Educational Service Unit #13
- 2 full-time positions
- APPIC Program Code: 240612
Located in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Educational Service Unit #13 (ESU13) is a nonprofit agency that provides specialized services to schools throughout the western Nebraska Panhandle. Most of the areas serviced by ESU13 are rural with limited access to community resources and a large percentage of economically disadvantaged students.
The mission of the agency is striving to achieve educational excellence for all learners through strong partnerships, services, and leadership. Communication and collaboration are emphasized within departments and between organizations to allow an environment in which the expertise of all professionals is utilized to create the most effective and efficient learning environments for western Nebraska’s students.
Katie Lundgren Carrizales, Ph.D.
ESU Primary Supervisor
Dr. Katie Carrizales is the Director of Psychological and Behavioral Health at ESU13 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. A nationally certified school psychologist and licensed psychologist, she designs, develops, and implements comprehensive services for 21 rural school districts across the Nebraska Panhandle. Dr. Carrizales leads a multidisciplinary team of school psychologists, licensed mental health practitioners, and family support specialists, and serves as the Primary Supervisor at ESU13 for the High Plains Psychology Internship Consortium (High Plains PIC). She earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado in 2015 and has additional training in play therapy, Child Parent Psychotherapy, the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, Parent Child Interaction Therapy and as a Circle of Security® facilitator. Across roles, she is focused on practical, evidence-based supports that improve student, family, and educator well-being in rural communities.
Services provided
- Psychological services
- Speech pathology
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Special education
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing services
- Early intervention
- Brain injury support
The agency also provides districts with extensive staff development through the SOAR (Sharing Opportunities Achieving Results) department, and houses several critical programs that serve the Panhandle including Head Start, the Migrant Education Department, and the Autism Spectrum Program.
EDU13 manages a variety of alternative learning programs for secondary students, as well as a school for students ages 5-21 as part of the continuum of services for students with disabilities.
Intern Experience
The interns matched with ESU13 is provided a unique opportunity to participate in the Psychology Department, comprised of 4 full-time school psychologists and 1 full-time Licensed Mental Health Provider.
Interns will be expected to provide a wide-range of direct and indirect services including counseling, psychological evaluations, individual and systems consultation, and other therapeutic/behavioral interventions developed through Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Response to Intervention (RTI).
As such, interns are directly involved in identifying problems or needs and then researching, recommending, and assisting in the implementation of the appropriate evidenced-based intervention. The intern is immersed within an interdisciplinary team approach, allowing them routine collaboration and communication with other specialized disciplines.
In addition, there are numerous professional development and specialized training opportunities throughout the ESU departments that are designed to augment the intern’s skill base as well as expose interns to cutting edge evidence-based interventions in a variety of disciplines. These opportunities include participation and training within the Traumatic Brain Injury group, training and workshops through the Autism Spectrum Disorder Network, and participation in the SOAR Department training and workshops that focus on topics such as behavioral health, academic interventions, giftedness, and accelerated learning.
