Inside Out: A Deep Dive into Interoception

Description

Location: Live Online

A Two-Day Virtual Workshop for Professionals in Health, Therapy, and Education

Interoception, our capacity to notice, interpret, and act on the internal signals of our bodies, plays a vital role in shaping human behavior, regulation, and well-being. Yet, its complexity is often misunderstood or undervalued in professional practice, particularly when viewed through narrow disciplinary lenses. This immersive two-day virtual workshop is designed to deepen understanding of interoception’s intricate role within the body-brain connection. We will explore its ties to neurobiology, sensory integration, homeostasis, trauma, and Polyvagal Theory, offering both a rigorous scientific foundation and practical, actionable strategies that can be applied across a wide range of clinical and educational settings.

Grounded in a trauma-informed perspective, this training balances theory with hands-on case discussions, encouraging participants to consider how interoception impacts daily function, therapeutic progress, and human connection. Attendees will engage with current neuroscience, examine the pathways of interoceptive processing within the somatosensory complex, and reflect on how safety, co-regulation, and environmental factors shape the interoceptive experience. Through a blend of didactic information sharing, real-life case vignettes, and practical tools for both assessment and intervention, this workshop invites professionals from occupational therapy, mental health, speech-language pathology, education, medicine, and allied fields to deepen their clinical reasoning and expand their toolbox.

Outline / Agenda

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

1. Define interoception and articulate its distinction from other sensory systems (e.g., proprioception, exteroception) within the broader somatosensory framework, in relation to occupational performance and regulation.
2. Identify key neurobiological structures and pathways involved in interoception (insula, ACC, brainstem, thalamus) and explain their relevance to sensory modulation, emotional regulation, and occupational engagement.
3. Analyze the role of interoception in supporting homeostasis, behavioral regulation, and modulation strategies across occupational contexts and daily life activities.
4. Apply knowledge of interoceptive assessment tools (formal and informal) to interpret case-based scenarios and develop interoceptive profiles that inform intervention planning.
5. Explain how trauma impacts interoceptive processing and integration, and describe how this relationship affects occupational performance, sensory regulation, and emotional well-being.
6. Synthesize the relationship between interoception, Polyvagal Theory, and nervous system regulation to inform evidence-based therapeutic approaches that enhance client outcomes.
7. Identify and implement practical, evidence-informed interventions to support interoceptive awareness and body literacy, including co-regulation strategies across practice settings.
8. Integrate interoceptive assessment findings with intervention strategies through collaborative problem-solving in case-based learning, demonstrating application of knowledge to interdisciplinary contexts.

Presenter: Maude Le Roux, OTR/L, SIPT, ADHD – CSP, Expert DIR/Floortime Trainer

Bio: Maude Le Roux is a global trainer in multiple methodologies and a mentor to therapists from multidisciplinary teams. She opened her practice, A Total Approach in Glen Mills, PA, USA in 2001, and the satellite office in Allentown, PA in 2023. Maude started her training career in 2007 and opened her online academy in 2019. She has designed the Developmental Pathways Model (DPM), which she applies to her own unique assessment and intervention protocol for major diagnosis such as Dyspraxia, ADHD and Executive Functions, Autism, Reading and Writing Disorders, and Trauma and Attachment. Maude served 9 years on the Board of Directors for ATTACh and currently serves on their Advisory Board. She also serves on the Advisory Board for LSWorks (Neuralign program). She is a co-author of two books and more recently wrote a chapter on Trauma and the Body in “Healing Connections” which launched in September 2024. Maude received an award for “Continued child advocacy” through the ATTACh organization in September 2024. She also received the Champion Award through ICDL in November 2024. Maude has a “whole child” approach to care and intervention and equipping the child, while empowering the parent is at the core of who she is as a clinician and trainer.

Target Audience: 

Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Educators,

Educational Level: Intermediary

Pre-Requisites: None

Number of Participants: Unlimited

Instructional Methods: PowerPoint, Group Discussion, Video

Contact Hours: 11 hours

To Register: Contact [email protected]