Jenni Odell, MFT Intern

DaLene Forester Thacker, PhD, LMFT, LPCC

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Jenni Odell,MA, Marriage and Family Therapist Registered Intern (IMF#72680)

Certified Daring Way TM Facilitator - Candidate

Supervised and Employed by Dr. DaLene Forester Thacker, LMFT/LPCC (MFC33095/LPC629)

Practice Information:

Hours and Rates

Jenni offers marriage and family therapy services for adolescents, individuals, couples and families. She currently has office hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and does offer some evening appointments as available. Initial 50-minute sessions are $120, and subsequent 50-minute sessions are $100. Double sessions are available upon request and are pro-rated at the same rate. Sliding scales rates are offered on a limited basis upon request and as available and approved by supervisor, Dr. DaLene Forester-Thacker. All payments are made out to Dr. DaLene Forester-Thacker.

Insurance and Billing

Jenni accepts clients under California's Victim Compensation coverage (aka Victim Witness) as well as Medi-Cal, through Beacon/Partnership Health Insurance, and provides billing for those cases. (Beacon clients must call their insurance at 1-888-204-5581 to be pre-screened and receive an authorization number before setting up an initial appointment.) Those requesting therapy to be processed through private insurance must pay up front and bill their own insurance as I am unable to provide private insurance billing at this time. However, a Superbill can be provided upon request that includes all necessary billing codes and information for clients to easily submit to their insurance for reimbursement. It is recommended that all private insurance holders call their insurance prior to establishing as a client to verify coverage parameters. Brief (half-hour) consultation sessions can be provided upon request to ask questions prior to establishing as a client.

Experience and Credentials

A graduate of Simpson University's MA in Counseling Psychology program in 2012, Jenni has served our community population as a school-based counselor within the Redding School District under Marcella Thompson, LCSW and as a private practice intern under the supervision and employment of Dr. DaLene Forester Thacker, LMFT/LPCC (MFC33095/LPC629). Jenni has co-facilitated parenting groups and women's groups focused on body image, maternal legacies, and issues of self-concept. She completed the Daring Way (TM) National Training in February of 2014, and is currently a Certified Daring Way (TM) Facilitator - Candidate, co-facilitating 3-day intensive workshops, one-day workshops and providing informational talks to professionals and organizations on Daring Way (TM) concepts. Feel free to contact Jenni with any requests for presentations at your organization. In addition, she has completed the Externship in Emotionally-Focused Couple's Therapy under Dr. Susan Johnson in June of 2012, and co-researched a qualitative study with couples in which males had sustained spinal cord injuries. She presented the findings at a local educational symposium, at a state-level symposium in San Diego, and at the 2012 AAMFT National Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is also trained in EMDR, a highly efficacious method for working with trauma, including PTSD, anxiety, fears and phobias, and has completed Level I & Level II training with Kathryn Ranken, LMFT on Sandplay Therapy.

Jenni is a pre-licensed member of the Redding Regional Chapter of CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists) and has served on the board as treasurer for the 2013 and 2014 terms. She is also a pre-licensed member of AAMFT (American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists), and can be found as a member of the Daring Way(TM) community at www.thedaringway.com. (*IMF72680) She is also a co-founder and charter member of Body Revolution Redding (aka Body Revolution Inc.), a non-profit in Redding, California focused on promoting positive body images and supporting services for clients with disordered eating and their families. You can learn more at www.bodyrevolutionredding.com

But who am I...really?

For years when people would pose the prompt, "So, tell me about yourself," I would respond with a lot of information about the things I "did" rather than who I was; much like the paragraph above. But who I am and what I do are very separate entities. In terms of roles, I am a wife and a mother, and I have struggled and triumphed (multiple times with the same long-suffering husband and two kids) in both roles during the 20+ years I've been honing my domestic crafts. I was in my late 30's when I returned to college to complete my degree and start a career, and there's nothing more terrifying than feeling like you're just starting when you're at midday on your biological clock. However, I'm learning we are all called upon or created with unique talents that are intended for various callings in our life, and sometimes we aren't late to the game...but rather, we are just on time. Callings come to us at many different points in our life. We live life and have experiences intended to develop and lead us exactly where we need to be at just the right moments. The trick is trusting the process and finding solace our journey is unfolding just as it should, through all the hopes and fears, complications and triumphs, attempts and perceived failures. It's all part of the growth and none of it is an accident. Darn it.

I love being outside; gardening, hiking, being around water. Nature just blows my socks off. Can't get enough of it. I cherish my amazing girlfriends and supportive colleagues. I savor being creative whether it's decorating, cooking, doing art...I try it all. I love my dogs. In fact, my husband always tells me if reincarnation is really a 'thing' then he wants to come back as one of my dogs. Apparently, they have it pretty good. I'm also a proud introvert with great social skills; someone who loves to gather and cook and play games before I lovingly say goodbye and curl up in a corner for quiet time. I love my husband and adore my kids. But to be honest, I occasionally wonder why I didn't become a nun in a cloistered convent (sometimes the simplicity is intriguing). But then I remember it's only occasionally I feel this way. And I'm fairly certain my family would pay my airfare to join the sisters from time to time. We are a crazy, fun, complicated, loving, messy family - and we wouldn't have it any other way.

I am passionate about my work. I love when people cultivate intimate conversations with the intent of learning more about themselves and others. I'm also acutely aware not everyone is comfortable with what some see as 'the mushy stuff,' which is why Brene's work on vulnerability and shame is so powerful. When people say "I don't do feelings," I know there's some strong internal and external messages telling them vulnerability is weak or wrong, and that's where the work begins. I've traveled on my own path breaking down what it means to take risks, step out of my comfort zone and show my 'true self' to the world. It isn't easy or comfortable some days, but I'm convinced true happiness isn't about being easy or comfortable. It's about being real. And the first relationship we have to work on is the one we have with ourselves.

I could say much more; however, that should give you an adequate sample of who I am and why I do this work. My hope is this short 'blurb' provides a bigger picture of "me" rather than just the elevator speech outlining credentials and accomplishments. Those are small matters, snapshots in time really, compared to the whole of who we are.

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