Welcome Kate Jaspers

We are pleased to welcome Kate Jaspers, PhD, associate professor of counseling psychology in the school psychology program.

What prior experience do you bring to this new position?

I have worked as a school psychologist for the Camas School District and Portland Public Schools. I was previously an Assistant Professor of School Psychology at the University of Houston – Clear Lake

How do you see yourself contributing to the work and mission of your department and the Graduate School as a whole

My interests in preventative and intervention services in schools within a multi-tiered system of supports allows me to focus on a need for systemic changes within schools, which I see as closely aligned with the department’s mission to examine and question systems and cultural patterns. In public schools, school psychologists advocate and serve students with social, emotional, behavioral, and learning needs; part of our job is to examine economic, cultural, language, disability, and other influences that may be contributing to student needs, which often interact in nuanced and complicated ways. I work with graduate students to understand the implicit culture in schools and how that must be considered as we serve children in schools.

I was drawn specifically to the school psychology program, which is one of only two nationally approved programs in the state. Kate JaspersAssistant Professor of School Psychology

What work and projects lie immediately ahead of you upon your arrival at GSEC?

My focus in my first year at L&C is to provide strong teaching, mentorship, and advising to our graduate students in the school psychology program. I am also working to foster relationships with local schools and continue to serve the program and profession.

How to you foresee this position challenging you professionally?

One thing I love about working with graduate students in school psychology, is that they constantly ask “why.” Needing to explain the reasoning behind my practices challenges me to align with best practices within the field (which oftentimes includes a higher standard that what schools are legally required to do). I love this challenge to be constantly improving and working toward best practices!

What do you find especially unique about the graduate school and/or what do you see as its greatest asset?

I love the school’s focus on training people who will be practicing in the field in a way that raises cultural/social awareness, particularly as it related to power and privilege in society. The field of school psychology, at times, focuses on a diagnostic model that is designed to find deficits in a child, without completely considering system issues that may be contributing or causing these deficits.

I live in NE Portland with my spouse and our two awesome kids. With my family, I love going for walks, parks, and finding new coffee shops and restaurants. I am a big sports fan and enjoy running.