About Us
Studio 3 is an independent organisation which provides a range of clinical and coaching services for individuals and organisations. Founded in the 1990s, Studio 3 promotes the ideals, philosophies and benefits of positive psychology and Low Arousal Approaches.
We are the originators of the Low Arousal Approach, a non-aversive approach to managing distress, which encourages stress reduction and de-escalation, with a focus on the behaviour of supporters. Whilst we specialise in supporting professionals and families to best support individuals with autism, intellectual disabilities and a range of other conditions, we also provide training and coaching in a number of areas including for teachers in educational environments and for residential and foster carers, as well as clinical services such as diagnostic assessments and one-to-one therapy for individuals.
What is the Low Arousal Approach?
Clinical Psychologist Professor Andrew McDonnell discusses the Low Arousal Approach in more detail in ‘The Reflective Journey: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Low Arousal Approach.'
The Low Arousal Approach enables professionals, carers and family members to accept and manage distressed and challenging behaviours when they arise, and equips them with the tools to create systems of support around individuals to manage stress and trauma. The approach empowers the individual or team to focus on the ‘person’ in the situation, identify causes for distressed behaviour, and use proven Low Arousal skills to reduce distress and improve overall well-being.
At Studio 3, we are strongly anti-restraint and never advocate the use of restrictive practices in care environments. Whilst we sometimes teach gentle physical skills on a case-by-case basis, we will never teach prone or supine restraint holds and do not sanction seclusion of any kind.
Our aim is to give carers the skills they need to manage challenging behaviours without situations escalating to crisis levels, subsequently improving environments and developing more positive relationships between supporters and individuals. After receiving training or clinical inputs from our team, staff report feeling more confident in the workplace, less stressed, and more positive about their relationships with the individuals they support.
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A systemic approach to training in managing challenging behaviour, Low Arousal Approaches, stress management and crisis intervention.
Studio 3 Training Systems
Studio 3 trainers specialise in crisis management training for individuals working with adults and children who struggle with a range of issues across the life span, from autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to intellectual disabilities. Our courses are founded upon applied academic research and carried out by specialists within residential homes, day centres, schools and educational settings, respite care homes and hospital settings.
We have a number of training options dependent on the needs of the individual or organisation, including Low Arousal Training, Managing Signs of Distress, The Atlass Programme, The LASER (Low Arousal Supports Educational Resilience) Programme, Trauma-Informed Care Training Using the SSRR Approach for foster carers and residential children’s services, and our Train the Trainer scheme.
Studio 3 Clinical Services
At Studio 3, our highly experienced clinicians provide clinical inputs such as integrated psychology, specialist behavioural support, psychological health and psychotherapy services to a wide range of sectors (e.g. intellectual disabilities, autism, children’s services, ABI, mental health and the elderly) throughout the UK and several European countries. Our clinical team provide a positive focus on psychological well-being and positive interventions. To achieve this, we adopt a holistic approach to supporting individuals, ranging from ‘one-on-one’ therapies to providing specialist psychological supervision and coaching support. We also carry out a variety of assessments, including autism diagnostic assessments and specialist assessments.
A systemic approach to training in managing challenging behaviour, Low Arousal Approaches, stress management and crisis intervention.
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INNOVATION,
RESEARCH & CONCEPTS
Applied academic research from the leading experts in the field of challenging behaviour, autism and low arousal.
Find out more about Studio 3's work across the globe in Ireland, Scotland Denmark, Sweden, and beyond.
Low Arousal Online Training
Foundation and Advanced Level
Low Arousal training sessions are now being delivered online by our team of experienced crisis management trainers. These 3.5 hour sessions cover the principles of Low Arousal Approaches and their application in practice, and are applicable for families, teachers, staff and more. The foundation course also includes a free e-copy of 'The Reflective Journey' by Professor Andrew McDonnell.
Studio 3 News
