Editor’s Note: Centering the Hope

95,000 hours in action

Across all programs in the School of Education, faculty and students spent more than 95,000 hours in field experiences, internships, clinical settings, and student teaching during the 2020-2021 academic year. These hours are more than requirements for a degree. They demonstrate the breadth and depth of serving our partners in the Spokane community.

Joe Engler, Director

Ed.S. in School Psychology program.

The School Psychology program partners with several districts in Spokane County to support practicum and internship candidates as well as the delivery of psychoeducational and mental health services to local communities. One partner site, Medical Lake School District (MLSD), has hosted two practicum candidates and one full- time intern to serve its 2,002-student district, inclusive of Fairchild Air Force Base (FAFB), in eastern Washington.

Practicum candidates and school psychology interns serve the district in a variety of capacities which span the ten domains of school psychology practice set forth by the National Association of School Psychologists. The work of school psychology graduate candidates and full-time district psychologists varies between direct and indirect services. Direct services include individual/ group counseling, crisis intervention, psychoeducational evaluation, and direct behavioral or academic support; indirect services involve consultation/collaboration. Interns spend four days serving in their schools; the other day is devoted to collaboration with other district psychologists, professional development, district-level committee work, and group consultation with other graduate candidates delivering services in the district (school psychologists, mental health therapists, and social workers). Practicum candidates and interns from Gonzaga’s School Psychology program bring competence, leadership, and a heart for service to MLSD that is invaluable to the community and essential in supporting MLSD’s holistic wellness program. Meanwhile, graduate candidates receive opportunities, challenges, vast exposure, and professional growth to help shape their futures as socially responsive and discerning practitioners who indeed live out the mission of the School of Education - and the mission of a school psychologist - every day. In Spring 2021, students from Kinesiology & Sport Management in the Elementary Physical Education Methods course delivered 20 hours of physical education classes to students at Trinity Catholic School. Trinity does not have a physical education teacher, so the Gonzaga Kinesiology program has a unique opportunity to deliver a field experience and service project to the school that helps their students develop greater motor competence with the goal of engaging in regular physical activity. The professor and students collaborated in designing and teaching developmentally appropriate physical education lessons for the Trinity students. Throughout the project, observations and assessment data are collected to plan the lesson for the next week over an eight-week period. The Gonzaga Kinesiology students improved their teaching skills while the Trinity students improved their motor skills thus improving their overall wellness through this commitment to serve where we are needed. This relationship has been in place for over 20 years, with different iterations, and has impacted relationships as our GU students realize how important motor learning is to the Trinity students’ academic learning and enjoyment of movement throughout life.

families, and in groups. Interns must complete 700 hours over their practicum and internship semesters, with 280 of those in direct service of individuals.

Nichole D. Barta, Ed.D., Director

Director, Kinesiology Program

Kristen Kavon, M.A.,

Manager of Activity Programs at Gonzaga

During the last academic year, 110 Kinesiology, Sport Management, and Masters in Sport Athletic Administration students completed internships resulting in over 13,000 hours of field related to prospective career interest areas.

The experiences took place locally and across the nation in New York, Texas, Colorado, and Rhode Island, to name a few. Our students interned across a variety of careers within Kinesiology and Sport Management, from training rising Olympic athletes to working in NCAA athletic departments; major and minor league sports organizations in baseball, soccer and hockey; and grassroot and non-profit organizations that promote sports and activity within the community. Organizations rely on our department interns to keep their operations running smoothly with best practices. Long-standing relationships with these organizations and agencies often result in jobs for students. The pandemic landscape offered our students many unique opportunities to adapt and adjust as well as apply what they have learned in the classroom to the real world, but also to wear many hats as organizations worked hard to navigate an ever-changing new normal.

Miranda Lewis, M.A., Director

Clinical Placement Director, Counselor Education

Students in the Masters of Counselor Education programs complete their experiential hours at sites such as the Spokane Vet Center. Students provide mental counseling services to combat veterans, their spouses and children, and groups. Students complete an internship lasting 18 months.

The internship begins with students shadowing clinicians employed at the Vet Center as well as graduate student interns who are already a year into their experience. Trainings are provided on various counseling theories, as well as issues specific to the veteran population. Weekly supervision is provided by a qualified clinician, who works with the student to determine when to begin building their caseload. Students see clients individually, as couples, The Spokane Vet Center has an emphasis on service to the community and encourages interns to participate in various outreach events. These include providing mental health crisis services at events such as the Traveling Vietnam Wall or meeting more basic needs through work with the Second Harvest food bank. Interns reflect on how they may meet the needs of their clients, no matter where they are. Interns at the Spokane Vet Center report having found a great breadth and depth of experience.