We appreciate your interest in Sensory Integration and hope that you'll find the right course offer in our program! Follow our short introduction to our history, mission, and instructors!

 

SeminarInstitut's History

 

The SeminarInstitut has its roots in a workgroup founded in 1995 in Vienna by Austrian occupational therapists with a passion for SI. Since May 2007, the SI-SeminarInstitut is a registered enterprise (owner: Elisabeth Söchting), # FN 292116 h.

 

In 1996, we organized the first SI certification series sponsored by USC/WPS with  Zoe Mailloux und Susanne Smith Roley who are our mentors, instructors, and friends till today. One other SI expert with whom we have a long standing relationship since 1998 and consider an inspiring mentor, charismatic instructor, and personal friend over the years is Dr. Erna I. Blanche, professor at USC and regular instructor in our certification program. In over 15 years now, we have adapted, structured, expanded, and professionalized our program in line with the curriculum and standards set forth by the Austrian SI organization GSIÖ.

 

 

Cooperation between GSIÖ e.V. and SI-SeminarInstitut

 

While the expert commission of the non-profit umbrella organization for SI in Austria, GSIÖ e.V., develops the guidelines for training and practice of SI in Austria, the SeminarInstitut is one of the providers who implement these guidelines and offer courses. This cooperation is regulated by a formal contract which obliges the course provider to guarantee the formal and content standards for SI-training and certification as developed by GSIÖ e.V.  

 

 

Persons Behind the SeminarInstitut

 

Elisabeth Soechting, M.A., OTR/L

occupational therapist and psychologist, PhD cand.

 

Founder and owner of SI-SeminarInstitut, fascinated by the philosophy and therapeutic relationship  reflected in Ayres' SI. Learned SI in the USA, and started to bring  Ayres' SI and world-renowned instructors to Austria in the mid 1990s. Elisabeth develops the course program of the SeminarInstitut, and teaches in all modules. 

 

Babsi Baier

Office manager of SeminarInstitut and GSIÖ  since 2007, responsible for administration and organization of our courses.

She will answer your phone calls Mon-Thu between 9:00 and 12:00, reply your voice mails or your emails.

 

 

Our certification program in Ayres' Sensory Integration (ASI) theory and intervention, SI THERAPY^original , is modeled after Dr. Ayres' SI trainings at the University of Southern California (USC). Her 4 month intensive training OT610 for occupational, physical, and speech therapists combines lecture and hands-on practicum. It is the gold standard of SI training.  

 

The GSIÖ certification program SI THERAPY^original includes

• 3 course modules (1 Theory, 2 Evaluation, 3 Intervention)
• a supervision period
• the calibration.

The program can be completed within 1 1/2 to 3 years. Go to the detailed description of the curriculum of the SI certification program SI THERAPY^original .

 

All our instructors have learned SI at its origins and intensively studied its foundations. Additionally, all SI instructors who are recognized by GSIÖ are practicing clinicians. The certification program in Austria is taught primarily in German. parts of the program are taught by USC/WPS instructors from the US, e.g., courses II.1 or III.2 (partially) and III.1 (completely). Translation is provided as needed if the instructor does not speak the local language.

 

The core element of our certification program SI THERAPY^original are the hands-on evaluation and intervention courses. In small groups, the participants apply the theory they have just learned into practice with a "course kid". They receive immediate feedback and support from the instructors and have ample opportunity to analyze their own clinical reasoning and hands-on skills. These practical learning opportunities guarantee maximal learning success in acquiring the complex concept of Sensory Integration in theory and practice!

 

SeminarInstitut provides one certification series per year in Austria. We are also providing this program in other countries, for example through our project SI2EU. If you are interested in hosting the certification program SI THERAPY^original  for therapists (i.e., para-medical therapists - occupational, physical, and speech therapists according to the respective world federation's educational guidelines),  please contact us via the contact form. We are  happy to cooperate with local organizers.  

We provide a number of weekend workshops per year. These workshops provide in-depth information on special topics in a practice related context, primarily targeted at occupational therapists but most of them also accessible for physical therapists, speech therapist or psychologists.

 

As we often invite international experts to teach these workshops, many of them are taught in English. A good opportunity for our non-German speaking followers to participate in courses by the SeminarInstitut!

To register, please follow this link to the page where you find details and registration.

Discount "Workshop Bulk of Three"

If you apply for three workshops, you may apply the  discount code DREIWS that will deduct another EUR 20.- from each 2-day workshop.