Victor Nelson

Victor Nelson is a former Lutheran pastor who, in the 1980’s, began advanced studies of pastoral counseling and marriage and family therapy which led to a career shift doing primarily counseling and therapy. For many years Victor combined parish ministry and church consulting with his practice of counseling and therapy. Much of his ministry focused on youth ministry and, in his therapy practice, Victor worked extensively with children, pre-teens, and teens.

After moving to Utah in 1992, Victor served two interim ministries and also became an assistant to the bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod. During this same time period, Victor developed and directed The Family Institute of Northern Utah.

Victor continued his career as a mediator, a consultant for family owned businesses, a fund-raising consultant for churches and non-profit organizations, and also became a co-owner of a fly fishing shop!

Victor and his wife, Thorana Nelson, moved to Santa Fe in 2011 and, in 2013, Victor became the Executive Director of the Santa Fe Pastoral Counseling Center. Victor has taught graduate counseling courses at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis; Utah State University in Logan, Utah; and Southwestern College in Santa Fe.

Victor’s early publishing career included a chapter in Chicken Soup for the Soul (1993), two co-authored self-published books on family business, and various articles and chapters in professional books and journals for marriage and family therapy. Now, almost retired, Victor is focusing on his writing with the recent release of his first children’s book, My Grandfather Lived in a Tree, a delightful book for early readers with both English and Spanish translations in the same book. Victor has two additional books in final editing stages, One New Thing and Hospitable Families, due to be released in 2024.