Daniel Swenson (he/they)

My Approach to Helping

I want to help uncover your unique strengths and support you in living a life aligned with your values. I have a wide range of experience treating anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, grief, aging, and substance use disorders. My approach to therapy is behavioral and relational. I believe that changing behaviors that no longer serve us, and recognizing thoughts as just thoughts, can free us to pursue the relationships, passions, and community that make life worth living. I am trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, Behavioral Activation, and the DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol. I have a keen interest in plant medicines, and enjoy helping people to integrate and consolidate the wisdom gained through psychedelic experiences. I also take a systemic perspective, and support clients in finding ways both to cope with and change the systems in which we operate.

Why I Became a Therapist

My path to becoming a therapist was circuitous. I graduated college in 2000 and worked as a musician, arts policy researcher, and career counselor, before getting a Master of Social Work degree in 2014. I have always been a sensitive person and have worked hard to find ways to regulate my own emotions, by letting go of problematic coping strategies and building new ones. I am a parent of a middle-schooler. All of this lived experience informs my clinical work.