Sandra Kay Lauffenburger
M.Sc. B.Ed. B.Soc.Sci.(Hons Psych) Grad Dip (Psychology) Grad Dip(Adult Psychotherapy) Diploma (DMT) Certificate Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies
Registered Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor PACFA No. 020209 Reg Dance Movement Psychotherapist & Clinical Supervisor DTAA (Prof DMT) 203-01 Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst LIMS CMA Assoc. Editor IAPSP journal – Psychoanalysis, Context, and Self Assoc. Editory Journal of Body, Movement, and Dance in Psychotherapy
Currently Sandra’s primary professional focus is
- Supervision (individual and groups) of experienced and new psychotherapists, psychologists, counsellors, and psychiatrists using Somatic Intersubjective Self Psychology as the clinical framework and Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies as the bodymind/somatic framework.
- Assisting professional psychotherapists, dance movement psychotherapists and dance movement therapists in their research and professional presentations, such as for conferences and publication.
Sandra’s clinical work began in 1985, initially as a somatic movement therapist, and subsequently adding psychology, Self Psychological psychotherapy to her skills. She specialized in long-term treatment using psychoanalytic Self Psychology and somatic/movement for presentations including personality disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma (chronic and developmental) and psychosomatic presentations.
Beginning her working life as a Research Geophysicist in the oil industry she used her well-developed analytical skills to write one of the industry’s initial oil exploration computer programs. In 1981 she turned her scientific inquiries in the direction of the human body and movement, pursuing graduate work in anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and exercise physiology, while also satisfying the artist-within by studying contemporary dance, ballet, yoga and Pilates.
In 1985 Sandra obtained a Certification in Laban Movement Analysis through the University of Washington. While living in Asia from 1984 to 1988, Sandra taught Laban Movement Analysis/Bartenieff Fundamentals (LMA/BF) as well as Contemporary Dance to groups that had never before experienced Western movement material. She was invited to give workshops to the People’s Republic of China’s P.L.A. Song and Dance Troupe, the Guangdong Academy of Dance, the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, and fitness groups in Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong. In 1989 Sandra returned to the US and worked in the aerobic dance and fitness industry applying LMA/BF principles.
In 1992 Sandra moved permanently to Canberra ACT Australia and established The Ouldeah Centre for Movement Therapy . She introduced Canberra to the therapeutic benefits of Pilates-based Somatic Movement Therapy, educating medical practitioners and insurance companies of the benefits for their patients. Sandra was a Founding Councillor of the Australian Pilates Method Association (APMA), co-authored the curriculum used at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) for training Pilates Method instructors and developed training programs for Pilates-based Rehabilitation Practitioners, using somatic movement methods, including the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS).
Integrating her credentials in the body and movement with verbal psychotherapy skills Sandra lectured in the Counselling Department of the Wesley Institute (Sydney), tutored for IDTIA, (Melbourne), Tensegrity Training (Sunshine Coast), and has lectured in LBMS for Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) in Masters of DMT programs at the University of Melbourne and the University of Auckland (NZ).
Drawn to understanding of and working with the bodymind Sandra has published a number of papers (see Publications page).