Helen Justice is Occupational Therapy Professional Lead for Learning Disability and Neurodevelopmental Services at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Helen's research to date has focused on occupational therapy for individuals with intellectual disabilities and sensory processing challenges. She is particularly interested in how sensory integration and processing theories and approaches are used by occupational therapists as part of occupation-based and occupation-focussed practice. Helen is also keen to understand more about how these approaches are experienced by individuals with intellectual disabilities, their family and paid carers, and other members of multi-disciplinary/interagency teams.
In 2016 Helen completed an MRes in Clinical Research at the University of Brighton. Her research for this explored occupational therapy practice for adults with intellectual disabilities and sensory processing challenges within acute assessment and treatment units.
More recently Helen received a Small Project Grant from Sensory Integration Education, enabling her to carry out a survey examining current practice of intellectual disability occupational therapists in the UK and Ireland regarding their use of sensory integration-informed approaches. Ethical approval for the survey was granted by the University of Brighton with support from David Haines.
Another of Helen's passions is developing the next generation of occupational therapy researchers. In 2022 she obtained a Research and Innovation Grant from the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section People with Learning Disabilities (RCOTSS-PLD). This has provided her with the opportunity to involve pre-registration occupational therapy students in the analysis of the survey project findings via a research project practice placement.
You can find out more about Helen's research here - Helen Justice (researchgate.net).
Publications
Justice, H, Haines, D, Wright, J (2021) Occupational therapy for adults with intellectual disabilities and sensory processing challenges: Exploring practice within acute assessment and treatment units. Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy 48(1) 28-35 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJOT-11-2020-0018
Justice, H. 2021. SI Research: The Journey to Publication. Blog, available at SI Research: The Journey to Publication (sensoryintegrationeducation.com)
Justice, H., Westcott, L., Smith, N., Anon. (2021) Josh and Nicola's Lives at Home and at Work, RCOT-SSPLD Newsletter, Volume 4
Justice, H. (2019) Exploring important elements of practice for adults with intellectual disabilities and sensory processing challenges. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 63(7), 687, Symposia abstract, Challenging behaviour of people with intellectual disabilities: development and evaluation of interventions
Justice, H. (2019) Views of people with intellectual disabilities, their families and paid carers about sensory processing research: is it needed and how can it be authentically co-coproduced? Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 63(7), 687, Symposia abstract, Challenging behaviour of people with intellectual disabilities: development and evaluation of interventions
Justice, H. (2018) Integrating practice with research: A Delphi study exploring important elements of occupational therapy practice for adults with intellectual disabilities and sensory processing challenges. In Soechting, E.; Peteri, D. (Eds.) (2018). Integrating Research with Practice: Proceedings of the 5th European Sensory Integration Congress, Vienna, Austria, June 1-3, 2017. Vienna: GSIOe, Abstract
Justice, H and D. Chandler (2016) Audit of Occupational Therapy Input at the Selden Centre, COT-SSPLD Newsletter, Summer Edition