About
Sara Owen is a British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) accredited (provisional) cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) therapist and registered dance movement psychotherapist. Her previous experience includes working with a range of mental health presentations in adult mental health settings (community and residential) and in a child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) setting. She also has experience in delivering dance and movement psychotherapy, in public and private schools, to children with profound and multiple additional needs, autism and challenging behaviours.
Sara spent six months living and volunteering as a dance movement psychotherapist in India, where she ran therapy groups in various children’s shelter homes and supported a charity in the development and implementation of its therapeutic provision.
In her work in special education, Sara ran both individual and group dance movement psychotherapy sessions in addition to creative therapy sessions, co-facilitated with music therapists and drama therapists. This approach was documented by Sara in a chapter in the book: ‘Essentials of Dance Movement Psychotherapy: International Perspectives on Theory, Research and Practice’.
During her time in CAMHS, Sara was part of a team of therapists devising a CBT based group intervention for young people struggling with anxiety.
As well as facilitating group CBT sessions, Sara also manages a case load of individual clients. Favouring a holistic and individualised approach, Sara is committed to developing strong therapeutic relationships with her clients so that each course of therapy is tailored to needs of each individual.
Research Interests
Chapter on nonverbal communication of empathy and attunement: published in Essentials of Dance Movement Psychotherapy: International Perspectives on Theory, Research, and Practice.
Further areas of interest: trauma, yoga, mindfulness/compassion.
Links to clinical articles/research papers:
- Chapter 12 I am here with you: Dance movement therapy and music therapy as a marriage of empathy in the special school setting
- Essentials of Dance Movement Psychotherapy
International Perspectives on Theory, Research, and Practice
Additional Languages
- Welsh