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Tag: mental health

Meeting People’s Sensory Needs: An Occupational Therapist’s Perspective

Posted on 26 October 2023 by jess

 

Jennifer Beal shares the outcomes of a Quality Improvement project to embed sensory interventions into an adult mental health service.

Introduction

Sensory interventions can be described as complex interventions that include a wide range of elements, although the ‘active ingredients’ can be difficult to specify.

The literature indicates sensory interventions offer a collaborative approach, facilitate personal discovery and empower service users to take ownership and responsibility for their recovery journey.

The DSM-5 defines borderline personality disorder as a long-term pattern of abnormal behaviour, characterised by unstable relationships with other people, unstable sense of self and unstable emotions (American Psychiatric Association).

Many people with borderline personality disorder report feeling overwhelmed with daily life stresses (Korfine and Hooley, 2000; Domes et al., 2006). And studies have indicated that individuals with borderline personality disorder have sensory processing preferences with increased sensory sensitivity and avoidance responses (Brown et al., 2009).

Self-harm is a behaviour in which an individual injures themselves as a way of coping with intensely distressing feelings. Head banging is a common form of self-harm, linked to numerous negative outcomes, including significant brain damage. Head banging is clinically associated with personality disorders (Sensone and Wiederman, 2013).

 

Our Local Problem

Our hospital compliance data indicated there was a high rate of head banging within the personality disorder service. In August 2022, 12 of the 15 patients engaged in head banging. Using Root Cause Analysis (RCA) we were able to understand the problem, the factors involved and the possible causes of the problem.

Head banging negatively impacts progress through the care pathway and treatment outcomes. Documentation indicated that 80% of the ward population engaged in head banging; incident records suggested that this behaviour occurred on the ward and that a high occurrence was seen in communal areas such as the ward balcony.

More incidents were also identified in the evening than during the day. Records also showed how staff responded and attempted verbal de-escalation. If these strategies were unsuccessful hands-on restraint occurred.

A Quality Improvement (QI) project was proposed to improve clinical outcomes, with a systematic process to focus on:

  • Environmental improvements (physical space and resources)
  • Developing staff knowledge and skills (sensory modulation and proactivity)
  • Patient empowerment with personalised strategies

 

Intended Improvements

The QI project, which was completed as part of the Level 5 Leadership and Management Diploma, set out to introduce sensory interventions to the service to improve the quality of de-escalation, to support the global priority to reduce and, if possible, eliminate the use of restrictive practices (DH 2014) and to improve the patient experience.

 

The Setting

The service in question is an 18-bed speciality tier four personality disorder service that admits women if they have a diagnosis of personality disorder, exhibit self-harming behaviours and are able to accept the need for help. The occupancy level was at 15 for the duration of the QI project.

Patients can be detained under the Mental Health Act, or it can be informal. The multidisciplinary team works together with the women to provide a holistic, comprehensive assessment and care plan. The treatment regime typically includes medication, dialectical behavioural therapy, interpersonal groups and goal-focused strategies.

 

Planning The Intervention

The QI project was planned to address the clinical outcomes for the general ward milieu by introducing sensory interventions.

Education sessions on sensory modulation were provided for all multidisciplinary staff (face-to-face or virtual). The training included environmental influences that may increase anxiety and disorganised behaviours, information on sensory processing difficulties and helpful strategies, and understanding one’s own sensory input and the benefits of more centred staff.

An evaluation tool was created to capture self-rating of knowledge, skills and confidence before and after the training. A ticket to access the visiting sensory trailer was provided after the training.

There was a sensory awareness group (a six-week course) to introduce strategies and resources to support patients to self-regulate their sensory input. This group also supported self-management with the creation of sensory boxes and sensory ladders.

Sensory resources were introduced to provide environments to help patients manage overstimulating sensory input and self-soothe. These resources were moved from the occupational therapy department to the ward resource cupboard. Sensory items were risk-assessed to support patients purchasing items for their bedrooms, and a safety pod was also purchased as an alternative to physical intervention.

