Therapeutic Approach

With more than a decade of both personal and professional experience, Spencer understands the challenges that come with parenting. Particularly with the unique challenges connected with the adoption, foster-care and trauma. Spencer has built his practice to work with these challenges and the attention they need during different stages of life.

Parenting can be difficult and demanding at times. When it becomes more work and less rewarding because of a child's behavior, Spencer works with parents and caregivers in curious and empathic ways to understand and resolve what's underneath, to find the root of these challenges.

Empowering parent's and caregiver’s ability to connect with their child in a deep and meaningful way is the central focus of Spencer’s approach to overcoming challenges. This begins when parents/caregivers are able to resolve any challenges in the relationship that maybe a barrier to therapy. Once this occurs, caregivers and their child can begin, in a safe and therapeutic environment, to explore the trauma, abuse, neglect, abandonment and loss which are the emotional source to behavioral struggles. Families can find the love, joy and happiness the comes with strong, healthy and playful relationships.

The experiential process that is shared when parents/caregivers explore past trauma with their child serves three purposes:

First, their attachment builds and strengthens while they discover new meanings for what has occurred in the past.

Second, safe and therapeutic exposure to painfully distressing memories allows for a desensitizing effects on events that trigger both parents/caretakers and the child.

Third, it increases a child’s ability to self-regulate so he/she is better able to learn from and comply with requests and rules, thus decreasing behavioral problems.