Justin Swensen
Justin Swensen

Program Director


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Justin acquired a love for the outdoors and a passion for adventure at a young age. Growing up primarily in Utah, the high mountains and desert plateaus provided a perfect setting for adventuring and honing his wilderness skills. After graduating high school Justin spent four years on active duty in the United States Navy and then worked as a finish carpenter before accepting his first position as a field staff in a wilderness therapy program.

Since that time, Justin has held several support and leadership positions such as Staff Trainer, Back-up Driver, Field Director, and Program Director. Justin has now been helping adolescents, young adults, and their families for more than 18 years. He now brings his experience, passion for wilderness therapy, and desire to help young people heal and find a healthy path to his current roles as Program Director and Life Coach for Expanse Wilderness.

Justin holds a BA from Prescott College in Therapeutic Use of Adventure Education with an emphasis on human development and a minor in Art and Design. He is now nearly finished with an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy. Along with training in several therapeutic modalities, Justin has also completed the Level 1 training in the Whole Fit Life Coaching system. He is a current Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and has been a Positive Control Systems (PCS) trainer since 2011.

Justin is married with two teenage children. Together, they spend as much time as possible mountain biking, kayaking, or skiing. Justin is an avid fly fisherman, outdoors man, ancestral skills practitioner, and wood carver. Outside of wilderness therapy, he has worked as a profession fly fishing guide, canyoneering guide, mountain biking guide, and is a teacher at primitive skills gatherings.