A portable sensory room visit was arranged with an external company for staff and patients to try out equipment and discuss their experiences. All patients on the ward were invited to visit the sensory trailer. This supported patient and public involvement in the project to influence and shape the introduction of sensory interventions.

And finally, a proposal was submitted to develop the ward’s quiet room into a sensory room.

 

Intervention and Feedback

Quantitative and qualitative data from before and after the project were compared to analyse staff education, patient perspectives and KPI compliance to:

  • Reduce the number of coercive interventions (restraint)
  • Improve the quality of de-escalation
  • Reduce the number of self-harm incidents
  • Improve self-management (distress management)
  • Improve performance and participation in activities of daily living

A range of sensory interventions took place within the QI project period (November 2022 – July 2023).

Staff education provided an opportunity to discuss the relevance and role of sensory strategies in adult mental health, and the sessions were well attended, with positive feedback. Evaluation forms to rate people’s knowledge, skills and confidence before and after indicated improved ratings for all participants on the Likert scales.

A ward-based sensory awareness group was set up to engage patients in activities that ground, calm and maintain alertness, and patients shared the impact of sensory sensitivity and sensory avoidance on occupational engagement. Tools were introduced to support self-identification of sensory ‘needs; and support to execute adaptive behaviours.

Sensory resources were purchased to improve the ward environment and to help individuals manage sensory input. Patients purchased lights, fidget toys and aroma diffusers for their bedrooms. The safety pod was used proactively with one patient instead of restraint.

The mobile sensory room was a popular event, and attendees shared their resource requests to set up a ward sensory room. These included light panels, tactile resources and a mobile trolley to meet a range of sensory needs.

Overall, the project led to a significant reduction in head banging incidents over the period. A further valuable finding was the reduction in incidents after 5 p.m., while a significant reduction in the use of restraint was also documented.

Staff and patients were all positive about the project, with people commenting: ‘I enjoyed the sensory group and have purchased items for my bedroom’; ‘Sensory ladders are helpful and help to share how I feel and what I need’; ‘I find fidget toys keep me calm and help me focus in ward rounds’; ‘The trailer was amazing, I hope we can reduce ward chaos with this equipment’; and ‘All staff should have sensory training’.

The data collected during the project on restraint usage and the number of incidents shows that both have been significantly reduced, and this change could be due to staff education on new strategies for de-escalation, new resources being made available to support the provision of calm, safe spaces, and the introduction of sensory interventions.

We noted several limitations to this project that have an impact on the reported outcomes, including that the project was undertaken on a single ward. The impact of unidentified and unexplored contextual and organisational factors also remains unknown.

Sensory intervention within occupational therapy is an ‘emerging practice’, and this project supports further investigations to strengthen the evidence-based practice in this field. Locally, we hope to build on these positive findings with the development of a sensory room and embed the sensory strategy training into the staff introduction programme.

 

References

American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed), American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

Brown S, Shankar R, Smith K (2009) Borderline personality disorder and sensory processing, Progress in Neurology and Psychiatry

Department of Health (2014) Positive and proactive care: reducing the need for restrictive interventions.  London, Crown Publications

Domes G, Winter B, Schell K, Cohsi K, Fast K, Herpertzi S. (2006). The influence of emotions on inhibitory functioning in borderline personality disorder. Psychological Medicine, Aug;36(8): 1163-72

Korfine L, Hooley JM (2000) Directed forgetting of emotional stimuli in borderline personality disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 109(2): 214-21

Sensone R, Widerman M (2013) Head banging: Relationships with borderline personality symptomatology. Innovative Clinical Neuroscience. 10(1): 10-11

 

Jennifer Beal, Head of Occupational Therapy, Beckton Hospital, Blackheath Hospital and Lewisham Lodge, MSc Occupational Therapy and PG Cert Sensory Integration.

Get in touch with our sensory team to find out more about our work in mental health centres.

 

Creating An Anti-Ligature Sensory Room

Posted on 24 August 2023 by jess

What Is Anti-Ligature?

Anti-ligature, in its simplest form, means that something cannot be used by someone to ligature (bind or tie).

