‘Really wonderful.’ Patients and friends remember Tri-Cities counselor for her kindness
Jenna Olafson’s death hit at least one of her patients hard.
“She was really wonderful,” the woman told the Tri-City Herald as she fought back tears. “She was very kind and empathetic and she was very knowledgeable and gentle and caring.”
She learned about Olafson’s death just as she was preparing for an appointment, and was searching for a way to send her condolences. She wanted to tell her family what a wonderful guide she was for her healing.
The 38-year-old licensed mental health counselor was killed on July 8, according to court documents. Investigators believe her longtime boyfriend Michael T. Smith, 38, killed her.
He is currently charged with second-degree murder. He was booked into the Benton County jail on Friday afternoon, after spending most of the week in a hospital.
Friends on Facebook mourned the passing of the world traveler, who practiced yoga. They described her as a bright spirit.
“We always joked that we never had pictures of our adventures because we couldn’t shut up for five seconds to take one,” one of her friends posted. “You’re a one in a million woman, someone that put everyone at ease and always worked hard to make the world one that was better to live in.”
According to public records, Olafson lived most of her life on the west side of the state, lived for a while in California and volunteered in Thailand, all before moving to the El Rancho Reata home that she shared with her mother.
According to her Facebook page, she participated in AIDS walks, yoga and cycling and spent her time in the wilderness.
She attended LIOS Graduate College of Saybrook University where she got a master’s degree. The Leadership Institute of Seattle is a branch of the California-based private college.
She was first issued her mental health counselor associate license in 2017. The license is for a person with a graduate degree, who still needs to take the approved exam to receive their license to be a mental health counselor, according to the state Department of Health.
It appears she spent time working in Issaquah before earning her license for mental health counseling in 2022. It’s not clear if this is when she moved into the East Reata Road home that her mother purchased in 2019.
She continued to provide counseling online, according to her profile listed on Psychology Today. She used her background in yoga and mindfulness to help people.
“I strive to provide an unbiased, inclusive, creative and compassionate environment,” she wrote in her profile. “I enjoy a sense of collaboration, highlighting your strengths and personal intuitions.”
Her boyfriend
Her relationship with Smith remains a mystery. According to court documents, they started dating around 2015 or 2016.
Public records say Smith grew up in New Mexico. He had previous addresses in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. There are property records that indicate he has owned a home in Albuquerque since 2009.
According to his counseling web site, he said he became a licensed computer tomography technologist in 2008.
This is a job that uses computerized x-ray equipment to create cross sections of human anatomy. It’s used to diagnose a wide variety of diseases and disorders.
The Washington state Department of Health states he brought those skills to the state in 2012.
During most of that time, he lived in the Seattle area, according to public records.
His only brush with the law before the alleged murder came in August 2020 when he was stopped for suspicion of reckless driving on Interstate 5 in Snohomish County.
The state patrol trooper said Smith’s Toyota Rav 4 was speeding in the left emergency lane. When he was stopped, a breath test allegedly measured his blood-alcohol level at 0.18.
Criminal charges were not filed within 72 hours of the arrest, and no charges were filed.
He also went to Saybrook University about the same time Olafson did. He received his mental health counselor associate license in 2017 and his mental health counselor license in 2021.
He said on his website that he spent his first two years counseling working with the Seattle Indian Health Board.
“I learned to see trauma through a historical lens, and the value of bridging evidence-based practice with culturally relevant care,” he wrote.
He officially began his therapy business in 2023, according to the Washington Department of Revenue.
