Jeffrey O'Donnell
Jeffrey O'Donnell received his undergraduate degree at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Following a year of full time volunteer service and then three years of directing a full time volunteer program, he entered the Graduate program at The School of Social Work at The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. After graduating, Jeffrey returned to the North East to be closer to his family, settling in Baltimore.
Jeffrey has worked in several residential facilities for children and adolescents. Although the children were in living at these facilities, the focus was always returning them to their families. This involved working individually with the children and then together with their families. Jeffrey has worked for 12 years in residential programs in the Baltimore area. He also has worked in a community based program, one that provided services to children and their families, in their homes/communities. In addition, Jeffrey has worked part-time for over five years with children, families, adults, and couples in out patient mental health programs, providing individual, family, and couples counseling.
Jeffrey has quite a bit of experience in church related works. He was a youth minister at a church in Washington, D.C. Through The Christian Foundation for Children, Jeffrey worked in orphan communities in Venezuela for 2 months. He then coordinated a full time volunteer program, placing people for full time service across the country. During this time he also volunteered in a men's shelter in Washington, D.C. for 2 years, then in a meal program in Milwaukee for several years. Currently Jeffrey is a volunteer in his church and with the Maryland Chapter of The Red Cross.
Jeffrey is a firm believer that everyone has God-given strengths. Using those gifts, and focusing on solutions, he has been able to help people overcome significant challenges. His focus is solution centered. He has a great deal of experience working with young people, helping them cope with challenges they face. Jeffrey has been successful at helping families come together and look at problematic behaviors in a different light, developing effective strategies to cope.