Ligatures pose a risk in many different environments, especially those where people would wish to self-harm. Therefore, it’s important that spaces are safe from ligature risk.

Anti-Ligature Sensory Rooms are specially designed spaces that pose no or very low ligature risk. Sensory Resources in these spaces are typically firmly embedded in walls and ceilings or covered with robust casing so that they’re safe and out of the way, ready for sensory play!

Anti-Ligature sensory room in a mental health environment. With LED Sky Ceiling panels, bubble tube, and soft sensory wall and floor padding.

 

Where Are Anti-Ligature Sensory Rooms Needed?

Even though Anti-Ligature Sensory Rooms are specialist spaces, many environments can benefit from their secure designs.

From SEN Schools that need to protect vulnerable students to Mental Health Centres where patients may be at a higher risk of self-harm. Choosing an anti-ligature sensory room is a great way to ensure safety and comfort.

Suitable Environments For Anti-Ligature Sensory Rooms:

  • Mental Health Centres
  • Hospitals
  • Secure Children’s Homes
  • Supported Living Facilities
  • SEN Schools
  • Prisons

Anti-Ligature sensory room in a mental health environment. Immersive reality room with cosy beanbags and distracting bubble wall.

 

Why Are Sensory Rooms Needed In These Environments?

Sensory Rooms are an asset for ligature-risk settings as they provide a neutral space to find calm, therapeutically relax, and reset.

Classically, sensory rooms are used by children with autism to help rebalance their senses and self-regulate their behaviour.

But sensory rooms have lots of other clinical benefits:

  • Improving Mental Health & Wellbeing
    • Sensory Rooms offer a safe space away from wards, busy classrooms and clinical settings. They’re controlled environments where individuals can customise their experience to suit their needs. Whether that’s dimming the lights, putting on their favourite playlist, or watching Netflix on a big projector screen.
    • It gives people the space to spend time with themselves without the judgement of others – so they can find calm and relax, boosting their mental health and wellbeing.
  • Effective at De-Escalation
    • Whether it’s other people, settings or stimulants, it’s essential that individuals on the verge of an incident can quickly and safely de-escalate.
    • Sensory Rooms offer a neutral space for individuals to release their emotions safely and independently. Soft padding creates a safe and cosy backdrop for physical outbursts; bubble tubes and sensory lights stimulate and distract anxious minds, whilst soft rocking chairs offer individuals a place to actively work out their worries.
  • Reducing Self Harm
    • With a safe space to effectively de-escalate and support their mental health, it’s been found that individuals who have access to sensory rooms are less likely to self-harm.
    • Academics agree that sensory rooms in mental health settings reduce distress and reduce the need for seclusion and restraint (Machingura et al. 2018; Scanlan & Novack 2015; Oostermeijer et al. 2021)

Anti-Ligature sensory room in a mental health environment. With vibrating bumpers, cosy beanbag seating, LED Wall Wash and safety floor and wall padding.

 

Who Can Use Anti-Ligature Sensory Rooms?

  • Patients: To regulate their behaviour, relax, socialise and spend their free time
  • Staff: To work with patients and for their own mental health breaks
  • Families: For visits and meetings

 

How Do You Make A Sensory Room Ligature Safe?

Making a sensory room ligature safe isn’t too hard of a task. It just requires forward thinking, planning and a team of sensory specialists!

With an anti-ligature sensory room design, you need to make sure there are:

  • No Ligature Points
    • House resources in robust casing, or swap out classic products for ligature-safe ones (e.g. swapping fibre optics for LED wall wash lights)
  • Minimal Gaps Between Products & Walls
    • Ensure resources sit flush against walls or the ceiling or are securely embedded into safety padding.
  • Small Perforations In Ventilation Grills
    • Give radiators + electronic items space to breathe without creating new ligature risks.
  • Minimal Joints
    • Create bespoke sensory areas that are firmly fitted and made for use. This may include boxing in resources or designing made-to-measure furniture.
  • Hard-Wearing Equipment That Can’t Be Broken Or Weaponised
    • Our collection of sensory resources is robust and made for tough sensory play. See below which items we’d recommend for anti-ligature sensory rooms.
  • No Obstructions
    • The room doesn’t have any sharp edges or corners – whether that’s done with clever design, safety padding or corner protectors.

