Dr. Trenise Duckens is an Assistant Professor in the Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) School Counseling Program at Alliant International University. With more than 20 years in education and 17 of those as a middle and high school counselor, she has dedicated her career to helping students grow academically, socially, and emotionally.
Most of her work has been in Title I schools where she learned that meeting a child’s emotional needs comes before anything else. As she often says, “You can’t feed a child academics when they are choking on emotions.” That belief has guided her approach to counseling, building relationships, and creating systems of support for students from all backgrounds, especially those facing real challenges inside and outside of school.
Dr. Duckens earned her Doctor of Education in Counselor Education and Supervision from National Louis University where she studied how school counselors and ELL teachers support English Language Learners with mental health needs. She is skilled in crisis intervention, conflict mediation, suicide prevention, and cultural competency. As a proud member of the American School Counselor Association and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Dr. Duckens is passionate about preparing the next generation of school counselors and making sure every student feels seen, supported, and capable of success.