Spencer Fox, MS, LMFT

Qualifications and Experience

I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Associate. I earned my MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from Seattle Pacific University and a BA in Psychology from Westmont College. In 2013, I served as a residential counselor in a psychiatric facility, working predominantly with severely mentally ill patients. From 2014 through 2016 I worked as a family therapist at Auburn Youth Resources, primarily serving children and adolescents. As of September 2016, I am concurrently working as a therapist in a community mental health setting, focusing on people with opioid addictions.

My Call to Christian Counseling

Originally I had started undergraduate studies to go into pre-med and wanted to be a doctor, but shortly therein realized chemistry was not my passion. After some soul searching, I realized what God was calling me to do was to enter a helping profession. I had a history of being the one friends could talk to, and I found value in conversation. Psychology just seemed to click with me, so I headed down that path.

More about Me

In another life, I would have been a touring musician or starting quarterback for the Seahawks, but I got set on the family therapy trajectory early and never looked back. Besides working as a therapist, I identify most closely with being a musician. I’m an avid Seattle sports fan, catching every Hawks and Sounders game I can, as well as riding the emotional roller coaster that comes with being a Mariners fan. On a more personal level, my father was a survivor of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He worked in the World Trade Center at the time. The way my family moved through that experience opened my eyes to the importance of family to the resiliency of the individual.

• Family Counseling
• Couples Counseling
• Premarital Counseling
• Adolescents
• Depression
• Anxiety

Individual Counseling

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut in life and feel as if you don’t have the strength or motivation to climb out on your own. That’s where individual counseling comes in. Together we will work to address whatever concerns are weighing you down, such as relationship issues, depression, anxiety, grief, addiction, or other circumstances. Through individual counseling we will find practical, effective ways to get you back on track to enjoy a life you love.

Family Counseling

All individuals are the product of a family. Through our therapy sessions, we’ll seek to uncover family legacies that are being lived out, both helpful and harmful, and see how they are impacting the family or individual now. Even individuals who have little contact are impacted by past experiences with their family. For positive change to stick, I believe it is helpful to have the whole family on board and supporting the change. We’ll work together to grow a willingness and conducive environment for healthy, lasting change.

Couples Counseling

Depending on the situation, I may use a technique called Emotionally Focused Couples’ Therapy. This is relatively brief (10-15 sessions) couples’ therapy which seeks to identify harmful patterns in which couples find themselves stuck. Further, it seeks to reestablish attachment between the individuals by attending to underlying emotional needs that aren’t being expressed. The ultimate goal is to help you to repair and strengthen the bonds moving forward.

Premarital Counseling

Premarital counseling is a series of 4-6 sessions to facilitate necessary conversations before marriage, including topics of money, family, time, sex, and more. These critical sessions will identify key areas that may not have been discussed prior to counseling. The environment lends itself to focused, productive dialogue that will benefit your marriage in the future.

Adolescents

I work with all types of challenges that come with the territory of adolescence. When a teen is struggling in their relationship with their parent(s), I strive to reestablish respect between both parties. In doing so, we fan the flame of support for one another within the family dynamic. Ultimately, I want to help young people with the myriad stress factors that accompany being a teenager in the 21st century.

Depression

Depression is something that affects so many people in society today, and most try to endure it alone. You don’t have to go through it on your own. By coming into therapy, we can work together to identify underlying concerns that may be hindering you from feeling better and hampering your motivation. Depression is a common experience – if you’re familiar with it, be encouraged that many people are getting through it every day.

Anxiety

In counseling for anxiety, the first step is to identify the underlying issues. The second step is to develop coping skills to employ when anxiety surfaces. Trying to tackle it on your own can feel very overwhelming and only make things worse. We’ll walk through the process step by step and discuss practical techniques to overcome this crippling condition and live with a confident peace.

Chemical Dependency Counseling

Chemical dependency is an issue that affects millions of people across the globe. Whether it be alcohol, opiates or something else, chemical dependency often grows in isolation. Counseling helps you to understand how these dependencies arose in the first place and how to move forward and reclaim your independence. I work with people dealing with chemical dependencies by helping them to identify the role this chemical has played in your life and how we can move towards creating new connections to fill those voids the drugs will leave.