Tom Swanson, PhD, is the director of Support Services for VistaCare. He joined VistaCare in April 1999 and has more than 27 years of experience in marriage and family therapy and grief counseling. In his current role, Swanson is responsible for developing education and training materials for VistaCare's 58 sites throughout the United States. In addition, he developed, implemented, and manages VistaCare's Model & Mentor Program, which identifies leaders in specific areas throughout the organization to support, assist, and train others while developing best practices for their respective disciplines. He is the co-author of A Hospice Patient's Guide to Living, published by the VistaCare Foundation. Swanson has additional training in community mental health disaster response, critical incident stress debriefing, and suicide prevention. He has developed education and training materials on the following topics:
- Psychosocial & Spiritual Issues at End of Life
- Understanding Family Systems
- Grief & Loss
- Suicide in Later Life
- Professional Boundaries
- Stress Management
- Communication & Active Listening
- Characteristics of a Successful Helper
- Change Management