If you’re thinking about creating an anti-ligature sensory room in your environment, get in touch with a member of our friendly sensory team! They’ll be more than happy to get you started on your sensory journey.

 

What Sensory Equipment Should I Put In An Anti-Ligature Sensory Room?

When it comes to celebrating senses, an anti-ligature sensory room should be no different to a standard one. Mental Health Sensory Integrations should stimulate, calm and engage all five senses in a controlled and personal manner, safely and comfortably.

It’s crucial to choose robust sensory resources that pose little or no ligature risk and are safe for sensory play.

Our sensory team, alongside the Director of Occupational Therapy at Cygnet, have put together our top resources suitable for anti-ligature sensory environments.

  • Interactive Wall Panels
    • Interactive Wall Panels are highly engaging multi-sensory panels that stimulate visual, tactile, sound and cognitive senses.
    • These can be installed closely to walls or embedded into padding, significantly reducing ligature risk.
  • Interactive Floor or Wall Projection
    • Sitting high on ceilings, our interactive projectors instantly create magical interactive worlds on floors and walls. They encourage individuals to get active and use their bodies and senses to engage with the projected games and activities.
    • Safely kept out of the way, these projectors are an ideal all-in-one sensory aid for anti-ligature sensory rooms.
  • Wall Wash
    • LED Wall Wash strips bathe areas in calming sensory mood lighting. They allow individuals the opportunity to create a colourful environment to match their mood.
    • Sitting flush against the wall and ceiling, they’re kept up high and away from curious hands.
  • Therapy Rockers
    • Offer individuals a cosy place to sit, relax, and work out their worries.
    • Made from robust, zip-free, hard-wearing materials with heavy use in mind.
  • Vibrating Bumpers
    • A soft, padded bumpy wall that vibrates when touched. They’re a great interactive piece of soft play equipment to add to therapeutic environments.
    • Made to measure interactive bumpers provide sustained gentle vibrations that soothe proprioceptive systems and calm minds.

Remember! Every sensory room should be unique. When choosing equipment, it’s important that you choose resources that are suitable for your staff and end users. Get in touch with our friendly sensory team for more information.

 

Further Information

*Not all images in this blog represent Anti-Ligature Sensory Rooms. Some are calming rooms or de-escalation spaces in mental health environments. For more information get in touch with our friendly sensory team 🙂

Children’s Mental Health Week 2023

Posted on 1 February 2023 by jess

It’s Children’s Mental Health Week!

And we have a host of spectacular sensory activities ready to boost your mood, support your wellbeing, and celebrate this important occasion.

Children’s Mental Health Week was set up in 2015 by the children’s charity Place 2 Be. Their aim of the week is to highlight the importance of children and young people’s mental health; each year, they attach a theme to the week to help guide discussions and activities. And this year’s theme is Let’s Connect.

 

Feeling Connected To Our Senses

Connections are a great place to start when thinking about our mental health.

Not only do connections help us feel closer to other people, but they can also help us feel closer to ourselves.

I know we love talking about senses, but did you know that feeling connected to our senses is a great way to boost our mental wellbeing?

You might be asking how? Well, think about the last bath you had…

The warm water against your skin, the weightlessness of your body as it floats in the water, the lavender-scented bubble bath that’s made the water smell like a sunny summer garden and created a pool of pretty purple bubbles, and the sounds of your favourite calming Spotify mix pouring out of your phone’s speaker.

You’re feeling calmer, right?

That’s because you’re stimulating and immersing your senses and giving them the input they need to feel energised, restored and relaxed. Once your senses are in balance, you’ll likely feel balanced within yourself too. It’s a simple therapeutic trick.

Although when you’re a child, it can be difficult to use the same tricks.

