June 11, 2026 By CDHD Student trainee impacts: catching up with Bailey Butterfield Many times, when students enter college, they’re not really sure what the outcome will be. Even after choosing a major, the path from coursework to a real-world job isn’t always obvious. Students may also face the issue of actually enjoying the work of their chosen field. Questions of what to expect or how to perform are not uncommon. The CDHD student trainee program helps to address these issues. Just ask former student trainee Bailey Butterfield. She graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. We caught up with her to speak about her time at the Center and how it benefited her during and after college. One of her biggest takeaways was the confidence it gave her in knowing what to expect in her chosen field and how to move forward with her career as a Behavior Intervention Specialist. Read on to hear more from Bailey about her journey and how the CDHD helped her along the way … Do you remember what projects you worked on while you were at the CDHD? Bailey: I was heavily involved in IdahoSTARS. I know Olivia also had us working on a certain amount of hours on direct services, so I did a horse therapy program. I helped with that. It was the thing I volunteered on outside of the office. Who did you work with? Bailey: It was in Pullman. There was an existing program, which Olivia had connections with. When I mentioned I liked horses, she gave me contact information. I reached out and from there, it all kind of fell into place. Once or twice per week I would go out. I would be the ‘lead’. There was a person who rode the horse who was blind (if I remember correctly). I would lead the horse and make sure she was safe. There were two other people walking next to her. That’s so cool! Bailey: I had horse experience as well as experience working with people with disabilities. So it was a good overlap. Yeah! And, what do you remember most about your time at the CDHD? Bailey: I did not feel like it was wasted time. Each month, I gained something new on top of it being a job where I got a paycheck. There was something else to be gained from each thing we did. What do you miss about your time here? Bailey: I think the community there. Everyone’s pretty like-minded when it comes to wanting to help better the community, the disability community and those who are involved in it like educators and providers. I like that. Now that I’m working more independently, I miss that community atmosphere. Are there any specific skills that you picked up at the CDHD that have helped you develop throughout your career. Bailey: Administration skills immediately come to mind like desk work. This sounds kind of opposite [of what you’d think] but I did a lot of processing of … people would submit their test scores and quizzes. I would enter it into their profile. A lot of that, but I really enjoyed it! More than I thought. I always had little systems going, working on organization skills. I would get hundreds of papers in. I would have to process each one and make sure each one was done correctly. Yeah! The admin stuff. I mean, when you’re doing it, you might wonder about it, but everything in life – admin! Bailey: And answering phones! I would wear my headset and have my little spiel. Life skills! [laughs] Bailey: Yeah! Are there any people at the CDHD that inspired you or supported you while you were pursuing your degree or subsequent career? If so, how and who? Bailey: Two come to mind. You have Olivia – she just … I love when she reaches out! I think about five years ago, she reached out, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness! They are really interested to see what we’re doing.’ She was definitely really sweet to have looked out for us and had our best interests in mind. The other person … I was being trained by her and she unexpectedly passed away about a month into me being there. She was a very valued employee. It was my first experience seeing all that unfold in terms of death, but just seeing how sweet and how well respected she was. And after her loss, seeing that void, but knowing that she did have such an impact. Oh wow, that’s such a difficult thing to go through. It is an interesting experience because these sorts of things do happen in our professional lives, and while it’s hard, it does show us the value and impact of connection and support in the workplace. Bailey: I was glad that I at least got the month I had with her. I’m so glad you had that time. Thinking about everything you went through and experienced at the CDHD, would you recommend the student trainee program to current students? Bailey: I definitely would. I think I first heard about it through my student email through the Psychology program as an opportunity. Most of the time you sort of ignore the emails you get repetitively, but this one piqued my interest – the fact that I would get some sort of an income. On top of that I would get a resume booster! I had almost a jumpstart – an experience – that normally comes after you get your degree. That was my favorite thing about it. That’s awesome! What would you say to a student to convince them to try out the trainee program? Bailey: It goes back to that. If this is the career path you want to go into, what experience do you have so far? If it’s little to none, this is, like I said, a great opportunity to get that experience to see if this is what you want to do. Or, when you do take your next [career] steps, you have this recognizable thing for your resume. It’s a good connection starter. Nice! What are the biggest benefits of the program for students? Bailey: I think the oversight. There is always someone there to check-in to make sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to, but also, if you need additional support, that was always offered. It didn’t feel like something you needed to shy away from. You feel comfortable. Ok! Someone giving you direction and making sure you’re on the right track? Bailey: Yeah. Aside from your professional pursuits, has the CDHD impacted your life in other ways? Bailey: I think it was my first experience in a real job. Up until college, most of my experience was just a ‘summer job’ and nowhere in the field I was in. It gave me this boost of confidence. It wasn’t corporate. I had a routine most of the week. It was really good. For me at least. I needed that jumpstart – that little kind of gentle … not full-on force ‘here you go!’