s third year, she says, when students work with a caseload of clients and study for the licensing exam in addition to keeping up with their classes.
“Having that structure of support already built into the program – peer support and professional support with our professors – is vital,” she says.
However, there were still times when Dillsi's commitment to the program was tested.
“I think being Palestinian, especially nowadays, is like carrying with you the largest amount of grief you've ever thought of carrying or could even comprehend carrying, while holding space for your clients who have trauma and grief and are walking through life with difficulties,” she says.
These feelings weighed heavy, causing her to question if she could make it to the finish line and if it would be worth it. “And then I’d remember that this degree will allow me to connect with people and help people heal from things like the grief that people are carrying,” Dillsi says.
What’s next
Dillsi plans to take the summer off and is excited to get to work building a private practice in the fall. As a newly licensed counselor in Oregon, she’s also thrilled that she’ll be able to offer affordable services to clients who are insured by the Oregon Health Plan.
She looks forward to serving a diverse array of clients, but is particularly interested in helping people work through trauma or lived experiences of feeling isolated. She’d also like to work with people who live in the diaspora – including refugees and children of immigrants.
Dillsi is also training with the U.S. Palestinian Mental Health Network and wants to continue building a network of clinicians with a shared identity.
Her advice to others who are interested in going down a similar road? Practice self-care, build community and be ready to embrace personal growth and reflection.
“Look within yourself, even if you don't share that with other people and really give yourself that care that maybe wasn't offered to you before,” she says.