Susan Scarth UKCP EMDR RSMT/E SP (level 1) Dip.Sup. (1:1 & group) CMA MCAT

I have 37+ years experience of working as a Movement Psychotherapist and applying the model to a variety of client needs. I started my professional life as a social worker with an interest in mental health, going on to community rehabilitation projects for people surviving strokes, followed by a period in psychiatric nursing at The Maudsley Hospital, South London and community mental health care with MIND. I was inspired by the value of dance and improvisation on a residential week with MotionHouse dance company; when dance through Contact Improvisation was introduced to people who rarely left their wheelchairs. The atmosphere was electric - I will never forget the energy, hope and sheer joy that the participants experienced - including myself. This led me to train as a Dance Movement Therapist achieving an MA from the Laban Centre/Drexel University in 1990, and later completing the Certificate in Movement Analysis at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement Analysis in New York (2008). My MA thesis based on group work undertaken in a women’s refuge was the beginning of developing an accessible and relevant service to support survivors of abuse and neglect. In 2009 I completed Level 1 of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy training from the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (SPI USA) and Trauma Training in Scotland (TTiS). This study ensured I could practice safely and effectively with clients who are challenged every day from the fallout from trauma. Since 2015 I have engaged in further studies in BodyMind Centering (BMC) – an intensive experiential anatomy training devised by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. These latter studies help me understand the depth and breadth of the body’s physical systems and how they interface with our mindful self.

In addition to therapeutic skills I have gained the Certificate in Reflective Practice and Creative Supervision in 2014 & 2025; Diplomas in Individual and Group Supervision using creative methods., and qualified in EMDR in December 2024.

I combine my Movement Psychotherapy practice with teaching in Europe and Asia, being proactive in the European Association Dance Movement Therapy (EADMT) as co-ordinator of the Training Standards Working Group, and studying Qigong as a personal practice. I was one of the European team that created the EADMT and held the role of President of EADMT for six years.

As a Registered Professional Member of UKCP and ISMETA I meet their Standards of Practice and uphold their Code of Ethics for both institutions. For more information visit https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/ or https://ismeta.org/