. [Laughs] Not thrown right into the deep end. Bailey: Yeah! You kind of got some footing. Yeah, yeah, dip your toes into professional life. Bailey: Yeah, I was still a student so that was my job. To finish out my school year so I could move on. It was good to have the CDHD support and coincide with that. That’s great! We’ll switch gears a little bit and focus on what you’re up to now. Bailey: Ok. What is your current role? Bailey: I’m a Behavior Intervention Specialist. When I first started, I think it was called a habilitative specialist. How long have you been in this role? Bailey: In August, it will be eight years. Wow! Time flies! Bailey: It really does! Can you give me an overview of your role and the people that it impacts? Bailey: Basically, I work one-on-one with an individual with a disability. The type [of disability] can range from a disease, an accident, or a developmental disability – there are many different circumstances. The main thing is they have goals and objectives they want to meet and I’m here to help them. I give them tasks and tools to get them to that goal at their pace so they can improve their lives. I’ve worked in the school setting, private school setting, in home – I’ve kind of done a little bit of everything. Mostly, I’m working with children up to 21 years and their families. I really want their families to be involved because their families are just as much a part of the process as I am. I really try to make an effort to make sure their families are also involved in it, working on behaviors and modifying where we need to in a balanced way. When you say you want to help them meet certain goals, can you give me an example of what a goal might be? Bailey: Sure! I don’t set them. I can give suggestions, but there’s typically a board certified behavior analysis, which looks at what goals need to be met … Once I get a client, it might be something like having a conversation of 10 exchanges back and forth. That would be the main goal. It might start off with five exchanges, and we work up to the next level. To the point where they’re having a conversation. It might be something like toilet training or speaking phrases – there are a lot of different types of goals. They depend on the specific individual, but a lot of it is skill-based or life-skill-type goals. How do you feel this work impacts or benefits your community you’re living or working in? Bailey: I have a brother with special needs so I witnessed it [the work] as a sibling in the home. I also saw the struggles with it. Either you stick around and you’re there for eight-years-plus, or you’re there for a little bit and realize it’s not your thing. I see a lot of turn over, so I think having someone [like me] who’s been in it for a while, I’m able to help new people come on who might be interested in the profession. Also, my community, specifically north Idaho, is more rural. Well, Idaho in general is more rural, so the resources are pretty slim to begin with. Being a shining light in the field is where I’m at right now. That’s so great! I think you’ve maybe touched on this a little bit already, but what inspired you to take on this role? Bailey: I knew nothing of the profession until I read a job description for it and I thought, ‘oh my goodness, this is what I’ – with my brother, I did a lot of working on skills and breaking things up into manageable tasks. I felt personal confidence that I knew I could do this. From there, I learned more about it and all the ways of how beneficial it is. I see the good in it. There are challenges as well, but my goal is to work with people in a positive way that works for them. Support the people you’re working with, right? Bailey: Yeah! What’s the most rewarding part of this role? Bailey: Seeing the families. I think them having a new way of life. They’re getting tools that aren’t only benefiting individuals. It’s benefiting the whole family. And knowing that when I leave, there’s a routine. I think the families are my favorite thing. I mean, obviously I have the personal connection to it, but knowing that they’re not alone in this. I know what they’re going through, and I can also help them. That’s really cool. It’s almost like an immediate reward and being able to see the effects of your work. Bailey: It is. Especially seeing kids I work with years later and seeing where they are. I’m not with every kid for their whole life. I like seeing where they are and what kind of foundation I was able to give them so they can go on to be independent people. So good! How did your time at the CDHD prepare you for your current role and where you’re at today? Bailey: I think back to the administration stuff. There’s documentation needed for this role. You can’t just say you did it and call it good. There are session logs and time logs. Everything has to match and line up, so having punctuality and attention to detail. It has to be done. It can’t be kind of done. You can’t just skip a couple of things. It all has to be done because of legal purposes. How do you feel your time at the CDHD contributed to your success in your current role? Bailey: Again, giving me a kind of foothold. I was going to school for something, and it really gave me an idea of what was expected and what was to come. It really did help me get a headstart. Do you think you would have been prepared to step into this role without your CDHD training? Bailey: I will say yes given the personal background that I have. At the same time, to have the CDHD on my resume and the additional experience. It gave me another boost on top of it and confidence. I think in college, experience is really what made my time worth it. This [the student trainee program] was an experience that I would not have had if I had not been at the University at that time of my life. It was something that I’m glad I pushed myself to try.