Dr. Susan Swim, PhD, MFT

Faculty, Now I See a Person Institute
Faculty, Houston Galveston Institute
Associate, Taos Institute/Educator, Theorist, Researcher, Author
Past Member Taos TIAC
Editor Emeritus, Journal of Systemic Therapies/Editor The Qualitative Report 
Retired Faculty, Loma Linda University
Retired Advocacy Chair, AAMFT-CA/Retired Insurance Task Member AAMFT-CA
Retired Board Member, AAMFT-CA
Providing Certificate Program in Community Engagement: A Collaborative Recovery Model
Providing Certificate Program in International Dialogical-Collaborative Theories

Dr. Susan Swim, PhD LMFT, researcher, author, educator, supervisor and clinician, was instrumental in participating in the early work of Collaborative Language Systems Approach to Therapy or CLS, and now known as Collaborative-Dialogical Practices. She joined the Houston-Galveston Institute in the early eighties as faculty. Dr. Swim was one of the first licensed Marriage and Family Therapists.  Her passion has included the continuation of the “Dis-diseasing of Mental Health.” She taught the first Taos Institute online learning program. She assisted in opening a state-funded mental health clinic focusing on trauma, and not diagnosis. In 2002, she continued her passion for collaborative learning venues at Loma Linda University. In 2007, she created Now I See A Person Institute for graduate and postgraduate learning. NISAPI has focused on the trauma of coercion and deficiency and is a nonprofit, research, training and clinical educational institute devoted to the Process Ethics of “Healing the Underserved from Trauma.” Using Collaborative-Dialogical Practices of Community Engagement: A Collaborative Recovery Model, we serve those considered unchangeable and who have lost all hope. NISAPI researches the traumas of coercion and global deficiency treatments and writes on inviting dignity and humanity into the field. Recent articles include Shedding the Limits of Severe Mental Illness Narratives, Stories of Wellness, On Becoming Extraordinarily Normal, Resurrecting Hope, When Therapy Heals, The Deconstruction of Mental Health Continued, Ending the Cradle to the Grave Paradigms, Breaking Free of Severe Mental Illness Labels and Treatment, Inviting and Finding Freedom, Inviting Dignity, Hope and Dialogue First, and Normalizing Ourselves for Clients. In addition to four decades of book chapters, articles, international teaching, podcasts and blogs, she with NISAPI is sponsoring conferences. Their latest was “Normalizing ourselves for the clients, freeing ourselves and finding freedom”. Our goal is to provide a space for clinicians, coaches, consultants and clients to find support from unsuccessful venues to wellness, and collectively share stories of transformation and hope. NISAPI offers a two-year certificate in Collaborative-Dialogical Practices, Continuing Education for California, and Virtual Learning Modules Collaborative-Dialogical-Educational Virtual Learning.  NISAPI is a CAMFT approved Continuing Education Provider #135076.

She is senior faculty at Now I See a Person Institute using Community Engagement: A Collaborative Recovery Model. Now I See a Person Institute is a nonprofit organization for clinical training in postmodern theories and clinical services. At Now I See a Person Institute, Dr. Swim teaches in two certificate programs.  NISAPI offers International Certificate in Collaborative Practices and certificate in Community Engagement: A Collaborative Recovery Model.

Dr. Swim’s lifelong passion has been an educator of postmodern theories, especially Dialogical-Collaborative Practices  Her early mentors and friends were Harold Goolishian, Harlene Anderson, Lynn Hoffman, Ken Gergen and Tom Andersen. Currently she trains learners at NISAPI in Community Engagement: A Collaborative Recovery Model (CEACRM). Within CEACRM are the premises that therapy is collaborative and self tailored to the needs of each individual. Hence clients are “seen” as people and not just diagnostic labels,  and many problems are relational and accrue from trauma. Dr. Swim within her thirty-seven year career has treated an abundance of mental health issues. She researched and authored on Supervision in the mid eighties, Process Ethics starting in the 1990’s, and Healing the Underserved From Trauma and Family Reunification starting in 2008, and remains passionate on these themes of how change occurs through the authentic and collaborative process between client and therapist, always including the need of each client in a unique manner. She continues to publish on these themes and views strength based proficient therapy as social justice.

She is Editor Emeritus for the Journal of Systemic Therapies, on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Qualitative Report, and an Associate Reviewer for International Journal of Collaborative Practices. She helped cultivate the first on-line HGI-Taos Institute distance learning and has served on the TIAC board as well as various board positions with AAMFT-CA.

NISAPI is a Member of the Association for Family and Conciliation Courts and Associate Member of the Los Angeles Bar Association. Most referrals are with severe family conflict and what we call “under-served populations” (lengthy previous therapies or hospitalizations were not successful and clients and their families are hopeless that change can occur).

Dr. Swim continues presenting at state, national, and international conferences on Collaborative Dialogical-Practices and Community Engagement: A Collaborative Recovery Model for Individual, Marriage and Family Therapy, Teaching and Research. Among her various current and past interests are: academic teaching, qualitative research, authoring publications on supervision, teaching, and clinical practice centering upon a postmodern backdrop at NISAPI.

Dr. Susan Swim, PhD, MFT 40480

Contact
Phone:  (626) 487-9305
Email:  swiminc@aol.com

Dr. Susan E. Swim, PhD, LMFT 40480
Executive Director, Now I See a Person InstituteNow I See A Person Institute, Devoted to serving Service Area 2 and District 12 CommunitiesEducator, Researcher, Theorist, Author 
Faculty, Houston Galveston Institute
Associate, Taos Institute
Emeritus Member Taos, TIAC
Editor Emeritus, Journal of Systemic Therapies Editor, The Qualitative Report
Retired Faculty, Loma Linda University
Retired Advocacy Chair, AAMFT-CA
Retired Board Member, AAMFT-CAAssociate Member, Los Angeles Bar Association Member, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
Providing Certificate Program in Community Engagement: A Collaborative Recovery Model
Providing Certificate Program in International Dialogical-Collaborative Practices