She received her B.S. degree in Psychology from the University of Washington in 1967 and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington in 1978. Dr. Owen has provided clinical supervision to Master's level students for over 30 years. She also leads consultation groups and provides supervision for pre-licensure professionals. She developed the diagnosis and assessment class for master's students in the mental health counseling program, and has taught this course since the manual in use was the DSM-II: she has evolved with the course in her knowledge and experience.