I work with children of various ages and diagnosis; however, all the children who receive therapy at Act for Kids have physical, sexual or emotional abuse and/or neglect as a part of their story. Although this work can be challenging, there are also many moments where I see how the work we do as an integrated therapy team makes a real and lasting difference in the lives of these children and their families.
Act for Kids (Adelaide clinic) has a team of psychologists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists who work with children to meet their developmental goals. My role as the occupational therapist is to support children to develop their ability to regulate their emotional and sensory responses, which is a common challenge for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. I also work with children to develop skills, such as handwriting, dressing, toileting or play, which may be lacking due to their challenging early experiences in life. Another key element of my role is supporting caregiver’s in understanding how their child’s experience of trauma is impacting on their behaviour and support them in caring for their child in a trauma-informed way. We also provide training and consultation to schools and kindy’s, to increase awareness of the impacts of trauma on a child’s learning and behaviour.
The team at Act for Kids is so grateful for the Morialta Charitable Trust’s contribution to this role and their ongoing support of the work we do in supporting the children and families we see at our service.