Dr. Swafford is a former Postdoctoral Fellow in Chemical Dependency in the College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As a Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Swafford focused on advanced study, research, and treatment of chemical dependency. His training emphasized empirical, research-based findings for diagnosis, treatment, and advanced understanding of the neurobiological basis of addictions. During his tenure in the Fellowship, he served in clinical rotations at the Norman Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center (NADTC); Decisions Outpatient Substance Abuse Program; Drug Recovery Incorporated (DRI), and the Veterans Medical Center, Substance Abuse Treatment Center (SATC). In June 2001, Dr. Swafford and a colleague from the OUHSC presented research findings at the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) International Conference in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In October 1999, Dr. Swafford was granted the Doctor of Psychology, Clinical Psychology, from the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri. He completed a predoctoral internship at Oklahoma Forensic Center, formerly Eastern State Hospital, and Northeast Oklahoma Correctional Center (a minimum security prison), both located in Vinita, Oklahoma.
Prior to returning to graduate school at the Forest Institute, Dr. Swafford served as the Chief of Human Services and staff psychologist for the third largest Indian tribe, the Choctaws. He maintained a caseload of patients at the hospital in Talihina, the McAlester Indian Clinic, and the Poteau Indian Clinic.
From 1987 through 1993, he was employed at the L.E. Rader Center in Sand Springs, Oklahoma. The Rader Center is a state-operated facility for court-adjudicated delinquents that are mandated for evaluation and treatment. The first two years of his tenure at the Rader Center, he served in the capacity of Psychological Clinician. Dr. Swafford’s work involved evaluations of adolescents who had committed felony offenses and were in the custody of the Department of Human Services (now Office of Juvenile Affairs, OJA). Dr. Swafford conducted psychological evaluations and provided treatment for those adolescents adjudicated for treatment at the L.E. Rader Treatment Center.
For the next four and one-half years, as Substance Abuse Treatment Coordinator, he developed, implemented and maintained a two-part substance abuse program for adolescents in a targeted program at the Rader Treatment Center. This program consisted of an educational component and a treatment component. The treatment component emphasized principles of relapse prevention and irrational belief systems that contribute to alcohol and drug use.
Prior to being employed by the State of Oklahoma, in the fall of 1986, Dr. Swafford developed a flood victims assistance program at the request of a Tulsa-area community mental health center. He served in the capacity of director of that program until leaving to take employment at the L.E. Rader Center.
Dr. Swafford began his mental health training at Northeastern State University in 1982. During 1985-86, he served as a Masters Degree intern at an alcohol detox center in Tulsa. In 1987, he was awarded the Master of Science Degree in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern Oklahoma State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In 1969, He was granted the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology. From 1970 through 1982, Dr. Swafford was involved in management or ownership of numerous businesses.
Therapeutic interventions are designed and developed to meet the individual needs of the clients. The techniques include but are not limited to Motivational Interviewing, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Relapse Prevention, Relaxation and Stress Management, and Team Building. Assessment and Evaluation services are available on an individual basis.
Dr. Swafford is a Licensed Professional Counselor, licensed by the Oklahoma State Department of Heath, since 1991. He is an approved supervisor for those seeking LPC licensure. Additionally, he is a past member of the Licensed Professional Counselor Advisory Board. Dr. Swafford has been in mental health field for 20 years and in private practice since 2001.
Education : Doctor of Clinical Psychology, Forest Institute of Professional Psychology 1999, Springfield, Missouri; Master of Science, Counseling Psychology, Northeastern Oklahoma State University 1987; Bachelor of Arts, Northeastern Oklahoma State University 1969.
Additional Training : University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences specializing in Chemical Dependency.
License : Licensed Professional Counselor. License #LPC1120.
Professional Activities and Memberships : Presenter at numerous state and federal agencies as well as state and national professional associations.
Memberships : American Psychological Association (APA)
American Counseling Association (ACA)
Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA)
American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA )
Oklahoma Counseling Association (OCA)