OT and Interoception

Earn 1 hour of continuing education by joining OT Potential after taking this course.

Interoception is having a moment. 

The skyrocketing popularity of the “8th sense” likely stems from its effectiveness in putting words to the importance of deep and personal sensations—like hunger, fatigue, raised heart rate, and pain.

But while these sensations seem universal, in reality there are vast differences with how—and to what degree—we each experience the components of interoception.

What’s especially interesting is how these differences relate to emotional regulation.

We are still in the early stages of this research, but early stage studies seem to be showing that interoceptive awareness can be improved. And, this improvement may possibly correlate with improved emotional regulation—even in individuals who are not explicitly working on emotional regulation.

In this 1 hour CEU course, we’ll look at a school based program that does just that: improves interoception and emotional regulation. 

After we review the article, we’ll welcome to the podcast Kelly Mahler OTD, OTR/L the lead author of the paper and one of the pioneers of researching the practical implication of interoception for OTs and other health professionals.

Primary Journal Article Explored

When you log in, be sure to check out the OT Potential Club’s written breakdown of the following research article. Then, share your questions and thoughts with fellow practitioners.

• An interoception- based intervention for improving emotional regulation in children in a special education classroom: Feasibility study.

Supplementary Materials about Interoception

Free Resources from Kelly:

• Interoception Videos
• Interoception Blog
• Interoception Printables (must sign up for mailing list to download)

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• Impact of an interoception-based program on Emotion Regulation in autistic children.
• Relationships between alexithymia, interoception, and emotional empathy in autism spectrum disorder.

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to identify assessments OTs can utilize related to interoception.
• You will be able to recognize research-backed interoception interventions. 

Agenda

Intro and breakdown of journal article

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:03:10 What is interoception?
• 00:03:38 Interoception and emotional regulation
• 00:04:59 Emotional regulation in schools
• 00:06:43 What the intent of this research?
• 00:07:21 What were their methods?
• 00:09:30 Results, article discussion and conclusion
• 00:11:07 Intro to Kelly Mahler

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (50 minutes)

• 00:13:15 How Kelly became interested in interoception
• 00:17:05 How the Interoception Curriculum came to be
• 00:22:59 Article impressions
• 00:26:13 How Kelly currently describes interoception?
• 00:31:31 How does interoception fit into a strengths based approach?
• 00:36:09 What settings is the interoception curriculum being used in?
• 00:41:01 What does it take incorporate the curriculum into schools?
• 00:45:11 What is one potent interocpention intervention for all OTs?
• 00:51:26 Where does Kelly hope to see interoception in 5 years?

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about OT and Interoception.  The educational level is introductory.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic. Our guest, Kelly Mahler, has a financial stake in the interoception curriculum, as she sells it through her website. She also teaches several AOTA courses around the topic. 

Speakers

Kelly Mahler OTD, OTR/L

Kelly Mahler OTD, OTR/L, earned a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Misericordia University, Dallas, PA. She has been an occupational therapist for 20 years, serving school-aged children and adults. Kelly is winner of multiple awards, including the 2020 American Occupational Therapy Association Emerging and Innovative Practice Award & a Mom’s Choice Gold Medal. She is an adjunct faculty member at Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA as well as at Misericordia University, Dallas, PA. Kelly is a co-principal investigator in several research projects pertaining to topics such as interoception, self-regulation, trauma & autism. Kelly is an international speaker and presents frequently on topics related to the ten resources she has authored:

• The Interoception Curriculum: A Step-by-Step Framework for Developing Mindful Self-Regulation–winner of Mom’s Choice Award Gold Medal
• Interoception Activity Cards–winner of Mom’s Choice Award Gold Medal
• Interoception Yoga Cards
• Interoception Exercise Cards
• My Interoception Workbook: A Guide for Adolescents, Teens and Young Adults
• Interoception: The Eighth Sensory System
• The Comprehensive Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness
• Sensory Issues and High Functioning Autism (with Myles and Robbins) —winner of National Parenting Publications Bronze Medal
• Destination Friendship: Developing Social Skills for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Other Social Challenges (with Benton, Hollis, and Womer)
• Hygiene and Related Behaviors for Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum and Related Disorders — winner of Mom’s Choice Award Gold Medal

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011.

Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed the courses in the Club to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Requirements. If you are outside of the United States and have questions, please contact us.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

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