Hi, I’m David Swan. A Trauma Informed Marriage and Family Therapist in the Twin Cities. Please see below.
Welcome to the home of fullyalive.life. People come to see me because there is some way that they do not feel fully alive – something is missing, something is not working, something is not right. Alive, but somehow not fully alive, and instinctively they have now become aware that they want more and what they are doing is not getting them there.
Your story holds the keys to becoming more fully alive. I believe that we all need to tell our story to help us unravel what is going on so that we can move forward. A great deal of my own personal coming alive has been because I found people who handle(d) my story with grace, compassion and empathy. I would love the opportunity to sit with you and help you walk into your own story – the pain and the joy.
If you are looking for simple advice about how to be a better communicator, or solve this or that problem by following a set of steps or rules, then I am not your guy. Knowledge of what to do is not enough to provide the heart changes we need to be more fully alive. If you want to understand what is going on inside you, how it came to be that way, and what it takes to change from the inside out, then please come and sit down with me and we can sort it out together.
Change does not happen in our lives because we learn new information. Change is a natural byproduct of developing a deeper heart connection with others, ourselves and with our Creator. Those connections lead to increasing joy in our lives. Joy is the fuel that we all need to become more fully alive. I love helping people do that. Whatever gets in the way of those connections is where we don’t feel fully alive.
Look around the website, read the blog posts, kick the tires. You can even contact me for an initial 15 minute free phone conversation if you would like.
We are all wounded in various ways and those wounds keep us from being fully alive. Some of our wounds are known, others are not yet known. That’s why we need to tell our stories. If you decide to come in, I’d welcome the opportunity to connect with you.
My Background
After college I worked for over a decade as a campus minister for a Christian organization. I started and ran a successful training company and business as an IT consultant for more than a decade after leaving that ministry. I decided to get training that would enable me to work as a therapist. In 2007 I completed my education and began working as a marriage and family therapist. I am now fully licensed by the state of Minnesota. Some major influences in my life include Larry Crabb, Dan Allender, Leanne Payne, Gordon Dalbey, Dallas Willard, E. James Wilder.
Experience
I have special training and did my master’s project on dealing with attention deficit in family systems. Attention deficit is one of the most over diagnosed conditions in our world and I help families discern what is really going on so that they can apply the most helpful responses with their children who may or may not have an attention deficit condition.
Additionally I have advanced training in the treatment of trauma.
As an adoptive parent I have worked extensively with adoptive families to help them work through issues related to attachment and adoption, including reactive attachment disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and rebuilding trust and connection with adoptive children.
Who do I help?
All kinds of people, adults, adolescents, individuals and couples. Family therapists are uniquely positioned to help all these people deal with issues because they have deep knowledge of how our family of origin has contributed to our identities. We also have experience in helping couples work through their issues.
Trauma, the universal factor
Trauma, over the last couple of decades, has become understood to be a major contributor to almost every negative condition we humans are prone to experience – from physical ailments to mental health issues. Simply put, trauma is any experience that overwhelms my ability to cope effectively with it.
Some trauma is big, harmful events, but most trauma is felt as things we missed out on that we really needed to help us develop and grow.
We all have trauma.
Trauma informed therapy is becoming common in treating many mental health issues. I am a trauma informed therapist. I help my clients look for any sources of trauma that may be contributing to their issues.