Amanda Spencer

Amanda Spencer earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Vermont in 2004 and brings 16 years of clinical experience to her practice in Vermont.

She is a licensed clinical social worker in Vermont (VT LICSW 089.0066107) and also holds a Vermont educator’s license with an endorsement in school counseling. Her career has included roles in a community mental health agency, outpatient and private practice, schools, a crisis response program, a short-term residential setting, and a private educational consulting firm.

Throughout her career she has supervised both clinical social work interns and school counseling interns. As part of an ethically focused, trauma-informed approach, she participates monthly in an interdisciplinary consultation and supervision group that includes psychologists, nurse practitioners, and social workers - a group she has been part of since graduate school.

Her approach to therapy is collaborative, compassionate, and supportive, and her clients say she is comfortable to be with and easy to talk to. She has many years of experience working with children and young adults to build positive self-concept, reduce stress and worry, increase personal wellness, and pursue personal, academic, relationship, and social-emotional goals.

Her clinical work is grounded in a mix of theoretical approaches, including humanistic perspectives that emphasize the whole person, psychodynamic work that values the therapeutic relationship for self-reflection and development, and behavioral ideas that link thoughts, feelings, and actions to environment and experience. The Strengths Perspective, influenced by Dennis Saleebey, is a cornerstone of her practice; she helps clients identify internal strengths like resilience as well as external supports such as education and family resources.

Amanda also uses goal-setting, solution-focused techniques, Narrative Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, with attention to wellness frameworks like the UMatter wellness wheel from Princeton University. She frequently incorporates mindfulness, meditation, and yoga tools supported by research. As part of intake and ongoing care she employs clinical measures to assess levels of depression and anxiety - using those results to guide treatment while listening closely to the concerns and goals clients bring to sessions.

Her passion is helping people across the lifespan move from discomfort and distress toward acceptance and joy. When not working with clients and students she enjoys walking with her dog, playing cards with friends and family, and volunteering with Therapy Dogs of Vermont.

She looks forward to meeting with clients in person.