Welcome—I’m glad you found your way here!
I'm Trevor Swoverland, LICSW, and I've been a doing therapy for 15 years.
My approach is relaxed, open, and grounded in real connection. I aim to be supportive and accepting, but I'm also not afraid to offer a gentle nudge when it's needed. I bring humor into the work often, and occasionally a little profanity. I've had excellent training and a wide range of experience, but most importantly, I just really care about doing this work well.
Trauma work is my specialty and if you find past experiences interfere with your life or feel like they hijack your nervous system at times, creating physical responses that make the fears worse, we can change this together. I also regularly help people manage anxiety and depression, improve the way they manage anger, develop healthier boundaries and become more confident in communicating their needs in relationships, and work through various life changes.
In addition to working as a therapist I have been a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical responder for years. My experiences in emergency services make me a great fit for other first responders looking to change how the work is affecting them. I am also in-network with the Veteran Resilience Project and have considerable experience working with veterans and their families.
I offer in-person appointments in Duluth, Minnesota, and am available for telehealth (video) sessions throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. Whatever concerns have you considering starting therapy, I would be happy to chat about how we could work together to create the change you want in your life!
Individual Therapy
Untangling Things Keeping You Stuck
One-on-one therapy is where we team up to help you move toward the life you want. If you feel held back by stressors, emotional concerns, trauma, relationship issues, or other challenges, we will partner together to find the strategies and tools that will be most effective for you and we will apply them in ways that you find most comfortable. Whatever you're carrying, we’ll work through it together, at your pace.
Approaches
We have several different approaches available for our work together. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) are two different trauma treatments I regularly use. We can draw on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to change patterns of thinking that hold you back in any area of your life. I regularly use Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Motivational Interviewing strategies to help you make changes. I also draw on people’s interests, spirituality, hobbies, and relationships to help you find good life balance. Not sure what any of this means? No sweat! We will work together to develop a plan for tackling any problem you want to tag-team together.
Informal Style, Professional Care
My style is very down-to-earth and informal, while also built on evidence-based and results-driven work. My goal is to begin right away building a connection that feels comfortable to you. Therapy can be hard work at times—talking to your therapist shouldn’t be! My genuine style comes along with extensive training and experience in my areas of expertise, so approachability and effectiveness go together in our work.
Your Needs, Your Goals, Your Success
In our work together your needs are always my primary concern. We will identify the goals you want to achieve, and your definition of success will guide us. If we try an approach and you don’t like it we will try something different, no questions asked. Your feedback is important to me and will allow us to craft a therapy game plan tailored to your preferences and comfort. If you’d like to talk about how we might hammer out any particular concern that has you considering therapy, I’d be happy to hear from you!
I Work Well With First Responders Because I Am One
I’ve been a firefighter and medical responder for years. I know what it’s like to roll out of bed at 2 a.m. to a call you can’t fully prepare for—to step into smoke, chaos, or heartbreak and keep your head on straight. There’s a rhythm to this work, a culture we carry that most folks outside the job don’t quite understand. And that can make it hard to imagine a therapist could really “get it.” But I do. I’ve been there. And I’m here for any responder who’s feeling the weight of the job and wants a place to lay some of it down.
This work asks a lot of us. Over time, those repeated trauma exposures can build up in ways we don’t always notice until something feels off. Maybe you’ve felt more distant from the people you care about, struggled to stay present outside of work, or found yourself leaning too heavily on substances just to quiet your mind. Maybe you’ve started to question whether you can keep doing the job at all. And for many responders, that hits deep—because the job isn’t just something you do. It’s part of who you are.
With EMDR and ART, we can work to change how your brain and body react to those old calls and the experiences that bring them up from the past. And with that shift often comes renewed clarity, peace, and the ability to stay in the work you love without it taking so much from you. If your days working as a first responder are behind you this healing is not any less important for you than it is for those who still wear a badge and carry a radio.
Supporting Veterans and Their Families
These approaches to therapy are also very effective in helping veterans address traumas they have experienced during their time in military service. I have years of experience treating post traumatic stress and other trauma-related problems faced by veterans and their families. I am in-network with the Veteran Resilience Project which provides coverage for insurance copays or even full session costs for those without insurance who have served or are family members of someone who has, specifically for EMDR treatment to address the effects of trauma on the lives of those who have served and the people they love. I would be honored to walk through this work with you and do so with a no-nonsense, results-focused approach that includes hard work with just the right amount of irreverence and humor. We got this.
Clinical Supervision & Consultation
I offer board-approved licensure supervision for those working toward full licensure in Minnesota through both the Board of Social Work and the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. With over ten years of experience in supervision, I consider it a real privilege to walk alongside fellow clinicians as they grow in skill, confidence, and clarity about the kind of helper they want to be. I have one-on-one supervision opportunities available, and I also at times have a group supervision opportunity for those interested in meeting with others who are also on the journey to independent practice. My supervision style is flexible and I can adjust to the learning needs and interests you have, and mirrors my therapy approach in that I teach with a collegial, friendly style, and I prioritize open, supportive, cooperative communication.
Contact Me
I’d be happy to hear from you! Feel free to email or give me a call if you’re curious about starting therapy, interested in clinical supervision or consultation, want to know more about coaching, or just want to see if I can be of help. I’ll get back to you by the end of the next business day—generally Monday through Thursday.
trevorswoverland@proton.me
(218) 384-1786