At a young age, children are only just discovering their senses and figuring out sensory preferences. They’re also usually in sensory environments that they can’t control (i.e. noisy classrooms), making it difficult for kids to feel connected to themselves and the wider world around them. Unfortunately, this could have consequential impacts on their mental health, stress and anxiety, which could lead to a meltdown.

So, to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week, we’ve created a bite-sized list of sensory activities designed to help kids think about their sensory preferences. Working through the list should help you to feel more connected to your senses and yourself.

Take your time, have a go, a have fun!

 

Children's Mental Health Week Blog

Let’s Connect: Sensory Activities

Smell: Think about your favourite scents. How do you feel when you smell them?

  • Connect with someone else by asking them what their favourite scent is. Ask them why it’s their favourite scent. How does it compare to yours? How would they smell together?

Sight: What is your favourite colour? How does that colour make you feel?

  • Paint a picture using different shades of your favourite colour.
  • Connect with someone who also likes your favourite colour.

Touch: What is your favourite comfort to touch and hug? Is it a blanket, cuddly toy or fluffy jumper? Think about its textures and why you like the feel of them.

  • Go outside and explore nature’s different textures—the rough bark of a tree, the crisp, shiny grass, and the crumbly dirt. Stimulate your tactile senses, connect with nature, and give your mood a little pick-me-up.

Taste: What’s your favourite thing to eat? Why is it your favourite? Is it the way it tastes or a memory that’s attached to it?

  • Cook the meal and share it with someone else.

Sound: What’s your favourite song? What does it remind you of? Why do you like it so much?

  • Make a collaborative playlist with your friends that includes all of your favourite songs, and have an afternoon dance party listening to them all.

 

Children's Mental Health Week Blog

Supporting Our Mental Health

Our senses and building connections are just some of the many different activities that we can do to look after our mental health and wellbeing.

Make sure you look at Place 2 Be’s website for more resources and advice about supporting children’s mental health.

We hope that you have a wonderful Children’s Mental Health Week!

 

Further Information

Design in Mental Health Conference 2022

Posted on 23 May 2022 by jess

In June, we’re going to be heading out on the road to attend the annual Design in Mental Health Conference in Coventry. It’ll be our first in-person event for 2022, and we’re really excited to see you in person to share the wellbeing-boosting, developmental and therapeutic benefits of sensory resources.

Scroll down to find out more about the conference, what it’s about, and where you’ll be able to find us.

Design in Mental Health Royal Devon Hospital

What is the event all about?

This year’s Design in Mental Health conference is centred around ‘creating environments designed to heal’ – offering the opportunity for industry experts, teams and designers to come together to explore ideas, discuss challenges and create positive change.

Where is the event taking place?

Design in Mental Health 2022 is taking place at the Coventry Building Society Arena. You’ll be able to find us at stand 101!

When is the Design in Mental Health Conference?

The conference is running on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th of June 2022. Doors open at 9 am, and if you arrive before 10 am, you’ll get free parking and a free breakfast!

Who will be there?

Keren and Linten from our design and sales teams will be there to say hello, talk about sensory rooms and resources, and answer any questions you may have.

They’ll be bringing along a portable interactive omiVista projector system, samples of our bespoke safety padding, an infinity tunnel and a mesmerising bubble wall – so that you can experience the therapeutic and wellbeing boosting benefits of sensory in person.

 

More Information

Design in Mental Health Sensory Room

How Our Senses Affect Our Mood

Posted on 3 February 2021 by jess

 

Our senses are more important than you might first think.

On the surface, we know that our senses help us explore the world around us; seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, and smelling, so that we can safely navigate our way through daily life.

But did you know that our senses also help us feel?

This is a particular phenomenon called ‘Conceptual Association,’ which describes the link between our senses processing information and how it makes us feel a certain way. A relatable way to explain this is through the example of a coffee shop – an everyday sensory space where we go to relax.

