Kelly Spencer
- Ph.D., Counseling and Counselor Education and Supervision, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- M.S., Art Therapy, Florida State University
- B.S., Education, University of Georgia
Dr. Kelly Spencer serves as program coordinator of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at 91³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Asheville campus. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor (LCMHCS) and a Board-Certified Registered Art Therapist (ATR-BC).
Spencer brings nearly two decades of clinical experience across diverse settings, including a women’s prison, community mental health agencies, addiction treatment programs, wilderness therapy and private practice. Her clinical specialties include grief and loss, trauma, life transitions and the integration of expressive arts into counseling. She is trained in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which she incorporates into her trauma-focused work. Her experience as a birth doula includes supporting individuals and families during the postpartum period and in healing from birth-related trauma. She has also completed direct-care training toward becoming a death doula, reflecting her commitment to accompanying people through profound life transitions.
Spencer has extensive experience supervising Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associates and graduate counseling interns. Her scholarly and professional interests include the psychological effects of stigma on marginalized identities, the role of creativity and experiential practices in healing, and community-based approaches to resilience. Across her clinical, teaching and community work, Spencer emphasizes the healing power of relationships and seeks to foster resilience through connection, creativity, critical self-awareness and equity-centered care.