Sarah Sivers

Senior Lecturer

Sarah worked with children and young people in mainstream and specialist education provisions (early years, primary and secondary) for 15 years before training as a child, community and educational psychologist at the Tavistock and Portman (2010 – 2013). Since qualifying, Sarah has worked in two local authorities and for a children’s mental health charity. Sarah currently works with a Multi Academy Trust comprised of both mainstream and specialist schools. Sarah is also a trained Play Therapist

A key area of professional focus for Sarah is gaining the views of children and young people. Sarah has conducted research projects with colleagues to forefront the views and experiences of children and young people. Sarah has presented at conferences, written journal articles and book chapters sharing her research. Sarah’s other professional interests include promoting inclusion and diversity, understanding barriers to school attendance and therapeutic approaches to supporting children and young people.

Sarah has a particular interest in developing innovative ways to explore disseminate and celebrate psychological thinking in education. Sarah is the co-founder of a webinar series which offers a platform for sharing innovative work and ideas; Sarah is also co-facilitator of a special interest group which examines how the Power Threat Meaning Framework (Johnstone & Boyle, 2018) can be applied to education. 

 

Qualifications

• Doctorate in Child and Educational Psychology (D.Ed.Ch. Psych) – The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust 
• Accredited Play Therapist – Play Therapy UK
• MSc Psychology – The Open University

 

Membership of professional bodies

• Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society

 

Teaching roles

• Year 3 Lead for the Professional Doctorate in Child, Community and Educational Psychology (M4)
• Senior Lecturer teaching on the child development, assessment and intervention (CHAI) module
• Professional doctorate supervisor and examiner

 

Research interests

• Pupil views
• Therapeutic interventions with children, young people and adults
• Applying the Power Threat Meaning Framework to education

 

Current research projects

An exploration of how values-guided action can enhance ethical and reflexive research practice by trainee educational psychologists, with Dr Kate Farmer.

 

Selected publications

Books

Popoola, M., Sivers, S. & McDonagh, D. (2025) Reimagining Education: Hearing Children’s Voices to Design Schools Where All Belong. Oxon: Routledge

 

Book chapters

Schnackenberg, N., Sivers, S. & Powell-Davies, A. (2022). Creating Communities of Practice within Educational Psychology and Implementing Change Beyond the Pandemic, in C. Arnold & B. Davies (Eds.), Children in Lockdown: Learning the Lessons of Pandemic Times. pp. 165 – 179. London: Karnac Books

Sivers, S., Wendland, S., Baggley, L. & Boyle, K. (2022). What Children and Young People Told Us as the Covid-19 Pandemic Unfolded, in C. Arnold & B. Davies (Eds.), Children in Lockdown: Learning the Lessons of Pandemic Times. pp. 31 – 51. London: Karnac Books

Sivers, S. (2023). Considering Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the Context of BDD in N. Schnackenberg (Ed.) Trauma-Informed and Embodied Approaches to Body Dysmorphic Disorder. pp. 139 – 153. London: Jessica Kingsley

Popoola, M. & Sivers, S. (2023). Maslow, Relationships and Square Pegs in F. Morgan & E. Costello (Eds.) Square Pegs: Inclusivity, Compassion and Fitting In. pp. 77 – 88. Carmarthen: Independent Thinking Press.

 

Journal articles

Popoola, M. & Sivers S. (2021). Hearing the voices of children and young people: An ecological systems analysis of individual difference and experiences during the Covid-19 lockdown. DECP Debate, vol. 177, pp. 21 – 25.

Sivers, S. & Schnackenberg, N. (2021). Educational psychologists creating a Reach-Out webinar series during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. Educational and Child Psychology, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 109 – 123.