Callista Mason

Callista has been a Registered Social Worker in Alberta since 2013. Her professional experience includes community rehabilitation work with people experiencing disability, mental health promotion, education, and outreach, arts-based community development, and counselling services with individuals, couples, and groups addressing a variety of issues.

Callista began working at the University of Lethbridge in 2015 as the Mental Health Educator in the Student Success Centre, and later as the Coordinator of Student Wellness and Sexual Violence Prevention and Education. She has been a full-time faculty member since 2018 in the Addictions and Mental Health Counselling Program. Callista is currently serving as the Program Coordinator for the department. Her primary teaching interests are in health promotion, community development, diversity in counselling, and field education for counsellors in training. She is particularly passionate about supporting students in their journey to becoming professional helpers.

Callista is currently serving as the Equity Steward for ULFA. As part of this role, she sits on various ULFA committees including Joint Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JCEDI), Gender Equity Diversity Committee (GEDC), and Shop Stewards Committee.

Education:

• Master of Social Work, University of Calgary '15
• Bachelor of Social Work, University of Calgary '13
• Communication Arts Diploma in Broadcast Journalism, Lethbridge College '06

Professional & Teaching Experience:

Callista maintains her competency as a social worker and educator through completion of annual professional development related to various counselling modalities, trauma- informed care, social justice, community practice, addictions and mental health care, scholarship of teaching and learning, and more. She also has maintained a private counselling practice since 2016 at which she provides individual and couples counselling in Lethbridge, AB. Callista also has:

• 19+ years of experience in human services
• 13+ years of professional social work experience

At our Faculty, Callista has been a full-time faculty member in Health Sciences since 2018. She has experience teaching the following courses at the University of Lethbridge:

• AMHC 2002- Health Promotion & Education
• AMHC 2130- Diversity & Counselling
• AMHC 2245 - Assessment of Addictions
• AMHC 3900 - Community Development and Outreach
• AMHC 3050 & 4050- Internship I & II in Addictions Counselling
• AMHC 3420- Ethics in Addictions Counselling
• HLSC 3570- Contemporary Issues in Mental Health
• HLSC 3850- Gender- Based Violence
• AMHC 1020, 1220, 2120, 3120 Labs (counselling skills)
• SOWK1000- An Introduction to Social Work

Callista has also taught courses sessionally for the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Social Work and guest lectured in other courses at U of L. She was formerly a Mental Health 1st Aid trainer and has delivered workshops on campus and in community related to mental health, gender-based violence, and suicide prevention. Callista received the Accessible Learning Centre’s inaugural Inclusive Education Award for the 2019-2020 academic year in recognition of her inclusive teaching practices.

Past Research:

Callista does not currently engage in research. Her past research work included assistance/collaboration on SSHRC funded research on Art for Social Change (link to project website below), and mentorship practices within the field of arts-engaged social change and community development.

Link to ASC! Project: https://icasc.ca/resource/art-for-social-change-asc-web-an-online-interactive-teaching-and-learning-resource-for-community-engaged-participatory-arts/ 

Prior Publications (*please note these works were published under her former name- Callista Chasse):

• Chasse, C. (2022). Working with issues of social class and socioeconomic status, In Luft, T. (Ed.) (2022), Diversity in Addictions Counselling (pp. 155-169), Kendall Hunt
   
• Fels, L., Armos, N., Chasse, C. & Grindlay, M. (2022). Performing mentorship in collaborative research teams: Arts-based digital encounters, Canadian Journal of Action Research, 22(3)
   
• Armos, N. & Chasse, C. (2022). Performing mentorship in collaborative research teams, Papers on post-secondary Learning and teaching, 5, p.86-92
   
• Doolittle, L., Chasse, C., Makoloski, C., Boyd, P. & Yassi, A. (2016). May I have this dance? Teaching, Performing, and Transforming in a University-Community Mixed-Ability Dance Theatre Project, Theatre Research in Canada, 37:2