Misty Spencer
Practical CBT skills for lasting change
LCSW Illinois
- Experience
- 7 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Relationship, Self esteem
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Misty
Misty Spencer brings a cognitive behavioral orientation to her therapy work, pairing practical skill-building with a strengths-based, goal-focused outlook. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Illinois and draws on seven years of post-licensure clinical experience within a broader 18-year career in social work.
Background and approach
Misty emphasizes helping people regain a sense of hope, improve communication, and develop healthier self-regard through techniques that can be practiced between sessions. Her work addresses a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, sleep difficulties, anger, career challenges, compassion fatigue, ADHD, and relationship and family issues.
She also focuses on adoption and foster care matters, attachment and family-of-origin issues, codependency, caregiver stress, and related areas such as forgiveness, guilt, and isolation. Misty’s style blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with solution-focused and trauma-informed strategies, offering concrete tools and measurable goals while attending to each person’s strengths and values.
Clients can expect an encouraging, collaborative approach that supports gradual change and practical coping skills. Misty frames therapeutic progress as a partnership aimed at restoring connection, increasing resilience, and moving toward a more satisfying life.
Bringing CBT and Mindfulness into Online Care
Many clients benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy because it focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing new behavior patterns; CBT can help with anxiety, depression, panic, and many day-to-day stressors by providing concrete tools and homework to practice. Mindfulness Therapy complements that work by teaching present-moment awareness and acceptance skills that reduce reactivity and support emotion regulation during stressful moments. Solution-Focused techniques add a forward-looking, practical emphasis by helping clients set clear goals and discover small steps that lead to noticeable change.Misty approaches fit and method selection collaboratively, inviting clients to explore what feels most useful for their needs and goals. She works alongside each person to tailor strategies, adjust interventions over time, and track progress so the approach evolves with the client’s preferences and life context.
Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, making it easier to access consistent support while balancing other responsibilities. These options let clients practice skills between sessions, check in as needed, and maintain momentum toward therapeutic goals without sacrificing convenience.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
7+ years
Licensed
Illinois
Languages
English