Archives: Initiatives
Trinity’s education graduates leave our campus prepared to make a difference in a world that needs them. One way we do that is through our partnership with Southwest Chicago Christian School, where Trinity students get classroom experience. A Trinity student recently ran a small group with preschoolers by role-playing farmers and customers at the pumpkin patch.
(Photo courtesy of Southwest Chicago Christian School)
Seniors in Trinity’s Physical Education, Recreation, and Kinesiology Department recently made several visits with residents of Victoria Village in Homer Glen, Ill., for exercises, games, and a dance party!
Said Dr. Shari Jurgens, chair of the PERK Department, “These trips are intended for service learning, but I am sure that our student come out with more learning than service from this amazing population. It is a great experience for all involved.”
Having received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Trinity, Jenna Young ’11, MA ’18 has taken what she learned in the classroom to follow God’s call in her life professionally. And with Trinity being her first Christian school experience, she clearly saw God use her professors and classmates to encourage her to make a difference in the world.
In 2011, Jenna received her B.A. in special education. From day one of class, Jenna requested to be a student teacher at Elim Christian School – a nationally recognized school for students ages 3-22 who have intellectual and/or physical disabilities. Elim is just minutes away from Trinity in Crestwood, Ill. Her strong desire to work with students with special needs motivated her to achieve her goal of having her own classroom. Not only did she intern at Elim, she also taught there for eight years following graduation.
During these formative years in Jenna’s career, Elim brought in a new profession of people, known as Board Certified Behavior Analysts (or BCBA). These leaders would come into the classroom and offer guidance on how to work with students with behavioral challenges. Unfamiliar with this profession at first, Jenna grew to love the role and decided to pursue an advanced degree. After some research, she discoveed that Trinity’s was the only program in the state of Illinois to offer a master’s in Special Education: Learning Behavior Specialist II that included the course sequence so she could become a BCBA.
After working through the two-year program, which included being observed during a 1,500-hour period, Jenna received her certification in 2018. Dr. Sara Baillie, Associate Professor of Special Education, not only taught Jenna in the classroom, but was also Jenna’s supervisor. “I felt extremely fortunate that part of Trinity’s curriculum – to no expense outside of my tuition – included my professor coming to see me in the workplace to give me corrective feedback,” Jenna said.
Today, Jenna is stretching herself professionally by working with a different group of clients: adults with mental health issues. “I work on decreasing their physical aggression and elopement behaviors and increasing the behaviors we want to see more of like cooperation, staying on task, and asking clarifying questions.”
In the midst of Jenna’s schooling, she and her husband walked through the journey of adoption. In God’s perfect timing, Jenna and her husband received the call that they had been matched with a child in China the same weekend she graduated with her master’s degree. “It was so special to be able to celebrate with our families on the same day as graduation.” They were blessed to take their son home in February 2019.
Feeling supported by Trinity faculty made a lasting impact. “My professors saw me as an individual. They would ask for adoption updates and they would initiate conversations and questions. I knew they were truly praying for the adoption process to go smoothly.”
Through each of her Trinity experiences, Jenna is able to clearly see how God shaped her to be an effective leader. “You are who God says you are; He will use you in your calling.” The world needs more incredible leaders like Jenna, and Trinity is proud to play a small part in helping her prepare to make an impact.
Having received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Trinity, Jenna Young ’11, MA ’18 has taken what she learned in the classroom to follow God’s call in her life professionally. And with Trinity being her first Christian school experience, she clearly saw God use her professors and classmates to encourage her to make a difference in the world.
In 2011, Jenna received her B.A. in special education. From day one of class, Jenna requested to be a student teacher at Elim Christian School – a nationally recognized school for students ages 3-22 who have intellectual and/or physical disabilities. Elim is just minutes away from Trinity in Crestwood, Ill. Her strong desire to work with students with special needs motivated her to achieve her goal of having her own classroom. Not only did she intern at Elim, she also taught there for eight years following graduation.
During these formative years in Jenna’s career, Elim brought in a new profession of people, known as Board Certified Behavior Analysts (or BCBA). These leaders would come into the classroom and offer guidance on how to work with students with behavioral challenges. Unfamiliar with this profession at first, Jenna grew to love the role and decided to pursue an advanced degree. After some research, she discoveed that Trinity’s was the only program in the state of Illinois to offer a master’s in Special Education: Learning Behavior Specialist II that included the course sequence so she could become a BCBA.
After working through the two-year program, which included being observed during a 1,500-hour period, Jenna received her certification in 2018. Dr. Sara Baillie, Associate Professor of Special Education, not only taught Jenna in the classroom, but was also Jenna’s supervisor. “I felt extremely fortunate that part of Trinity’s curriculum – to no expense outside of my tuition – included my professor coming to see me in the workplace to give me corrective feedback,” Jenna said.
