Team
 

Outi Horne

Outi Horne has worked at the research department at SANE since 2005. Her current post is Research Manager. Since graduating from University of London (Birkbeck College) with an MPhil in Philosophy, she has worked in the area of mental health research. Her main focus is on the subjective experience of mental health problems and how service user insights can be combined with philosophical theory and used to inform the science of psychopathology and care development.

She has one foot in London and the other foot in Oxford, where she lives with her partner Tom, baby son Oskar, and their two cats, Kissa and Bea. And the numerous other creatures the cats dragged in.

Susanne Gibson

Susanne has been a member of the research team since the beginning of 2010 and shares SANE’s commitment to researching mental health from the perspectives of those with first-hand experience. Together with other members of the research team, she is currently working on a number of projects, including two projects aimed at developing a better understanding of suicide.

Susanne has a PhD in Philosophy from Cardiff University and before joining SANE worked as an academic, specialising in medical and professional ethics, including counselling ethics. She has published in academic journals such as Bioethics, Journal of Medical Ethics and Res Publica, as well as writing for a wider readership. Her interest in mental health is informed both by her study of philosophy and her experience of working as a volunteer counsellor for RELATE.

Having moved to London to take up her position with SANE, Susanne enjoys taking advantage of London’s cultural life, as well as spending time with family and friends. She also has strong ties in the north west of England, and likes to visit as often as she can.

Sarah Brand

Sarah joined the SANE research team in January 2010 after spending a few years working and travelling abroad. Sarah is dedicated to using her research skills at SANE to further knowledge of first hand experiences of mental health difficulties and to challenge stigma and increase compassion towards people who face the challenges of mental ill health. Sarah’s experience working as a SANEline volunteer and background in Psychology developed her interest in mental health research.

Sarah completed a PhD in Cognitive Psychology at UCL in 2007 and worked as a research psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Behavioural and Brain Sciences Unit of the Institute of Child Health and as a post-doctoral researcher at Melbourne University, Australia.

Sarah’s academic interests include: the effects of mindfulness on wellbeing; suicidal behaviour; first-hand experiences of mental health related issues, and the cognitive psychology of attention and memory.

Sarah spends her free time painting and drawing, discovering her best local eating places, and meeting up with friends and family (which often involves subjecting them to her home cooking!) Sarah has a strong interest in Buddhist philosophy and mindfulness meditation and regularly attends retreats and courses. She also gets out of London when she can and is often spotted tramping across the English countryside, especially when there is mud to be found.

Gareth Owen

Gareth joined the SANE research team in June 2011 to work on the New focus for suicide prevention study. He is based at the Peninsula College of Medicine at the University of Exeter where he is a member of the mental health research group. Gareth is currently involved in projects investigating public involvement in suicide prevention; recognising the early signs of dementia; and the experience of ageing with HIV.

Before completing a PhD in sociology, Gareth worked for many years as a medical social worker in London, where he particularly specialised in HIV/AIDS and end of life care. His research interests include the sociology of emotions; interpersonal interaction; gender and sexualities; and the lived experience of health and illness.

Dividing his time between London and a little cabin on Dartmoor, Gareth likes to spend his free time travelling and walking across the moors with his dog called Bess.