Trauma therapy in Lincoln, NE and by Telehealth

If therapy hasn't worked, it may not be you. It may be the therapy.

My practice is for people who have tried counseling and medication and are still seeking relief. For over 30 years I've helped people overcome trauma, depression, relationship challenges and parenting crises, with a plan built around you.

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Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner in Nebraska. EMDR trained since 2003. Trauma Model certified by the Ross Institute.

Scott J Swagger, LIMHP

You may be here because:

You've talked about it for years, and the same feelings keep coming back.
You haven't responded well to psychotropic medications.
You are a survivor of trauma or attachment grief.
You still carry symptoms of trauma, grief or dissociation.
You have a history of several psychiatric diagnoses.
Your relationship or your family keeps landing in the same painful patterns.

Every kind of emotional suffering deserves relief.

Here is why therapy gets stuck

What I believeMy therapy is informed by a growing body of research that brings us encouraging news: therapeutic exercises produce changes in the mind, which lead to long-term positive changes in the physiology of the brain.

I left the "fraternity" to find better answers

As a young therapist supervised by highly educated psychologists and psychiatrists, I felt strongly compelled to break away from the "fraternity" in search of better answers for my clients. Some doctors' explanations of "mental illness" didn't seem to be telling the whole story, and their patients, my clients, were not getting as well as I believed they could.

Since then I have trained in EMDR (2003), earned Trauma Model Certification from the Ross Institute (2012), and trained in Relational Life Therapy with Terry Real (2020).

There is more hope for your recovery from symptoms of mood, anxiety, grief, trauma and dissociation than you ever could have imagined.

Scott J Swagger, LIMHPLicensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner, Lincoln, NE

How I can help

Three ways to work together, in person in Lincoln, Nebraska, or by Telehealth.

A wooden footbridge leading into a green forest

Individual trauma therapy

Recovery from PTSD, depression, anxiety and other conditions with debilitating symptoms is possible through integrated Phase-Oriented Trauma Therapy.

Couples therapy

Communicating, forgiving, enduring: it's all very hard work. I will guide you and your partner to let go of self-centered defensiveness, value yourselves, nurture one another, and keep meaningful promises.

Family counseling

Parenting can be exhausting, occasionally traumatizing. Learn to calmly and lovingly gain the cooperation of your kids, even the really challenging ones.

Not sure which fits? Say so in your request, and we will work it out together.

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What I help with

Trauma is my specialty. I also help with much more.

Specializing in

Trauma
PTSD
Dissociative Disorders
Marital and Premarital Therapy

Also helping with

Bipolar Disorder
Chronic Impulsivity
Combat Survivors
Coping Skills Deficits
Depression
Emotional Disturbance
Family Conflict
Traumatic Grief
Parenting
Relationship Issues
Secret Habits
Self Esteem
Self-Harming
Sexual Abuse
Human Trafficking Survivors

Approaches I integrate

Phase-Oriented Trauma Therapy infused with EMDR
Trauma Model Therapy (Colin Ross)
Attachment-based Therapy
Relational Life Therapy (RLT) concepts
Internal Family Systems (IFS) concepts
Relationship Systems Therapy
Holistic and Somatic Therapy
CBT and Rational-Emotive Therapy, especially for secret habits

30+years in practice

Trained since 1995

From a master's in Marriage and Family Therapy to trauma, EMDR and neuroscience training.

1995Master of Science, Marriage and Family Therapy, University of Nebraska at Lincoln
1996Certification, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
2003EMDR Level I and II training
2012Trauma Model Certification, The Ross Institute
2016"The Body Keeps the Score" trauma training, Bessel van der Kolk

Show all training since 2018

2018California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists spring conference
2019Trauma and neuroscience training
2020Relational Life Therapy training with Terry Real
2024Telemental Health Training Program, Telehealth Certification Institute
2025Certification as a Holistic Mental Health Specialist

What sessions cost

$180 per session

Because every person deserves recovery, a sliding fee is available, applied uniformly and fairly. Ask about it when you request an appointment.

Insurance: Blue Cross, Aetna and Cigna, or fee-for-service.
Payment: Cash, check, Mastercard, PayPal or Visa, due on the day of service.
Cancellations: Please give 24 hours' notice, or a full session fee may be applied. Review the policy.

Request an appointment

Prefer to pay ahead?

Cash session packs, if you already know you want to keep going. Non-refundable, with one non-charged 24-hour cancellation per calendar year, held as in-house credit.

5 sessions for the price of 4$720

10 sessions for the price of 7$1,260

See the packs

Questions people ask first

I've had therapy before and it didn't help. Why would this be different?

Integrated Trauma Theory predicts therapy is less likely to work the more triangulated it is. I watch for that, and I build your plan from up to 12 field-accepted approaches, not one method for everyone. Read how therapy can go wrong.

Will EMDR make me relive everything at once?

Phase-oriented trauma therapy is designed to build stability first, before working through what happened.

What happens in the first session?

It looks a lot like any therapy session, with some screening. We start with any questions you have about HIPAA and your other rights. I'll treat you human, and you agree to let me say things you didn't want to hear. Then you describe the problem and your goals.

Do you offer a free consultation?

There is no free consultation session. If you have a question before you book, call or write and I'll answer it. The work itself starts in your first session.

Do you take insurance?

I accept Blue Cross, Aetna and Cigna. Otherwise sessions are fee-for-service, and a sliding fee is available. See fees.

Can we meet online?

Yes. I see people in person in Lincoln, Nebraska and by Telehealth, and I completed a Telemental Health Training Program in 2024.

Do you work with couples and families?

Yes. Integrated couples therapy and family counseling are a core part of my practice, alongside individual trauma therapy.

I'd feel more comfortable with a female therapist.

I can connect you with a trusted, experienced female therapist.

From the Eyes Wide Open blog

Read the Eyes Wide Open blog

On therapy

How far do you want to take your recovery?

There is no place I'd rather be than right here and now, ready to help you. In person in Lincoln, or by Telehealth.

What your first session looks like

Your questions first
Anything you want to know, including HIPAA and your other rights.
An honest agreement
I'll treat you human, and you agree to let me say things you didn't want to hear.
Your story and your goals
You describe the problem and what you want to change, with a little screening along the way.

Scott Swagger's therapy office in Lincoln, with leather chairs, a sofa and soft lamps — My office in Lincoln, Nebraska. Prefer home? Sessions are also available by Telehealth.