Sensory Integration Education

My Journey into Sensory Integration

My Sensory Integration (SI) journey began while working in an adult forensic mental health service. Many of the service users presented with significant difficulties with regulation impacting on their behaviour and ability to engage in therapeutic interventions. I remember reading about the sensory systems and their regulating effect and thinking this was applicable to the mental health setting.

My interest in SI lead me to pursue a post in an Intellectual Disability working with children and adults. The benefits of SI was readily recognised in this service and I was supported to commence my SI modules. Here I worked with young people, adults and care providers to understand and address the functional implications arising from sensory reactivity, sensory discrimination and perception difficulties.

SI Qualifications:

I have completed all 4 SI modules and become an Advanced Practitioner in Sensory Integration in 2015. I also have a Post Graduate Diploma in sensory integration via the University of Ulster.

After some years, I returned to mental health and commenced working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) where I continue to strongly advocate for the use of SI within a mental health setting.

SI Qualification

I have completed all 4 SI modules and became an Advanced Practitioner in Sensory integration in 2015. I have also completed the Post Graduate Diploma in Sensory Integration.

How I use SI in my practice

SI is an integral component of my clinical practice. Many of the young people I currently see experience challenges with self-regulation resulting in internalising and externalising behaviours that challenge. I, therefore, work with parents, teachers and young people to better understand how their sensory systems operate in times of distress and how they can use these systems to support a just right state of arousal.

I also explore sensory preferences/challenges and support young people and care providers to understand how it may impact upon their states of arousal. I support young people and caregivers to explore the relational and attachment difficulties that can arise due to mis-attunment stemming from sensory processing difficulties.

I am very passionate about SI and thoroughly enjoy supporting the development of fellow practitioners as they commence their own SI journey. Along with e-mentoring, I mentor students on the Master’s program.

You can see a short video from Natalie here.