Spela Bertoncelj, LCSW

Spela Bertoncelj is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in Montana who uses practical, evidence-based approaches to help people manage stress, anxiety, anger, and the effects of trauma and abuse. She centers sessions on each person's strengths and goals, and she encourages small, manageable steps toward feeling more in control.

Spela spends sessions listening to what matters most and helping people build skills they can use day to day. She draws on cognitive behavioral therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and develop clearer ways of responding. She also uses client-centered techniques to make space for each person's experience and priorities.

Her work includes strategies from dialectical behavior therapy when emotions feel intense and from solution-focused methods to set short-term goals and notice progress. Motivational interviewing is used to explore ambivalence and strengthen commitment to change. These methods are chosen to match what a person needs at that time.

Spela has four years of professional experience working with concerns like low self-esteem, coping with life changes, and chronic stress. She also helps people facing issues such as attachment wounds, caregiver strain, body image worries, and the fallout of divorce or separation.

Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients. People who start therapy with Spela complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule sessions that fit their timing and needs.

Therapeutic approaches and online care

Spela often uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people spot and change thinking patterns that fuel anxiety, low mood, and unhelpful behaviors. CBT focuses on practical exercises and homework that can be tracked between sessions to build new habits. She also uses client-centered therapy, which means sessions are guided by the person's concerns and values while the therapist offers empathy and support.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Spela will talk through goals and preferences and suggest methods that fit what a person wants to achieve. Goals and tools can shift over time as progress is made and new needs appear.

Online care is offered through several formats to make therapy easier to fit into life. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can work when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text-based messaging support people who prefer typing to speaking or want more flexible, ongoing contact between scheduled sessions. These options help people access consistent therapeutic work while balancing other responsibilities.