Meet the trainers

Éadaoin is an Occupational Therapist, and Clinical Director of the Sensory
Attachment Intervention Centre at Ash Cottage in Northern Ireland. She has worked
in the Field of Developmental Trauma for over forty years. Her model, Sensory Attachment Intervention, was developed as a response to those who were unable to participate in the therapeutic process without becoming overwhelmed. She recognised that the key to successful intervention is regulation of arousal states via the senses and co-regulating relationships. Éadaoin’s clinical approach has received international recognition by fellow clinicians. Her current focus is on collaborative research with academics and clinicians on how sensory processing and attachment patterns influence regulation of arousal states. In 2024 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Sensory Integration Education for her outstanding contributions to the advancement and promotion of Sensory Integration education, practice, and training.

Claire is a consultant Occupational Therapist. She has a special interest in children’s
occupations and how they evolve, using both evolutionary and occupational science lenses. She founded the Jump Start Centre in 2011, based in Essex. It focuses on strengthening the family system, a core tenet of SAI. Claire integrates this with her specialist training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), including Level 2 ‘Intimacy from the Inside Out’ training, and Relational Life Therapy. Claire is co-founder and author of the EcoSensory Therapy Model, an evidence-based practice approach to
therapeutic intervention in nature spaces. She is a visiting lecturer at the University of Essex and is currently completing her Ph.D., researching the dynamic relationships between adolescents and their parents, and how their daily occupations are shaped by broader, interconnected systems.

Tessa is a Consultant Occupational Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and
Neuroaffective Touch graduate with over 20 years clinical experience. Now based in London, she started her career in New Zealand with dual roles working in mental health and paediatrics. She set up workshops for “Creating Calmer Classrooms” for those affected by the Canterbury earthquake. Tessa became the first OT in the UK to work with adopted children directly within a local authority Post Adoption Team, establishing a role for Occupational Therapy which is now far more widespread. Tessa is passionate in supporting those affected by secondary trauma. She has worked extensively with adoptive parents, foster carers and professionals to address their own regulation needs by introducing body-based tools for embodiment and providing guidance on enriched environment provision.

Emma, is a Consultant Occupational Therapist and Co-Director of Juniper Tree Therapy based in Yorkshire. She has worked for over 20 years with children and young people facing social deprivation, adverse childhood experiences, and developmental differences or disabilities. Her roles have included conducting a full-
service audit within a CAMHS in-reach service at a Young Offenders Institute, which led to funding approval for a programme supporting young offenders in developing sensory regulation, occupational engagement, and social integration skills. She contributed to the delivery and evaluation of the Barnardo’s Pyramid Plus model, a psychosocial intervention for children implemented in primary schools across the Northeast of England. Additionally, Emma managed children’s camps in Yorkshire with the Kings Active Foundation, supporting the delivery and evaluation of programmes for families from challenging or disadvantaged circumstances.

Nick is a Consultant Occupational Therapist based in Yorkshire. He is the Co-Director of Juniper Tree Therapy which predominantly uses Sensory Integration and Sensory Attachment Intervention approaches. He has experience of working in independent, NHS and local authority services, including Special Education Schools in England. He has also provided SAI assessments for statutory agencies in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland. Nick is particularly interested in the impact of developmental trauma on postural control and motor coordination/Dyspraxia. He is currently involved in collaborative research analysing
children’s sensory motor behaviours, physiological responses and narrative during
CAPA assessments. Nick worked with Éadaoin Bhreathnach to jointly develop and formalise her ‘SAI Trauma-Informed Clinical Observations Protocol’ an adaptation of Ayres Clinical Observations for children who have experienced trauma and abuse.

Chris West is a Consultant Occupational Therapist. She is a Somatic Experiencing
Practitioner, and a NeuroAffective Touch Practitioner. She is one of the co-founders
of the EcoSensory Therapy Model, which uses local nature spaces for therapeutic intervention. Chris has over 30 years’ experience of working with children, young people, and adults with a range of mental health, learning, and physical health needs. Her clinical focus is working in secure residential care with young people and
adults who have sensory processing differences and attachment difficulties, often as a result of developmental trauma. In 2024 She was instrumental in establishing the first Regulating Garden in England, at Atkinson’s Secure Children’s Home. In 2024 Chris was awarded Advanced Practitioner status with the Centre for Advancing Practice, in conjunction with NHS England.