Cairns Mental Health Unit

Patients experiencing mental illness often struggle with emotional self-regulation. Traditional mental health interventions can sometimes rely on restrictive practices such as seclusion, which may be distressing for both patients and clinicians. The Cairns Mental Health Unit sought an innovative, patient-centred solution to better support self-regulation, reduce the use of restrictive practices, and improve overall patient wellbeing.

In collaboration with mental health clinicians, we developed ground-breaking Sensory Modulation Rooms (SMRs), designed to support in-patient treatments through immersive, multi-sensory experiences. These rooms use smart technology and creative content to help patients self-regulate by engaging their senses in a controlled environment.

Clinicians can customise sensory experiences—tailoring visuals, sounds, and scents to individual patient needs using an intuitive interface. Patients are offered therapeutic content such as calming rainforest scenes, gentle water streams, or abstract visuals to aid emotional regulation. The project was also co-designed with lived experience representatives and incorporated input from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, ensuring a culturally sensitive and inclusive approach.

The Sensory Modulation Rooms have the potential to transform mental health care within the Cairns Mental Health Unit and across Australia, achieving significant benefits. The use of sensory modulation may lead to a reduction in restrictive practices, including a decrease in seclusion measures.

Patients may experience improved outcomes such as self-regulation, relaxation, and a greater sense of control over their environment. Clinicians are supported through enhanced tools for assessing and assisting patients more effectively.

The initiative has already received recognition, winning the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service Excellence Award for Excellence in Pursuing Improvement Through Innovation and Research—highlighting its transformative impact on mental health care.