Understanding Pain: A Regulation and Sensory-Informed Approach to Pain in Occupational Therapy
Workshop Overview
Pain is a complex experience that influences how people engage in everyday occupations, relationships and life roles. Occupational therapists are uniquely positioned to support people living with pain by understanding the interaction between the nervous system, sensory processing, regulation, and meaningful occupation.
This practical one-day workshop explores intersection of pain, sensory processing, and nervous system regulation through an occupational therapy lens. Participants will be introduced to Polyvagal Theory and its application to pain neuroscience, with a focus on how social engagement systems and arousal states influence pain expression.
The content bridges theory and practice, covering interoception, exteroception, and sensory modulation strategies to support pain management across acute and chronic conditions. With opportunities to apply these concepts to complex presentations such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, attendees will leave with practical strategies to support client engagement, expand the window of tolerance, and promote
occupational performance.
Key Learning Objectives
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
- Explain the principles of Polyvagal Theory and sensory processing, including their roles in pain neuroscience and regulation.
- Apply clinical strategies incorporating Polyvagal Theory and sensory modulation to support pain management and occupational performance.
- Analyse nervous system alterations and arousal shifts that influence pain expression and functional engagement.
- Develop comprehensive intervention plans using Occupational Therapy frameworks to address complex pain presentations and expand clients’ window of tolerance.
Why attend?
Pain is one of the most common and challenging issues encountered across occupational therapy practice, regardless of setting or client group. Whether you work in rehabilitation, community practice, mental health, aged care, disability or private practice, this workshop will provide practical, evidence-informed strategies to help you better understand your clients' pain experiences and support meaningful participation in everyday life.
You will leave with greater confidence in integrating regulation and sensory-informed approaches into your assessments and interventions, enabling you to enhance client engagement, improve occupational outcomes and strengthen your clinical reasoning when working with complex pain presentations.
This session is suitable for:
Occupational therapists at all career stages working across a broad range of practice areas.
Meet Your Presenters
Dr. Cate Sinclair
Dr. Cate Sinclair is an occupational therapist, founder and director of Vital Connections Allied
Health, and the immediate past Chair of the Pain in Childhood Special Interest Group of the Australian Pain Society (2023-2025).
Cate has extensive clinical experience as an occupational therapist. Most recently, as Clinical Team Leader and Clinical Advisory Panel member of Splash Paediatric Therapies, Director of Allied Services and Projects and clinical occupational therapist at Pain Specialists Australia, and Senior Occupational Therapist with the Children’s Pain Management Clinic at the Royal
Children’s Hospital.
Cate completed a Doctoral Thesis in occupational therapy with The University of Queensland in 2018, investigating adaptive functioning for children and adolescents with persistent
pain, and associations with sensory modulation and attachment patterns. Cate has presented her research at national and international conferences and has disseminated her research in peer reviewed publications and books. She regularly provides workshops for occupational therapists to build skills in pain management.
In 2024-5, Cate was on the advisory panel to develop the capability framework for OTs working with people with pain and has written content for the associated learning modules with Fiona Thomas.
Fiona Thomas
Fiona Thomas is an Occupational Therapist who has specialised in Pain Management working both in public and private settings. Her interest in pain management grew out of working in hand therapy, amputees and industrial musculoskeletal rehabilitation and noticing the variation in pain coping styles between people in pain and the need for a holistic approach to their care. This then led to what could Occupational Therapy offer in this space and how to develop the role of OTs working in Pain Management.
She has worked in a variety of roles including as a clinical OT, project coordinator, educator and more recently as the Caulfield Pain Clinic Manager.
Fiona has a clinical interest in relating occupational therapy practice to pain management including activity regulation, sensory modulation, interoceptive training, biofeedback and
functional capacity assessments as well as applying modern pain science into occupational therapy approaches.
Fiona completed a grant funded research project into self-efficacy and function and has been an active presenter at the Australian Pain Society conferences and for Occupational
Therapy Australia.
Fiona is the Occupational Therapy representative on the Australian Pain Society discipline group and has been part of committees looking at pain education, and more recently with a group of OTs working with OTA to develop the capability framework for OTs working with
people with pain and the associated learning modules.