  • Sound: The soft whirring noise made from the steam in the espresso machine, or the chilled lo-fi playlist that the cool barista has put together.
  • Smell & Taste: Caramel, vanilla bean, cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee are all warm and comforting aromas/tastes, helping us feel relaxed.
  • Touch: Soft, cosy couches covered in warm cushions give us a safe place to lay back and chill, while the heat from our coffee cups warms us up.
  • Sight: Warm, soft lights and relaxing neutral tones of the interior design transport us to a relaxing place, far away from our bustling outside lives.

Coffee Shops can be described as modern sensory spaces for adults, using a variety of sensory cues and conceptual associations to make us feel safe, warm, and relaxed. If we ever find ourselves feeling stressed or anxious, we might subconsciously head out to a coffee shop to help regulate our mood. Why? Because they allow us to have what many psychologists would call a ‘Mindful Moment’. A moment where our minds are free from anxiety or worry. They are instead perfectly distracted with the present, grounding us in the moment and letting our senses relax, no longer on high alert from any perceived worry or danger.

Mindful Moments are great for stabling moods and easing anxiety. However, they can be tricky to find organically, especially now that we’re all more or less homebound. Luckily there are lots of things that you can do to create your own mindful moments. And our team of sensory experts are here to help you use your senses to find mindful moments that are perfect for you!

 

How Senses Affect Moods

Smell

Did you know that our sense of smell is directly linked to our memory and mood?

When we smell something, sensory information is sent to our brains via our Olfactory Bulb (our smell centre) which happens to be closely connected to our Amygdala and Hippocampus (memory and emotion centres). Because of this, smells are likely to have a more significant effect on your mood.

Scents like vanilla, lavender and bergamot are great for helping you to relax when you are feeling anxious. In contrast, invigorating scents like mint and citrus are great for giving you a spike of energy if you are feeling low.

Sensory Activity: Nature Walk

Why don’t you head out of the house and into nature? It’s full of natural smells that are sure to pick up your mood. From the calming fresh air to floral flowers, freshly cut grass and the earthy smell that radiates from trees; there are a lot of different scents to distract and centre your mind.

Sensory Resources for Olfactory Stimulation

  • Tropical Putty – Our sunny gloop of scent-ational putty creates a tropical multisensory experience in the palm of your hand.
  • Smell Pots – Perfect for inquisitive minds and noses, these plastic pots have holes in their lids, encouraging the exploration of our sense of smell.
  • Scentos Colouring Workstation – Treat your inner artist to this wonderful art station that has a fabulous sensory twist, as each item has its own unique fruity smell!
  • Colour Changing Aromatherapy Diffuser – A mini sensory hub, providing relaxing smells and a dreamy light show.

Taste

Have you ever felt the urge to raid your freezer for a tub of ice cream when you’re feeling low? Well, there is a scientific reason for that – sugar!

Because we’re feeling low, our body will consciously be on the search for something sugary, as sugar will give us a short-term energy boost, picking up our mood. Treating ourselves to a tub of Phish Food every now and then isn’t a bad thing. But there are healthier alternatives filled with exciting sensory possibilities – like fruit juice or a fruit smoothie!

Sensory Activity: Make a Healthy Smoothie

Let’s make a super berry smoothie; both creamy and tangy, it will stimulate your taste buds and give you all the energy you’ll need for an action-packed afternoon!

Ingredients: Frozen Berries (450g), Fat-free Strawberry Yoghurt (450g), Milk (100ml), Honey (2 tsp)

Throw it all into a blender, pour into your favourite glass, and enjoy!

You can find the full recipe at BBC Good Food (we decided to leave out the porridge oats).

Sensory Resources to Stimulate Your Tastebuds

    • Chewigems – Soothe the natural need to chew whilst stimulating your tastebuds.

Touch

If we’re feeling anxious, stimulating our sense of touch can be a great way to centre us in a moment, grounding ourselves and stopping our minds from running away from us.

A deep pressure, proprioceptive touch is the most effective way to help us feel calmer. We can find this sort of stimulation through warm hugs with our friends & family or wrapping ourselves in a weighted blanket. This sort of pressure helps our bodies feel contained and safe, calming our minds down.

But if you’re not a hugger don’t worry; there are lots of other touch-based activities that can help boost your mood.

