Psychologist and Owner
Dr. Jennifer Spencer holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in counseling psychology. She has provided mental health services for over 30 years, and opened Spencer Psychology in 2003. Prior to 2003, she was the manager of a community mental health center for several years, and the clinical director of a battered women’s shelter. She also has worked in college counseling centers, schools, group homes and Riley Hospital for Children.
She holds an appointment as a Research Associate with the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium at the Kinsey Institute through Indiana University. The research team is currently collecting data on how trauma impacts the brain and body.
Dr. Spencer is skilled with cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), ego state techniques, positive psychology, EMDR and polyvagal theory. She has specialty areas in treating childhood abuse/neglect and adult trauma issues, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression. She also has a specialty area in psychological evaluations and has provided expert witness testimony to the courts on a variety of diagnostic topics. While mostly administrative at this point, she retains a small clinical caseload.
Dr. Jennifer Spencer loves gardening, dogs, science fiction, travel and movies. She and her husband of over thirty years have two grown children.
PUBLISHED ARTICLES:
Spencer, J.M., Zimet, G., Aalsma, M. & Orr, D. (2002). Self-Esteem as a Predictor of Initiation of Coitus in Early Adolescents. Pediatrics, 109(4), 581-584.
**Article picked up by Reuters News Services, and republished in Time Magazine (May, 2002); Teen People Magazine and The New York Times (4/23/2002).
PUBLISHED ABSTRACT:
Spencer, J.M., Zimet, G. & Orr, D. (1995). Self-Esteem and the initiation of sexual intercourse among early adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 16 (2), 132.
PAPER PRESENTATIONS:
Spencer, J.M., & Abhold, J. (March, 1998). Substance abuse harm reduction for students. Paper presented at the American College Personnel Association, St. Louis, MO.
Abhold, J., & Spencer, J.M. (March, 1998). E-mail smoking cessation program for faculty, staff and students. Paper presented at the American College Personnel Association, St. Louis, MO.
Spencer, J.M., Zimet, G. & Orr, D. (March, 1995). Self-esteem and the initiation of sexual intercourse among early adolescents. Paper presented at the Society of Adolescent Medicine, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Tracy, M. & Spencer, J.M. (March, 1993). Computer assisted video training in counselor education. Paper presented at the Great Lakes Midwestern Conference, Bloomington, IN.
Michael, J. & Dougan, J. (December, 1989) Chaining procedures in computer training for the mentally retarded. Paper presented at the Behavior Analysts Midwestern Conference, Lansing, MI.
Poster Presentations:
Kolacz, J., Spencer, J., Lewis, M., Nix, E. J., Roath, O. K., Tokash, C., & Lewis, G. L. (2024, August). A frequency-filtered music intervention for PTSD treatment: Results from a pilot controlled study. Paper presented at the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium, Kissimmee, FL.
Dahlgren, Juliet; Kolacz, Jacek; Spencer Jennifer, Lewis, Gregory & Porges, Stephen W. (2019). Romantic and Interpersonal Relationship Difficulties among Psychotherapy Clients: Associations with Self-Reported Autonomic Reactivity.
Roath, Olivia; Kolacz, Jacek; Spencer Jennifer, Gesselman, Amanda; Garcia, Justin; Lewis, Gregory; Porges, Stephen Porges (2019). Vaginal Lubrication Difficulties among Women in Psychotherapy: Relations with Self-Reported Autonomic Function and Comparison with a Non-Clinical Sample.
Juliet A. Dahlgren, Jacek Kolacz,, Jennifer Spencer, Gregory F. Lewis, & Stephen W. Porges (2023); Romantic and interpersonal relationship difficulties among psychotherapy clients: Associations with self-reported autonomic reactivity.
PUBLISHED COLUMN:
2016-2019: Columnist for Bloomington Parent Magazine (quarterly articles).