Sarah Shaw

Biography

Sarah Shaw (was Carter) qualified as an occupational therapist in 2003 after gaining a BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy and has worked in a range of clinical settings, primarily within psychiatric healthcare. She is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, a member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Sarah’s clinical experience includes forensic services; psychiatric in-patient and rehabilitation; and community mental health and she has worked both within the NHS and private sector. Sarah completed a MSc in Health and Social Care from the University of Nottingham, specialising in recovery and social inclusion within mental health. She progressed into academia in 2016 when she taught as a Lecturer in Occupational Therapy at the University of Derby, teaching across a range of pre-registration and post graduate occupational therapy programmes, completing a postgraduate certificate in Higher Education in 2017. Sarah joined Keele University in 2023 as a Lecturer in Occupational Therapy. Her interests lie in research related to mental health and the use of qualitative research methodologies.

Research and scholarship

Sarah’s research interests lie in mental health. Sarah’s Masters research was a critical realist review on the role of professionals within the recovery paradigm. Sarah is the academic representative on the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) Approved Clinician Reference Group, contributing to the development of professional guidelines for occupational therapists to become approved clinicians within mental health. Sarah has experience of publication and presenting at professional conferences.

Sarah is particularly interested in the use of qualitative and creative research methods.

Teaching

Sarah has experience of teaching across BSc and MSc pre-registration Occupational Therapy programmes, as well as MSc Occupational Therapy Advanced Practice. Sarah is particularly passionate about teaching related to communication skills, group work, therapeutic use of self and the application of occupational therapy to mental health - keeping up to date with recent thinking around recovery, co-production and citizenship.

Publications

Dark, E. and Carter, S. (2019). 'Shifting identities: exploring occupational identity for those in recovery from an eating disorder'. Qualitative Research Journal, 20(1), pp. 127-139. DOI: 10.1108/QRJ-07-2019-0054

Woodhall E, Shaw S. How close family members contribute to the occupational experiences of their relatives with dementia in long-term residential care: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2024;87(2):89-97. doi:10.1177/03080226231201741