Sensory Integration Education

Stephanie Ruppel and Amy Stephens take up new director roles at SIE this summer. Dr Sylvia Taylor-Goh and Lelanie Brewer are moving to new director remits within the not-for-profit organisation. 

Director of Postgraduate Education: Stephanie Ruppel

Paediatric Occupational Therapist (OT) and Advanced SI Practitioner Stephanie Ruppel is taking on the role of Director of Postgraduate Education. After many years of working as an eMentor supporting SIE students to qualify as SI Practitioners and Advanced SI Practitioners, Stephanie will be responsible for leading the overarching strategic direction of the content and delivery of SIE’s university-accredited postgraduate clinical training. 

Having worked as an OT Lead and as a Specialist OT supporting autistic children and young people and having successfully completed SIE’s MSc in Sensory Integration and worked as an eMentor, Stephanie has a deep knowledge of both the journey to qualifying as an SI practitioner and using an SI approach in clinical practice.

Stephanie said: 

“I look forward to working with SIE’s higher education partner, Sheffield Hallam University, to ensure the Master's degree programme is of the highest quality and relevance to modern clinical practice.”

Director of Lifelong Learning: Amy Stephens

Amy Stephens, Consultant Speech & Language Therapist (SLT) and Advanced SI Practitioner is joining SIE as Director of Lifelong Learning. In this new role, Amy will build on SIE's highly-popular short online course and webinar catalogue to create world class training, information and support resources for professionals and families. Her remit will ensure that the quality and scope of SIE’s short courses meets the continuous professional development needs for therapists and professionals as well as providing awareness-raising and practical strategies to support parents and carers.

Already one of the leads for SIE’s community of practice, Amy will be driving the strategic direction of the Association of Sensory Integration Practice (ASIP) and the ASIP Journal Club. Amy is a highly experienced SLT with a demonstrated history of working in higher education and clinical practice. She was the first SLT to qualify as an Ayres Sensory Integration Advanced Practitioner in the UK, has been lecturing and mentoring in SI for over a decade, and is the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist's National Clinical Adviser in Sensory Integration.

Amy said: 

"I am delighted to have this opportunity to build on SIE's commitment to lifelong learning, and look forward to the exciting possibilities of sharing the sensory piece in so many aspects of clinical and education practice. I see on a daily basis how understanding sensory integration makes a positive difference to the lives and opportunities of individuals for whom sensory processing is challenging, and I am passionate about creating the 'just right' training opportunities for all. SIE's not-for-profit ethics and high standards for training quality are personally important to me, and I am looking forward to inspiring change and learning as part of a forward-looking and innovative organisation."

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Research Director: Dr Sylvia Taylor-Goh 

Dr Sylvia Taylor-Goh has evolved her role from Director of Education Strategy and Innovation to Research Director with a focus on leading on the development of research capacity and capability of practitioners within the field of sensory integration. Sylvia is a Consultant Speech and Language Therapist (Neurological Disorders) and Advanced SI Practitioner.

Sylvia’s professional background encompasses academia, research, clinical practice, senior public-sector management and project management. She is committed to advancing evidence-based practice - one of the outputs of her PhD, which investigated the clinical reasoning and decision-making of occupational therapists, speech & language therapists and biomedical engineers, is the Taylor-Goh Model of Clinical Reasoning.

Sylvia said: 

“Promoting and supporting SI research and contributing to the evidence base for SI has been a cornerstone of SIE’s remit throughout its more than twenty-five-year history. I look forward to working with SIE’s substantial network of researchers, academics, funding bodies, policy makers, associates and supporters to encourage and support new research and to get more therapists involved in research.”

Director of Student Development: Lelanie Brewer 

Lelanie Brewer has segued to the role of Director of Student Development. Before joining SIE in 2018 as Head of Education Programmes, Lelanie was a Senior Lecturer in OT and MSc OT programme lead at Northumbria University. Lelanie is a Paediatric OT, Advanced SI Practitioner and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. A highly experienced clinician in both NHS, charity and independent settings, Lelanie is working towards a PhD, with her research focusing on self-care in children with motor difficulties.

In her new director role, Lelanie works closely with SIE’s partner Sheffield Hallam University and oversees the assessment strategy and delivery; student support; and student progression.

Lelanie said: 

“My OT undergraduate lecturer lent me her copy of ‘The Out of Sync Child’ back in 1999 and since then I was hooked on sensory integration. It’s exciting now to be supporting a new generation of students to embark and continue on their SI journey.”

Cathy Maguire is Culture and Engagement Executive Director. Fiona Insch is Chief Executive Officer. Rosalind Rogers remains as Chair of SIE. You can learn more about the SIE team here.