Today, Jenna is stretching herself professionally by working with a different group of clients: adults with mental health issues. “I work on decreasing their physical aggression and elopement behaviors and increasing the behaviors we want to see more of like cooperation, staying on task, and asking clarifying questions.”
In the midst of Jenna’s schooling, she and her husband walked through the journey of adoption. In God’s perfect timing, Jenna and her husband received the call that they had been matched with a child in China the same weekend she graduated with her master’s degree. “It was so special to be able to celebrate with our families on the same day as graduation.” They were blessed to take their son home in February 2019.
Feeling supported by Trinity faculty made a lasting impact. “My professors saw me as an individual. They would ask for adoption updates and they would initiate conversations and questions. I knew they were truly praying for the adoption process to go smoothly.”
Through each of her Trinity experiences, Jenna is able to clearly see how God shaped her to be an effective leader. “You are who God says you are; He will use you in your calling.” The world needs more incredible leaders like Jenna, and Trinity is proud to play a small part in helping her prepare to make an impact.
When the psychology department at Trinity was first established, the practice of psychology was considered inclusive of professional counseling. In fact, Trinity’s psychology program has always trained students with a heavy emphasis on relational and interpersonal skill development.
Over the last few decades, counselors have established a unique professional identity separate from that of psychology. This has led to increasing distinction between the broad study of the psychological sciences and the more applied nature of counseling practice. Here at Trinity, we recognize the distinctiveness of the fields of counseling and psychology while also celebrating their interconnectedness.
To more accurately reflect today’s practices and our program offerings, Trinity has updated the department name from Psychology to Counseling and Psychology. As the Department of Counseling and Psychology, Trinity continues to offer an undergraduate major in psychology serving traditional and adult students and a graduate program in counseling psychology that trains professional counselors. Our faculty is comprised of doctoral-level counselor educators and psychologists with a range of specialties.
“Our new name reflects our commitment to valuing the ways that these fields inform each other’s work, research, and practice,” said Director of the Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology; Associate Professor of Psychology; and Department Chair Kara Wolff, Ph.D. “Ultimately our new name is about inclusiveness. We want to acknowledge the distinctiveness of each of these fields while also working towards our common goal of educating students.”
Click here to learn more about Trinity’s Department of Counseling and Psychology.
When the psychology department at Trinity was first established, the practice of psychology was considered inclusive of professional counseling. In fact, Trinity’s psychology program has always trained students with a heavy emphasis on relational and interpersonal skill development.
Over the last few decades, counselors have established a unique professional identity separate from that of psychology. This has led to increasing distinction between the broad study of the psychological sciences and the more applied nature of counseling practice. Here at Trinity, we recognize the distinctiveness of the fields of counseling and psychology while also celebrating their interconnectedness.
To more accurately reflect today’s practices and our program offerings, Trinity has updated the department name from Psychology to Counseling and Psychology. As the Department of Counseling and Psychology, Trinity continues to offer an undergraduate major in psychology serving traditional and adult students and a graduate program in counseling psychology that trains professional counselors. Our faculty is comprised of doctoral-level counselor educators and psychologists with a range of specialties.
“Our new name reflects our commitment to valuing the ways that these fields inform each other’s work, research, and practice,” said Director of the Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology; Associate Professor of Psychology; and Department Chair Kara Wolff, Ph.D. “Ultimately our new name is about inclusiveness. We want to acknowledge the distinctiveness of each of these fields while also working towards our common goal of educating students.”
Click here to learn more about Trinity’s Department of Counseling and Psychology.
When the psychology department at Trinity was first established, the practice of psychology was considered inclusive of professional counseling. In fact, Trinity’s psychology program has always trained students with a heavy emphasis on relational and interpersonal skill development.
Over the last few decades, counselors have established a unique professional identity separate from that of psychology. This has led to increasing distinction between the broad study of the psychological sciences and the more applied nature of counseling practice. Here at Trinity, we recognize the distinctiveness of the fields of counseling and psychology while also celebrating their interconnectedness.
To more accurately reflect today’s practices and our program offerings, Trinity has updated the department name from Psychology to Counseling and Psychology. As the Department of Counseling and Psychology, Trinity continues to offer an undergraduate major in psychology serving traditional and adult students and a graduate program in counseling psychology that trains professional counselors. Our faculty is comprised of doctoral-level counselor educators and psychologists with a range of specialties.
“Our new name reflects our commitment to valuing the ways that these fields inform each other’s work, research, and practice,” said Director of the Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology; Associate Professor of Psychology; and Department Chair Kara Wolff, Ph.D. “Ultimately our new name is about inclusiveness. We want to acknowledge the distinctiveness of each of these fields while also working towards our common goal of educating students.”
Click here to learn more about Trinity’s Department of Counseling and Psychology.
Trinity is proud to be named one of the top 10 Bachelor of Social Work programs in the state of Illinois by SocialWorkDegree.org.
