Jennifer Vallin
PsyD, LMFT

Education

The long road to my doctorate began in 2005 when I was accepted to the University of California, Davis. I started UC Davis as pre-med striving to become an anesthesiologist, but shifted focus when I learned about professional counseling during a course my junior year. Long story short, I fell in love with the field and a few short years later received my Bachelors in Genetics with a minor in Psychology. I never looked back!

After gaining some practical experience, I was accepted in the Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s program at Alliant International University in Sacramento. The program deeply impacted my life, enhancing my natural abilities with lots of meaningful insights, skills, and techniques to be able to help those I am fortunate enough to serve.

My love for learning drew me to the Alliant’s Doctoral program in MFT. The doctoral program enhanced my clinical skills, ability to think critically, and personal growth. My long journey as a student came to an end in 2018 when I complete my doctoral dissertation and earned a Psy.D in Couples and Family Therapy.

Professional

As an undergrad I interned with the Yolo County Suicide Prevention Crisis Hotline. Upon graduation I worked for the Yolo Community Care Continuum- Farm House, which is an eighteen month residential program that helps adults with a mental health illness reintegrate back into the community. In three years, I was fortunate to be promoted from a Mental Health Worker to Lead Mental Health Worker.

During my Master’s program my passion and skills in mental health work became known and I was recruited to join Turning Point Community Programs. I started as a Housing Support Specialist in Yolo County working with adults with severe mental health challenges and over time expanded to provide community based rehabilitation and drug and alcohol treatment. Pursuing my Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy afforded me the opportunity to transition from providing adult clinical case management to providing children’s therapy.

While working at Turning Point Community Programs as a Children’s Therapist, I simultaneously interned with UC Davis CAARE center to learn trauma focused treatment for children and adolescents. After I completed my internship and became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I was promoted from Therapist to a Clinical Director. I worked as a Clinical Director in the adult system of care, serving homeless adults and their families with severe mental health challenges. I have since been promoted to the Quality Assurance Manager for Turning Point Community Programs, overseeing Adult and Children Mental Health Services in over 40 programs in eight counties.

In addition to my work in community mental health, I am honored to teach Master’s level graduate students in Clinical Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.

Last but definitely not least, I joined The Davis Group in 2019. At the Davis Group I provide individual, child, couple, and family therapy. The Davis Group is where I am able to follow my true passion. The supportive professional atmosphere and esteemed colleagues allow me to provide therapy in a way that best helps you, my clients. I don’t have the artificial restraints to delivering care that often come in larger institutions. It is an honor and privilege of mine to heal the mind through genuine dialogue and support individuals with turning towards the ones they love and restore balance, trust, safety and genuine connection.

Clinical Specialties

Over the years I have helped clients with just about every problem imaginable. Recently my work as a Marriage and Family Therapist has focused on the following specialties: My specialties include

• Therapists/Helping Professionals
  • burnout, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, personal and/or professional stress, troubling life events, and self-of-the-therapist journey
• Children/Adolescent/Young Adults (0-21)
  • Multiple presenting problems including trouble at school, sibling relationships, peer trouble, trauma, grief, adjustments, dealing with divorce, performance pressure, transitioning to adulthood, etc.
• Caregivers
  • Individuals who dedicate their life to providing care to others and feel overwhelmed or burdened by responsibility coupled with feeling they have lost their sense of self
• Family Therapy
  • Intergenerational conflicts, co-parenting, relationship trouble, day to day challenges, blended families, etc.

My main specialty, however, is working with children. What does a session with your child look like? I begin to establish trust with your child by offering a comfortable routine. Each session begins and ends the same way with feeling identification, relaxation, and child directed activities. Session then transition into structured actives lead by me. Session end with a debriefing where you are invited into the session and your child teaches you the skills learned in session. I provided additional information to help integrate the skills into daily living.

Personal

Aside from being a therapist and professional educator, I am a wife and mother. I married my Junior High School sweetheart after dating for 13 years. We currently have one child with plans to expand our family in the future. We love going on adventures together. Most of our adventures include catching a professional sporting event, especially baseball and (surprising to many) UFC! My husband and I are always planning the next adventure. Being a native to California only enhances my ability to explore, with quick weekend getaways to South Lake Tahoe or San Francisco and everything in-between. The best parts of taking trips is meeting new people, making lasting memories, and sending post-cards to my nieces and nephews.