Helen Payne is Professor of Psychotherapy and leader of the Research Group in Movement Psychology in the Department of Psychology, Sport and Geography at the University of Hertfordshire, UK. Her research focuses on embodiment, student mental health, and dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) (one of the four arts therapies). She developed The BodyMind Approach, an innovative, facilitated group, and biopsychosocial perceptual learning intervention for the self-management of somatic symptoms where there is significant distress. The model stresses the importance of enactive, embedded and extended embodiment in a holistic framework where sensation (or interoception) is the portal to behaviour change. Helen is Founding Editor-in-Chief for the international peer reviewed journal ‘Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy’ published by Taylor and Francis. Besides being involved in the AECED project, she was also in the team for ENABLES (2019-2021) which explored use of arts-based and embodied methods in distributed leadership development. She is currently completing books on The BodyMind Approach and The Discipline of Authentic Movement (Routledge).
Recent publications include:
(2024) FREE TO VIEW Relational Integrative Psychotherapy and the Discipline of Authentic Movement. American J Dance Therapy. https://rdcu.be/dAkNS
(2023) FREE to download on Taylor & Francis Online, published Open Access.
Nature connectedness and the Discipline of Authentic Movement
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17432979.2023.2205921?src=
(2023) Reflections on a student-staff partnership in the context of research. International Journal of Students as Partners.
https://mulpress.mcmaster.ca/ijsap/article/view/5122
(2022) Teaching Staff and Student Perceptions of Staff Support for Student Mental Health: A University Case Study, Education Sciences, https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/4/237/pdf
Her hobbies include walking, nature, playing with family and friends, travelling and reformer Pilates.