About Us

New Pathways Counseling is owned and operated by Sevier County native Kariss Waite. Kariss integrates Cognitive-Behavioral and biblical principles (as appropriate) to help people ages 14 and up meet their own goals and get the most out of life.  Kariss earned a B.S. in psychology from Furman University in Greenville, SC, in 2000, an M.A. in clinical counseling from Columbia International University in Columbia, SC, in 2003, and has been licensed as a Professional Counselor with a Mental Health Service Provider designation in the state of Tennessee since 2006.  Kariss is a member of First Baptist Church in Sevierville, TN, where she plays bass guitar in the orchestra, is active in Sunday School, and occasionally helps out with the sound system.  Kariss enjoys speaking to groups of just about any size, and has been a presenter at the Sevierville First United Methodist Church‘s W.I.N.G.S. women’s ministry retreat weekend.  Kariss is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists, and the Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselor Association.  She has also served on the board of Leadership Tomorrow, a division of Leadership Sevier, where she mentored and coached young professionals.  Kariss completed the Rational Hypnotherapy certification course, the Level-Two certification course in Rational Living Therapy, and she also completed several life coaching certification courses including stress management and spiritual formation. Kariss is married, and she enjoys spending her free time with her husband and exploring Sevier County’s back roads from the saddle of her bicycle.