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About Robert Spencer Robert Spencer graduated from Klamath Union High School in Klamath Falls, Oregon in 1965. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Oregon in 1969. Upon graduation Robert was commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served from 1969 to 1972, being  discharged with the rank of captain.
After the military he went to the University of Idaho, gaining a master’s degree in clinical psychology in 1972, and then he worked as a psychologist for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare until 1977. Robert took a year off and attended post-graduate studies in developmental psychology at UCLA, with a specialty in working with autistic children. Returning to Idaho he worked with the Department of Health and Welfare again before joining a firm of psychologists in private practice. A large part of his work there was working at a pain clinic at Mercy Medical Center in Nampa, Idaho, where he became interested in psychophysiology, or that area of study where body and mind merge. During this time he discovered the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education and his life changed after completing the four-year course of study in 1986.
Since then Robert has practiced this powerful body of work, helping the general public, chronic pain patients, equestrians, skiers and actors to live healthier, more functional lives. In addition to his practice in Boise, Robert helps train new Feldenkrais practitioners in the United States and abroad.  He has continued his interest in helping people to improve their lives and overcome difficulties through personal awareness, self-understanding, and behavior change. Coaching people with life issues has placed Robert outside the official boundaries of established mental health disciplines, like psychology and counseling. That's just fine with him . . .
In the midst of his studies and vocation Robert found time to write a critically acclaimed book titled The Craft of the Warrior. He is also co-author of EquiMotion - A Feldenkrais Integrated Riding Workshop, which is an audio course for equestrians. He was founder and president of the Sendero Institut e of Consciousness Studies from 1995 to 1998 and has taught psychology on the college level as a graduate assistant while at the University of Idaho and UCLA, and as an adjuct faculty member at College of Idaho and Boise State University.
Other tidbits: Robert has been married to Faye Spencer since 1976, speaks English and Spanish, and enjoys playing with his dog, downhill skiing, bicycling, music, and photography. Robert has assisted both his parents through all stages of Alzheimer’s disease. |
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