Getting a warm bath or shower is another great way of stimulating your whole body; it’s less constricting but still provides the warmth and love a hug would. Or you could wear your comfiest, cosiest clothes; fluffy jumpers, joggers, onesies, pyjamas – wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. Hopefully, you’ll start to feel more like yourself.

Sensory Activity: Create Your Cosiest Outfit

We’re challenging you to create the comfiest outfit you can! Go and search your wardrobe for all of your cosiest clothes – woolly hats, fluffy socks, soft jumpers, warm trousers, whatever makes your feel warm, safe and happy. Once you’re done have a mini fashion show, go outside for a nature walk or sit down and watch your favourite film – Express Yourself!

Sensory Resources that provide Tactile Stimulation

    • Cuddle Ball: Instead of wrapping your mind up in your problems, why don’t you wrap your arms in and around this comforting and cosy Cuddle Ball.
    • Weighty Snakey: A bright, tactile weighted snake that can be wrapped around the shoulders or laid across the body.
    • Weighted Blanket: A classic weighted blanket great for placing on top of a bed, or wrapping around your body for a calming hug effect.

Sight

Sight is typically the first sense we use to understand our environments. Whether that’s how bright a space is, its colours, its size, and what else is there. All of these factors can have a big impact on our emotions. Some people prefer dark, moody spaces, like a relaxing coffee shop, whilst others are more drawn to exciting, brightly lit, colourful areas like a kids’ play area. Finding yourself in an environment that doesn’t fit can make you feel anxious and uncomfortable – like a serious coffee drinker who’s unexplainably found themselves in the middle of a ball pool.

It’s important that we understand and recognise what visual things we enjoy and what we don’t. So when we find ourselves in an environment that doesn’t feel right, we can adapt to it and make ourselves feel comfortable. Whether that’s wearing sunglasses when it’s too bright outside or using mood lighting to create a personal and relaxing space.

Sensory Activity: Mood Lighting

Download a mood light app on your phone, go into a dark room, and play around with colour. See which coloured lights you like the most, and which ones you don’t. Quickly transform your space from a spooky red to mystical purple, or brighten things up with a soft and sunny yellow.

Sensory Mood Lighting Resources

    • Sensory Mood Egg: A versatile wireless mood light shaped like an egg.
    • Laser Sphere: Project awe-inspiring moving and colour-changing light effects in your room.
    • Handheld Fibre Optics Bundle: Wonder in the palm of your hand. Inspire calm and creativity with our fabulous Handheld Fibre Optic Bundle.

Sound

Hearing is the sense we use most to communicate with one another, and because of this, our ears are always alert for sounds around us.

Sounds can also affect our mood. A pop song playing through the radio on a long car ride can be uplifting, cheering us up. Whilst an angry alarm can make us feel frustrated and uncomfortable.

Finding and creating the right soundscape can be an easy way to help you balance out your mood and cheer you up.

Sensory Activity: Playlist Time!

Create a playlist of songs that make you happy and a playlist of songs that make you feel relaxed. This way, you’ll have the perfect soundtrack to pick you up when you’re feeling down and help you feel calm if you’re feeling particularly anxious.

Sensory Resources to help with Sound Stimulation

    • Ear Defenders: Protect your ears from sensory overloads.
    • Bondina Bells: Create a charming chiming melody with a rainbow of musical bells.

 

Using Your Senses To Boost Your Mental Health

With our guide and activities, you should now have a great sensory base to help you manage your moods a little better.

Don’t worry if they don’t work the first time; creating mindful moments takes time and practice.

We’ve made a handy Sensory Mood Checklist to help you figure out which senses may affect your mood the most.

Or you could try to work through each sense at a time until you find the activity that works best for you.

Mental Health And Calming Rooms

Posted on 20 April 2019 by alexandra_hooson

 

There is so much more to the world of ‘Sensory’ than people may originally think. A ‘Sensory Room’ is an umbrella term used to categorise a variety of sensory spaces designed to positively impact special needs and disabilities.

