Rachael SargentRachael is a Paediatric Occupational Therapist as well as the founder and director of POTTS PaediatricPediatric Occupational Therapy. As a Paediatric Occupational Therapist, my work in the community sector has included outreach within client's client' homes and education services, as well as working with children under the Transport Accident Commission Victoria.My current role sees me working with children who have experienced child sexual assault (CSA) and abuse.As a trauma-informed Occupational therapist, working with children who have experienced sexual assault. I aim to determine how the child's sensory systems, emotions, behaviour, relationships, and functional skills have been impacted by the trauma. We often talk about the impact on the brain stem and, further to this, how this impacts the child's sensory processing. We look at how their body responds to dysregulation and their trauma response, e.g., fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. We also look at the impact of dysregulation within their therapy sessions, home, school, and social life.My therapeutic role is to support clients to develop healthy co-regulation and self-regulation strategies, with the aim to build on attachment with primary caregivers and relationships. In sessions, I recommend strategies to help clients manage dysregulation, so that their there is consistency across all environments of home, kinder, and school. As occupational therapists, our goal is to ensure the child can feel safe and be able to participate in their daily life. Read More Read Less