Danté Spencer, MA

Registered Psychological Associate: 94028960

Danté Spencer is completing his doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where his training has emphasized experiential, integrative, and depth-oriented approaches to healing. His clinical experience includes work in university counseling centers and dual-diagnosis treatment settings, supporting individuals navigating anxiety, trauma, relational challenges, and questions of identity and meaning.

Danté’s clinical and research interests converge around the role of emotional experience in driving lasting change. His dissertation examines how transformative emotional breakthroughs occur in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), particularly for adults with treatment-resistant anxiety. This work reflects his deeper commitment to helping patients access the truths beneath long-standing defenses—especially when early emotional wounds have shaped their capacity for connection, self-worth, and emotional regulation.

At Heal NPD, Danté works under Dr. Ettensohn’s supervision to provide psychodynamic psychotherapy and assessment for individuals contending with narcissistic traits or patterns. He was drawn to Dr. Ettensohn’s work for its clarity, compassion, and clinical depth—and brings that same sensibility to his own work with patients. Whether someone has been affected by narcissistic relationships or is trying to make sense of their own inner contradictions, Danté offers a therapeutic space that is grounded, respectful, and emotionally attuned. He works collaboratively to foster insight, reduce suffering, and strengthen the patient’s capacity to relate with openness and authenticity.

Danté is a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a member of the American Psychological Association’s Division for Humanistic and Psychoanalytic Psychology. He has presented scholarly work on race, trauma, consciousness, and integrative clinical practices, and he continues to explore how culture, history, and psyche intersect in therapeutic work. Above all, he aims to create a space where real transformation can take place—at a pace that honors the person, not just the symptoms.

Presentations:

Spencer, D. (2023) How Racial Addendums to the Next DSM Could Evoke Sociocultural Change and Reduce Racism. Presented for the APA Division 32 Society for Humanistic Psychology 16th annual conference March 19th, 2023, at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Spencer, D. (2022) The Utility of Post-Jungian Psychology in Conventional Therapy Rooms. Delivered to students and faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, CA

Spencer, D. (2021) Mindfulness and Somatic Embodiment: Integrative Mind Body Health. Delivered to clientele at Exis Recovery, Los Angeles, CA

Spencer, D. (2020) How Individuation as it Develops Prepares One to Engage with Others of Different Ethnic Groups, as Regards to Collective Trauma. Delivered to students and faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, CA

Spencer, D. (2019) Consciousness and What is Unconscious: A Hermeneutic Passage with Sigmund Freud. Delivered to students and faculty at Pacific Graduate Institute, Carpinteria, CA