Recently, it has become increasingly apparent how beneficial sensory rooms can be for people with mental health issues. Schools, care units, prisons and mental health centres have started to incorporate sensory designs into their environments.

Calming Rooms are the most popular sensory room in Mental Health Environments.

 

What Is A Calming Room?

The main purpose of a Sensory Room is to create an environment where everyday distractions are removed, and relaxation and concentration are encouraged. Unlike a Sensory Room, a Calming Room’s main objective is not to stimulate but to provide a gentle road to mental escape in a safe and secure environment.

Creating an environment where self-regulation is encouraged and rewarded.

 

When To Use A Calming Room

There are two important things to remember when it comes to the Calming Room. First, only use a sensory room before or after a crisis, NEVER during! Second, each room is designed for personal, one-on-one staff-to-client engagement—not room for big social groups.

 

The Benefits Of A Calming Room

  • Creates a safe space
  • Facilitates a therapeutic alliance
  • Increases the ability to self-nurture
  • Increases resilience
  • Increases self-esteem and body image
  • Increases the ability to engage in meaningful life roles
  • Increases the ability to engage in social activities
  • Increases ability to cope with triggers

 

Ways to use a Calming Room

  • Proactively to prevent a crisis situation
  • Responsively after a crisis to de-escalate and problem-solve
  • For Self Regulation

 

Seclusion Methods vs Multi-Sensory Therapies

Over the years, there have been many debates and different opinions surrounding seclusion methods and multi-sensory therapies. Here are a few points to consider:

Seclusion Isolates:

  • The patient spends less time in education (classroom/social environment)
  • They are often left triggered, and very little is learned
  • The message is, “I am alone, and I have to deal with this situation all by myself.”
  • Creates more frustration, anger, irrational thoughts and behaviour

Multi-Sensory Engages:

  • Sensory calming rooms engage both the staff and the user physically and cognitively.
  • It teaches positive social skills over time.
  • The message is, “this person wants to help me at my worst time, I have a choice on how to deal with this moving forward, and I will try and take control of my own emotions.”
  • Improves engagement in education in and out of the sensory room

 

How Can You Recognise Early Warning Signs Of A Meltdown?

  • Do you know your clients’ low-level cues?
  • How do you normally respond to them?
  • Do you think your response affects escalation?

Start making mental notes of early warning signs to better prepare yourself for when to intervene to prevent further escalation.

 

Calming Room Resources

It is important that your Calming Room incorporates a mixture of the following resources to suit a number of user needs and to stimulate mentally and physically:

Click on the links to view the products in more detail.

  • Pea Pod, a deep-pressure inflatable pea pod, creates a secure, calming and relaxing experience for a user.
  • Body Sox users can voluntarily climb inside this suit, which gently resists their movements, encouraging the exploration of movement.
  • Body Roller provides deep pressure therapy as the user crawls between the rollers, squeezing out tension.
  • Protac Sensit Chair, inside the chair are weighted balls that send impulses to the central nervous system, soothing muscles and minds.

Mental Health covers a wide spectrum and there are so many different therapies and sensory solutions available to help. It can be difficult to decide which sensory support would be best for your service users. This is where we can help! With over 40 years of experience creating a wide variety of sensory environments our sensory team have the skills and knowledge to help. Get in touch for more information!

The Benefits of Multi-Sensory Environments

Posted on 5 September 2018 by alexandra_hooson

 

After extensive research, cognitive psychologists have suggested that the main ingredient of the ‘intellectual phenomenon‘ is sensory stimulation, as people explore and learn about the world with their five senses.

Continue reading “The Benefits of Multi-Sensory Environments”

Mental Health Awareness Week 2018

Posted on 14 May 2018 by alexandra_hooson

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week.

This year UK’s charity, The Mental Health Foundation, are focusing on stress. Research has shown that 16 million people experience a mental health problem each year, and stress is a key factor in this.

Therefore tackling stress, can go a long way to tackle mental health problems such as anxiety and depression and, in some instances, self-harm and suicide.

Let’s help each other and build awareness.

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

#MHAW18