Sally Berry Obituary

My friend and erstwhile colleague, Sally Berry, was a psychotherapist who spent galore years engaged successful 2 pioneering projects successful London – astatine nan Arbours Association, wherever she lived and worked pinch group pinch affectional difficulties, and astatine nan Women’s Therapy Centre, wherever she provided counselling to women experiencing struggles successful their individual lives.

Sally, who has died aged 85, began surviving and moving astatine nan Arbours Association successful 1 of their homes successful Crouch End, northbound London, successful 1971, and yet headed up 1 of nan Arbours houses elsewhere successful London while besides serving arsenic chair of its training committee, which oversaw nan mentoring of therapists and residents alike.

In 1976 she besides joined nan Women’s Therapy Centre, wherever I was a co-founder pinch Luise Eichenbaum, arsenic a one-day-a-week psychotherapist, juggling that domiciled pinch her continued beingness astatine nan Arbours organization and becoming nan centre’s part-time objective head successful nan precocious 1980s. The Women’s Therapy Centre closed successful 2005 and she retired from nan Arbours Association successful 2018, aft which she ran her ain mini backstage believe until 2021.

Born successful Oklahoma City successful nan US, Sally was nan girl of Alma (nee Payne) and Max Berry, a agent for a market store. After attending Classen precocious schoolhouse she gained a grade astatine nan University of Oklahoma, followed by an MA successful acquisition astatine nan University of Central Oklahoma.

Sally Berry was ever thoughtful, subtle and nuanced

She began activity arsenic a typical needs coach for nan children of work unit connected US bases abroad, first successful nan Philippines, past successful Wiesbaden, Germany, and yet astatine Lakenheath, Suffolk, successful 1968. At Lakenheath she met chap American Tom Ryan, a therapist astatine nan base, who became her partner; they yet joined successful 2006.

Subsequently Sally and Tom trained together arsenic psychotherapists astatine nan Arbours Association, while surviving successful nan Arbours location successful Crouch End.

Both astatine Arbours and astatine nan Women’s Therapy Centre Sally had an exceptional capacity for helping troubled group to negociate their measurement done utmost difficulties. She was ever thoughtful, subtle and nuanced, combining her exquisite objective skills pinch individual warmth and an unmissable laugh. She was besides a awesome power successful making Arbours and nan Women’s Therapy Centre collegiate and inspiring places to work, to think, to theorise and to innovate.

Outside activity Sally’s main liking was her family. She besides wrote poetry, was a voracious scholar and had galore friends.

She is survived by Tom, their daughters, Jessie and Alisa, grandchildren Ava, Sammy, Santi and Zak, and her relative Michael.