In order to be considered for the ranking list, each program must be accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The 2019 Best Social Work Programs methodology employs median mid-career salary data from PayScale that is specific to BSW and MSW programs. Each rankings page also includes a list of the most affordable programs, based on manually researched annual tuition rates by degree level and program type.
Trinity’s BSW program prepares students for community-centered generalist social work practice taught from a Christian perspective. The program emphasizes that community well-being is essential to a common good, that each community has gifts and assets, and we are called to participate in the life of a community. Students leave on fire to make a difference in the world.
Whether pursuing an undergraduate degree in a psychology-related program or earning a Master of Arts in counseling psychology, students at Trinity learn to blend a liberal arts based approach to psychological science with the art of understanding the self and relating to the contemporary world in all its complexity.
And now, students who are working towards their B.A. in Art Therapy, Psychology, or Speech-Language Pathology at Trinity can begin taking graduate-level courses in their junior or senior year.
That means students can earn a psychology-related B.A. and an M.A. from Trinity in five and a half years, instead of six.
“Undergraduate students who take graduate coursework at Trinity can seamlessly transfer those courses into the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program upon finishing their Bachelor of Arts degree,” said Dr. Kara E. Wolff, Ph.D., Director of the Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology and Associate Professor of Psychology.
“This new opportunity is also ideal for undergraduate students who are interested in graduate school and would like to experience graduate coursework prior to beginning a full graduate program,” said Wolff.
With this new program, students may take up to three courses at the graduate level during their undergraduate experience, allowing for up to nine credits of graduate coursework that can be counted towards both an undergraduate and graduate degree.
Trinity is also welcoming our alumni back to their campus home for graduate school. Alumni who enter the Counseling Psychology graduate program for the fall of 2019 will receive a $250 tuition discount. The College is also offering a $500 scholarship, in the form of a tuition discount, for Trinity alumni who graduated with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
There are several requirements for undergraduate students looking to start graduate level coursework:
–3.0 cumulative GPA, junior or senior standing, previously completed four psychology courses with grades of B or higher: PSYC 121, 122, and two other psychology courses.
–Successful completion of an interview with the graduate program director.
Students interested in enrolling in the M.A. program after completing their Trinity bachelor’s degree will have their application fee waived. They will need to complete the following elements of the graduate application process:
- Submit an application ($50 application fee is waived)
- Submit two letters of recommendation through the online application portal
- Complete an interview with program faculty
- If accepted into the program, pay the non-refundable enrollment deposit of $250 and attend orientation
Learn more about Trinity’s B.A. psychology-related majors here. Click here to learn more about Trinity’s M.A. in Counseling Psychology. Download the flyer.
Whether pursuing an undergraduate degree in a psychology-related program or earning a Master of Arts in counseling psychology, students at Trinity learn to blend a liberal arts based approach to psychological science with the art of understanding the self and relating to the contemporary world in all its complexity.
And now, students who are working towards their B.A. in Art Therapy, Psychology, or Speech-Language Pathology at Trinity can begin taking graduate-level courses in their junior or senior year.
That means students can earn a psychology-related B.A. and an M.A. from Trinity in five and a half years, instead of six.
“Undergraduate students who take graduate coursework at Trinity can seamlessly transfer those courses into the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program upon finishing their Bachelor of Arts degree,” said Dr. Kara E. Wolff, Ph.D., Director of the Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology and Associate Professor of Psychology.
“This new opportunity is also ideal for undergraduate students who are interested in graduate school and would like to experience graduate coursework prior to beginning a full graduate program,” said Wolff.
With this new program, students may take up to three courses at the graduate level during their undergraduate experience, allowing for up to nine credits of graduate coursework that can be counted towards both an undergraduate and graduate degree.
Trinity is also welcoming our alumni back to their campus home for graduate school. Alumni who enter the Counseling Psychology graduate program for the fall of 2019 will receive a $250 tuition discount. The College is also offering a $500 scholarship, in the form of a tuition discount, for Trinity alumni who graduated with a 3.5 GPA or higher.
There are several requirements for undergraduate students looking to start graduate level coursework:
–3.0 cumulative GPA, junior or senior standing, previously completed four psychology courses with grades of B or higher: PSYC 121, 122, and two other psychology courses.
–Successful completion of an interview with the graduate program director.
Students interested in enrolling in the M.A. program after completing their Trinity bachelor’s degree will have their application fee waived. They will need to complete the following elements of the graduate application process:
- Submit an application ($50 application fee is waived)
- Submit two letters of recommendation through the online application portal
- Complete an interview with program faculty
- If accepted into the program, pay the non-refundable enrollment deposit of $250 and attend orientation
Learn more about Trinity’s B.A. psychology-related majors here. Click here to learn more about Trinity’s M.A. in Counseling Psychology. Download the program flyer.