Lindsey Wilson group participates in Tennessee Counseling Association’s annual Day on the Hill.
by Duane Bonifer
NASHVILLE, TENN. (03/20/2026) Four members of the Lindsey Wilson University School of Professional Counseling spent Wednesday, March 18, in the Tennessee state legislature promoting the benefits offered to the state’s citizens by the counseling profession.
Professors Patrick Murphy and Laura Bailey Smith, along with counselor education and supervision doctoral students Amanda Gienow of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Tanya Wellman of Knoxville, took part in the Tennessee Counseling Association’s Day on the Hill in Nashville.
Through meetings with Tennessee state legislators, the annual day is designed to raise awareness about the vital role mental health care services play in the Volunteer State.
Lindsey Wilson University counseling professors, from left, Patrick Murphy and Laura Bailey Smith are joined by doctoral students counselor education and supervision doctoral students Tanya Wellman of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Amanda Gienow on Wednesday, March 18, in the Tennessee State Senate chamber. They were in the state capital as part of the Tennessee Counseling Association’s annual Day on the Hill.
Lindsey Wilson University counseling professors Laura Bailey Smith and Patrick Murphy relax on Wednesday, March 18, in the Tennessee State Senate chamber. The two were in the state capital as part of the Tennessee Counseling Association’s annual Day on the Hill.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 30 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)