Spencer Dutson

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

All About Spencer

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Years Practicing: He has been practicing therapy for the last seven years.

Why he became a therapist: He chose therapy because he recognized the importance of healthy family and couple dynamics. Seeing the positive impact of healthy relationships inspired him to become a marriage and family therapist. He found a passion for couples and trauma therapy due to his belief that addressing past trauma and improving relationships can significantly improve a person’s well-being.

Therapy Style: Spencer describes himself as an attachment-based, Emotionally Focused therapist. He relies on attachment theory, focusing on how individuals relate to others and fostering in-session changes that can be applied in daily life. He primarily works with individuals who have experienced trauma or past difficulties, as well as couples and individuals dealing with a range of issues from depression to anxiety and addiction.

Favorite Self-Help Book: For relationship advice, he recommends “Love Sense” by Dr. Sue Johnson. For those dealing with trauma, he suggests “What Happened to You?” and “Getting Past Your Past.”

Second Favorite Hobby: His second favorite hobby is drumming. He plays the drum set and various hand instruments, with training in West African music.

Greatest Fear: Spencer’s greatest fear is being permanently stuck somewhere and feeling isolated in that situation.

Best Movie/TV Show: As a Star Wars fan, he enjoyed the recent “Andor,” “Kenobi,” and is currently watching “Ahsoka.”

Favorite Book: His favorite novel is the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which he considers a classic.

Coolest Place he has traveled: Spencer and his wife spent three and a half months in China, where they taught English to elementary school children. He found China to be a fascinating place and highly recommends visiting.

My Approach & Values

In 2019, Spencer received a certificate in Medical Family Therapy, focusing on integrated care and collaboration with different professionals to treat the whole person. To help in his work with couples, he became a certified Emotionally Focused Couples and Individual Therapist in 2022 along with being a Certified SYMBIS Facilitator for premarital couples. Spencer is also passionate about working with trauma and difficult life experiences. To help with that work, he was trained in EMDR in 2018 and officially became a certified EMDR therapist in 2024.

 

My Experience

  • Couples Therapy
  • Families Therapy
  • Individual Therapy

My Education

Spencer Dutson earned his undergraduate degree from Utah State University, studying Family Services, Community Services, and Human Development. He then received his master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating in 2015 with his bachelor’s and in 2019 with his master’s.

 

I Work With Individuals,

Couples, & Families

Individual Therapy

Are you experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, or trauma? Each of these, whether an ongoing and severe case or a recent and mild event, can lead to major changes in your life.

Our therapists help people just like you every day to work through some of these challenging situations. To learn more about how you can take control of your life again…

Couples Therapy

Are you missing that amazing spark that used to be there? Do you feel hurt or betrayed by your partner? Are you worried, or even wondering if you want to make things work out? Are you frustrated because your communication with your partner is just not cutting it?

These are questions we hear every day. To learn more about how to make that wonderful relationship you have envisioned a reality…

Family Therapy

Are you feeling overwhelmed parenting a difficult child? Have your family dynamics changed due to death or divorce? Are you trying to blend a family? Do you have a child with physical, mental, social, or emotional challenges that is impacting your family?

These can all be demanding scenarios to tackle on your own. We have therapists with experience managing these very frameworks. To learn more about how to successfully orchestrate your family…

"I feel so blessed to have had Spencer as my therapist. I knew I needed EMDR therapy but didn’t know what to expect. Spencer was able to cater his approach to fit my mental process. I trust him as a therapist and would recommend him to anyone I care about because he is attentive, knowledgeable, careful and kind."

Emilee P.

"Spencer was such a big help getting me out of my constant cycles of anxiety! I was able to learn ways to cope and work with the way my mind works instead of constantly fighting against it. Life has color, thanks Cache Valley Counseling!"

McKenzie J.