I have been working with Prickly Pear Special Education Co-op for 6 years (2014-present) as a School Psychologist, typically serving Montana City, Boulder, and Basin schools. This year, I will also be working at Wolf Creek and Canyon Creek schools. 

 I attended undergrad at Carroll College in Helena, Montana for my Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Sociology. I am Montana born and raised, and Helena and the surrounding area feels like home, even though I grew up in Dillon. I completed my School Psycholology Masters and then Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degrees at the University of Montana in Missoula, MT in 2009. Go Griz! Upin graduation from the Masters program in Missoula, I moved to Alaska and worked in the Kenai Peninsula Borough District, based in Homer (about 240 miles south of Anchorage. While in Alaska, I completed my post-masters Education Specialist degree as an intern, and worked there for a total of 5 years, then moved back to Montana. 

 While at Carroll College, I worked for Youth Dynamics Inc, Lewis & Clark County Juvenile Justice, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBBS) of Helena. During my School Psychology graduate program, I also travelled back to Helena on the weekends to work for a SAMHSA grant-funded organization. My work during this time involved extensive data collection for a long term study of the effectiveness of community based mental health wraparound services for children in the Helena area.

Not only do I LOVE working with children in the public schools, I also enjoy spending time with my family (especially all my wonderful nieces and nephews). I also love animals! I spend as much time as I can working with my quarter horses: Poco and Arlo.   I also go on adventures with my two dogs, Lenny and Della, which usually involve beach walks, hiking, following along while I ride my horses, or going to get coffee at FloCo.  We are allowed to live in the house with our temperamental cat, Wynona, and her nemesis, our sweet and cuddly Mitzi (cat). This past Spring, we also decided to raise chickens, and what started with the goal of 5-6 hens somehow turned into a variety of breeds of chickens, totalling 26! 

My future goals include owning more horses, more dogs, and adding some barn cats, and building a bigger chicken coop, and also the addition of a big garden. I also plan to become certified this year to do equine assisted therapy with at-risk youth, and children with disabilities.  

Casey D. Bayes, MA. Ed.S.

caseybayes@gmail.com

cbayes@mtcityschool.net

casey.bayes@bgs.k12.mt.us

Ph: 406.227.7322

Information about School Psychology:   National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)  www.nasponline.com

Homer, Alaska