I am Dave Nelson, LPC, ACS, DIR-E, an experienced mental health counselor, educator, consultant, and trainer. To understand the letters after my name, please see the explanation at the bottom of this section!
I first came to this work through the experience of parenting—especially my oldest son, who was diagnosed as autistic at age three. As I learned how to support him by working with a range of professionals, I became inspired to become a professional as well.
Initially, I developed a private practice that focused on supporting the experience of families with young children. I have long been associated with Floortime Atlanta, a group of clinicians who subscribe to the philosophy and practice of DIRFloortime, a model of human development and intervention pioneered by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and further developed by the International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL).
In 2005, I opened The Community School (TCS), which later became Threshold Community Program (TCP). TCS/TCP provided tuition-based and hourly services, with a strong focus on supporting adolescent and young adult participants. We supported people in completing high school, attending college, developing career and independence skills, and building meaningful relationships—including romantic ones—that are essential to a happy, productive adulthood. TCS/TCP always focused on strengthening the social-emotional foundations that enable people to thrive, developing the ability to manage the ups and downs of everyday life, to self-advocate, and to act with autonomy and purpose.
For the past 21 years of running TCS/TCP, I have continued to provide direct service and see hourly clients, and I am now excited to increase my focus on supporting clients and their families.
As a parent, I understand that supporting children of any age and any developmental profile requires patience and pragmatism. As a parent of a neurodivergent adult child, I also understand that a focus on developing concrete skills only takes you so far. It is essential that we support people in developing a rich emotional life with strong communication skills and the ability to navigate the complexities of adult relationships. Whether a client is a highly independent self-advocate, someone needing in depth support in every aspect of life, or something in between, they will benefit from a person-centered orientation that will help them to find and develop their strengths, understand and mitigate their challenges, and motivate them to find as much purpose, independence, and connection to the world as possible.
DIRFloortime provides a brilliant model for understanding how growth occurs and what professionals and caregivers can do to support that growth. It also provides a framework for understanding what specific interventions might be useful to a given individual or family. My general goals are to help people understand themselves, leverage their strengths, and develop the emotional durability to navigate the world without undue anxiety, confusion, or despair. In part, this means strengthening one’s abilities to build and maintain relationships, to engage in critical thinking and perspective-taking, and to become effective communicators.
My Credentials
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Georgia. I am qualified to provide counseling services to children, teens, adults, and families. I am currently applying for licensure in North Carolina to be able to provide telehealth services to clients located there.
I am an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS). I am qualified to provide clinical supervision to counseling interns and associate professional counselors (APC), and to provide clinical consultation to fully licensed providers.
I am an Expert Training Leader in DIRFloortime (DIR-E), an intervention modality promoted by the International Council on Development and Learning (ICDL). DIRFloortime provides a comprehensive model for understanding human development, as well as a range of intervention techniques for supporting healthy growth, including those who identify as neurodivergent. I am empowered to teach others, and the association with ICDL gives me access to a wide network of professionals around the world who share a humanistic philosophy of support and intervention.
I also have advanced degrees in English Literature (MS) and Business (MBA). I taught a range of subjects in business communication at the undergraduate and graduate level at Georgia State University. At Threshold Community Program, I also taught a range of subjects at the middle and high school level, including math, literature, critical thinking, and more.