Spencer R. Potesta
Psychotherapist & ceo of Social Capital
By trade, I am experienced in clinical and organizational psychology, using these skills to help individuals and organizations excel under whatever goals or pressures they might experience.
As a practitioner, I apply the same core psychological principles across a spectrum — from treating severe anxiety and trauma in clinical practice, to coaching high-performance traders and finance leaders on risk management and optimization, to building resilient organizations through Social Capital.
I run a selective private clinical practice and coach a small number of elite clients, while leading Social Capital as CEO.
I use the same tools I teach to others.
- email me
Psychotherapeutic Work
My background in clinical psychology drives my private psychotherapy practice, where — as a double board-certified psychotherapist in Illinois — I specialize in severe and complex anxiety disorders (I.e., OCD and phobias) and trauma-related conditions (I.e., dissociation/DPDR).
My success treating these high-complexity, treatment-resistant cases showed me both the transformative power of specialized care and the tragic scarcity of access for most people who need it.
This realization directly inspired me to scale exceptional mental health treatment — leading to the creation and growth of Midsommer, now expanding nationwide under Social Capital.
I continue to deliver intensive, evidence-based treatment to a carefully selected patient group while advancing broader access through the organizations I build. I also am co-owner of Chicago Counseling Center in Illinois.
Social Capital
As CEO of Social Capital Holdings, a multi-strategy firm, I apply organizational psychology principles to build and scale companies that I have deep personal and strategic interest in.
Our core activity is active private investment: we acquire and grow businesses where we can add meaningful value through hands-on leadership, operational improvement, and ethical scaling — always prioritizing the well-being of organizations, employees, and stakeholders.
We complement this with internal hedge fund strategies (including machine learning-driven approaches) to generate alpha, which we continually reinvest to fuel sustainable growth.
Currently, we have been doubling down in the healthcare and mental health space — most visibly through scaling Midsommer into a leading platform for high-quality, accessible psychotherapy across multiple states. Midsommer’s origins came after a success with Illinois-based firm Chicago Counseling Center and Midsommer is us continuing our methods.
Looking ahead, we actively plan to expand into energy as our next major focus area, while investment wise, we are expanding into machine learning.
This unique multi-strategy model allows us to create resilient, values-driven companies while generating resources for broader impact.
Foundation Work
The Social Capital Foundation represents the culmination of my abilities across clinical practice, coaching, and company building — and frankly, where my heart truly lies.
I care deeply about bringing mental health access to everyone who needs it, regardless of circumstance. The foundation is my most direct way of using my talents toward what I believe could be part of a lasting solution: channeling 100% of donated and reinvested capital into healthcare initiatives that support individuals and organizations in need.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit endowment fund, we maximize every dollar through streamlined operations to create sustainable, wide-reaching impact.
Performance Coaching
Drawing directly from my clinical and organizational psychology expertise, I selectively coach a small group of high-performance leaders and teams in hedge funds, private equity, and proprietary trading. I bring over the same privacy discretion that is used in my clinical practice.
I help clients apply the same tools proven in severe clinical cases:
Building authentic tolerance for risk and uncertainty
Removing emotional interference from decisions
Managing acute stress and sustaining peak performance
Reinforcing disciplined execution in volatile environments
Note: Engagements are very limited based on commitment and fit to ensure lasting impact, but please reach out.
Book
Core principles from my clinical, coaching, and organizational work — outlining emotional and behavioral control in high-stakes settings.
Contact
Clinical inquiries (complex and severe anxiety): Midsommer Psychotherapy
Coaching inquiries (hedge fund / PE / traders/ high-performance): Email me
Note: Only high-commitment inquiries considered due to limited capacity.