Jeni Leary

Jeni Leary is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, practicing in Montana for more than 25 years. She obtained her bachelor’s in social work degree in at Carroll College and her master’s in social work degree at the University of Washington. Jeni started her career in Social Work as a child protection worker investigating child abuse and neglect. She later provided mental health treatment to youth in a variety of settings to include an acute psychiatric hospital, therapeutic group home, day treatment program and school-based mental health program. Jeni was also a Training Officer and Program Officer for the state of Montana’s Child & Family Services Division for several years.

Jeni opened her private practice in 2002 where she provided psychotherapy services to people of all ages. During this time, she specialized in providing comprehensive therapeutic services to children with severe emotional trauma and attachment problems as a contractor for a therapeutic adoptive treatment program.

In 2010, Jeni’s career path led her to take a position in a hospice program providing therapeutic services to people at end of life and their families. In this role, Jeni discovered a new passion for walking alongside people as they navigated the death and dying process and transitioned out of this life. She reflects on this time as one of immense growth on a personal and professional level and has stated it was one of the most humbling and valuable experiences of her career.

In 2015, Jeni sought to expand her skill set as a leader and joined the Veterans Administration as a supervisor for a program assisting Veterans experiencing homelessness and a therapeutic work program. Jeni moved into the Director of Behavioral Health Outreach Programs position in 2017, managing multiple programs assisting Veterans experiencing homelessness across the state and two work therapy programs. In this position she also oversaw the implementation of a web-based telehealth to home skills training program and developed a community-based intensive case management program serving Veterans with serious mental illness diagnoses.

Jeni is a Montana Army National Guard Veteran and served 4 years enlisted and 4 years as a commissioned officer in the Ordnance Corps. While Jeni did not serve on active duty or during combat, she has a deep respect for those who have served our country and is passionate about caring for and supporting our nation’s Veterans.

Jeni is skilled in providing trauma informed, person-centered care and utilizes a variety of therapeutic techniques to guide clients on their journey to improve their mental health and wellness. She rejuvenates by spending time with her family, grandchildren, two Old English Sheepdogs, one Mini-Australian Shepherd and three cats, listening to audiobooks and traveling. She has a deep appreciation of her ancestry as a fourth generation Montanan and enjoys learning about Montana’s early history.