My Approach

My core approach is psychodynamic. By this I mean that I believe that what happens to us a children has an impact on our life and relationships as adults. In particular, that we learn ways of coping as children that enable us to survive in the best way possible into adulthood. However, some of those ways of coping, while they may have worked when we were little, do not serve us well as adults. It is for this reason that we may struggle with relationships or feel that we continually get in our own way so that we don't achieve as we would like to and as we know we are capable. My approach then, is to work in the therapy relationship to begin to understand these patterns of behaviour and ways of being so that we can begin to make different choices. As a Group analyst, I am interested in the ways that we function in all the groups of which we are a part in life - in particular the ways that we may find ourselves taking up the same role in group over and over again. Group therapy gives a forum for understanding why and how we take up these roles and offers a space to experiment with doing things differently.
The additional trainings I have done over the years have given me alternative ways of working which are also integral to my practice. I base my approach around the needs of the person.

About Me

My name is Sara Perren. I am a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and Group Analyst based in York. I have been working as a therapist for over 20 years. Before that I worked in academia and international tourism. I began my career working as a counsellor in GP surgeries all over Yorkshire. Much of what I learnt working there still forms the groundwork of my practice today. After this, I managed the staff counselling service at the University of York for seven years. During this time I trained as a group analyst and expanded my practice beginning to work with groups and couples and as a supervisor of other therapists. I became interested in research and became involved in various research projects looking at the effectiveness of counselling and psychotherapy. As part of diversifying my practice I trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprogramming)- an evidence based approach for working with trauma and DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) - a team approach for working with people suffering the consequences of complex trauma. I now work in independent practice offering supervision, therapy and training.

I work with

• Companies
• Couples
• Groups
• Individuals
• Private healthcare referrals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

Types of Therapies Offered

• Group Analytic Psychotherapist
• Psychodynamic Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• Age-related Issues
• Anxiety
• Bereavement
• Couple Issues
• Depression
• EMDR
• Mental Health Issues
• Online Counselling
• Relationships
• Stress
• Supervision
• Trauma