School Counseling

Here you can find information about school counselor services at DNHS

Mrs. Ames

My name is Trisha Ames and this is my 12th year at Dike-New Hartford High School as the 9-12 school counselor. I have enjoyed my time here at Dike-New Hartford very much and hope to continue on in the future. My educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Masters Degree in School Counseling from the University of Northern Iowa.

My duties for the district include assisting students with college planning, career counseling, counseling services, at-risk planning and intervention, standardized testing and scheduling.

I have been married for 12 years to my husband, Trent Ames, who is employed by the University of Northern Iowa as the Facilities Coordinator for the UNI Athletic Department. We live in Dike with our 2 daughters, Addison & Evanee.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Dike-New Hartford School District professional school counseling program is to provide a comprehensive, preventive and developmental school counseling program for all students. The counseling program addresses academic, career and personal/social development for all students to become productive, lifelong learners.

Counselor Role

The Four Components of a Comprehensive School Counseling Program: Guidance Curriculum, Individual Planning, Responsive Services, System Report

Guidance Curriculum

Provides guidance content in a systematic way for the purpose of skill development and application of skills learned.

Counselor Role: Structured Groups Classroom Instruction Leadership and Consultation

Individual Planning

Assists students in planning, monitoring, and managing their educational, personal/social, and career development goals.

Counselor Role: Assessment Planning and placement Individual conference planning, implementation, and assessment

Responsive Services

Addresses the immediate concerns of learners. The purpose is prevention, intervention, and referral as needed.

Counselor Role: Individual and small group, crisis and developmental counseling Consultation Referral

System Report

Includes program, staff, and school support activities and services. The purpose is to provide support and leadership in program delivery

Counselor Role: Provide leadership, facilitative, and organization skills in:

Program management Leadership and consultation

Educational Handbook

The purpose of this booklet is to acquaint students and parents/guardians with the educational program. In order for a student to obtain a quality education he/she must analyze his/her abilities, needs, and future educational and occupational goals. Parents/guardians, teachers, and particularly the counselor are valuable resources with whom students can consult to select the best possible schedule. Too often students select classes because their friends selected them or they happen to fall at a particular time of day. These reasons are merely conveniences.

We owe it to students to have them consider only factors that are educationally relevant when selecting their schedule. For many of our students, high school needs to be solid preparation for technical, community college, or university training. We can't afford to make snap decisions when it comes to selecting courses. Courses need to be considered carefully by students and parents/guardians so that one's high school years can be meaningful, productive, and a solid foundation for the future.

View the complete listing of all our course offerings under the parent/student resources page on the main screen of our homepage.