All of our recent staff news from the past few months, including news from our colleagues and associates, and welcoming new trainers to the Studio 3 team!
A Re-Cap of the Year So Far
The Studio 3 team spent an informative two days at the NAS Autism Professionals Conference in Birmingham from Thursday 27th-28th February.
With the help of PERMA Bear, we spoke to many other professionals passionate about working positively to support individuals with autism and other additional support needs.
Our Educational Adviser Gareth was amongst the team of experienced and inspiring speakers at the event, where he spoke about the importance of inclusion within school and educational settings, and in particular stressed that the language of stress needs to be used more to re-frame the narrative around behaviour in schools, and move towards a solution-focused approach. Gareth asked, ‘We wouldn’t take a wheelchair or a hearing aid off of someone, so why should we stop someone from engaging in behaviour that helps them to cope or self-regulate?’
In addition, the ‘Good Life’ Foster Care Project, led by Studio 3 director David Walker, is expanding in the UK, and seems to be making a real difference in the lives of looked after children and their foster families. This therapeutic approach combines the best aspects of Low Arousal Approaches and other crisis management principles to ensure the best outcomes for children in foster care, centred around preventing placements from breaking down.
The second in a new series of practitioner articles is now available to download from our website, in which Professor Andrew McDonnell discusses a more empathic therapeutic approach to supporting distressed individuals than what he refers to as ‘radical behaviourist’ methods. This article outlines some of the guiding principles to what he calls Empathic Stress Support (ESS), an approach which grounds itself in humanism, reflective practice and an understanding of the transactional model of stress. Read the full article here!
Studio 3 Trainers, Old and New!
We would like to dedicate this section to our trainers – some of whom have been with us for years, and others who have newly qualified!
Firstly, a big thank you to the team of trainers who attended our recent CPD Event - a Physical Skills Refresher - on 21st February 2020 at Peamount Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. This event was attended by a great team of practitioners, which made for a very enjoyable and informative day brushing up on gentle physical skills and low arousal approaches, whilst sharing experiences and reflecting on practices.
(Standing) left to right: Caroline Farrell, Daughters of Charity (DoC), Dublin; Gillian Callan, DoC, Dublin; Mark Talbot, DoC, Roscrea; Elaine Ryan, DoC, Roscrea; Margaret O'Friel, DoC, Dublin; Noelene Mullen, HSE Southside; Tony Mulvihill, HSE Southside; Omotayo Apara, HSE Southside; Damian O'Neill, Studio 3, Kerry; Eugene McGinley, HSE Donegal; Mary Maher, Studio 3 Dublin; Keith Hayes, Camphill Communities, Dunshane; Bridget Ryan, SOS Kilkenny; Marian O'Shea, Studio 3, Dublin; Bernard Collins, DoC, Limerick; Kieran Murray, HSE Donegal. (Kneeling) left to right: Tina Kellegher, DoC, Limerick; Sonia O'Donnell, HSE, Donegal; Martin Galvin, Studio 3, Dublin; Brid Dempsey, DoC, Dublin; Brid Costelloe, SOS Kilkenny; Hnnah McAuliffe, Studio 3, Dublin; Barry Newell, Brothers of Charity, Galway.
Secondly, congratulations to the following group of newly qualified Studio 3 trainers, here celebrating their achievements at a meal in Leixlip, Dublin on 27th February, 2020.
Pictured left to right: Ian McNulty, Gateway, Sligo; Katy Gaughan, Ability West, Galway; Lorraine McGarry, DoC, Limerick; Paul Phillips, Studio 3; Elizabeth McGrattan, Peamount Hospital; Emma Coughlan, WALK, Dublin; Jency P John, Peamount Hospital. (Not pictured: Rita Leamy, Peamount Hospital & Barry Moore, Positive Futures.)
Congratulations also to the Atlass Group in Ireland who graduated in January 2020! The standard of work submitted was highly commended by Birmingham City University, and we look forward to hearing more from these participants in the future! Pictured from left to right: Emily Boylan, Bernadette O Reilly,Dillon McMahon, Funmi Fatunbi, John Fassen, Gemma Byrne, Edele Donnelly, and Martin Carter.
This year we also welcome new team members Jenette Allmark and Jenny Lindte, who recently joined us as Studio 3 trainers in Sweden! We are excited to help them spread the Studio 3 philosophy throughout Sweden!
News from Our Associates
We would like to congratulate our colleague Daniel Rippon on the publication of his PhD thesis, a research article looking at work related stress in professionals who provide health and social care for people who exhibit behaviours that challenge, available to read online here! This study has massive implications for carers working with distressed individuals, and suggests that more needs to be done to ensure carer stress is monitored and managed.
We would like to take this opportunity to draw attention to two recent surveys by Studio 3 associate Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou. The first, for parents and carers of autistic children, looks at understanding the personal and social circumstances that may pose unique opportunities and challenges during the current global pandemic.
Take the survey here.
The second study looks at the impact of sleep difficulties and the effect it has on loneliness in siblings of disabled children aged 12-25. This survey is hosted by the University College London (UCL) in consultation with Sibs and The Sleep Charity, and there are 10 £10 amazon vouchers up for grabs for siblings who complete the survey, which can be found here.
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