Chester Area 6-12

School Counseling 

Meet Mrs. Dossett

Hi!  

My name is Kari Dossett and I am the 6-12 School Counselor here at Chester Area School District. I feel so grateful to have a career where I have the opportunity to support students here at school each and every day!

Prior to becoming a school counselor, I attended South Dakota State University where I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies. From there I went on to receive my Master of Science in Counseling and Human Resource Development with a specialization in School Counseling. As a school counselor, my role is to support the academic, career, and social/emotional development of all students. This is often achieved through individual student planning, individual or group counseling, classroom lessons and activities, and collaboration with parents and teachers.

If you have any questions or would like your student to meet with me at any time throughout the year, please feel free to contact me by phone or email.


Kari Dossett, MS, NCC

6-12 School Counselor

Email: kari.dossett@k12.sd.us            

Phone: (605)-489-2411


If you are someone you know is experiencing a crisis after school hours, please use the resources below.

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call: 988 - help available 24/7

*If experiencing an emergency, call 911. 

Additional Resources 

A couple years ago, 988 became the official hotline number for mental health concerns, substance use, and suicide crisis calls. The calls are routed to the Helpline Center in Sioux Falls, SD to trained mental health professionals. Individuals can call, text, or chat 988 and will be connected to a crisis specialist trained to deliver support. Again, this resource is available 24/7 so if you or someone you know is in need of support at any time of day, this number is always available. If you would like more information on 988 you can check out https://sdsuicideprevention.org/.  

This number was designed to help meet the unique needs of our farming communities and the stress that can arise from unpredictable circumstances. This number is a great resource to be aware of for our farming friends and family that may be looking for support from a trained professional. You can visit https://www.avera.org/services/behavioral-mental-health/farm-stress-hotline/ for more information. 

If in need of assistance related to finances, clothing, housing, healthcare, etc., 211 can be utilized. This number connects callers to a qualified professional that are able to find and connect individuals to the necessary resources in their area. I’ve included the weblink to access the Helpline Center 211 page here - https://www.helplinecenter.org/2-1-1/. From this webpage, you can type in the city, zip code, or county to find specific services offered in local communities.  

Safe2Say South Dakota operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Anyone with information about a potentially dangerous situation can call the toll-free number at 1-844-3SD-SAFE/1-844-373-7233, make a web report by clicking the Submit a Tip Online button, or by downloading the mobile app and making a report from a smartphone or digital device. 

 

A trained Safe2Say analyst will interact with the person reporting the safety concerns and forward the information to a multi-disciplinary team consisting of school officials, law enforcement, and mental health professionals. Safe2Say South Dakota was created to ensure that South Dakota schools and students remain safe. With Safe2Say South Dakota, our schools and communities can anonymously report student safety concerns in a safe and secure fashion.