Wellbeing

The Hub: A Perspective from Both an Occupational Therapist and Parent

Welcome back to another week of our Wellbeing Toolbox! We are so incredibly lucky this week to have a piece from an experienced Occupational Therapist and parent of ours, Sarah Geason. 

Hi Galilee parents,

Have you heard of the Hub? Are you interested to know it’s purpose or how it can help your child? I have become pretty familiar with the Hub over the past few terms as my children are regular attendees of the space. I am also an Occupational Therapist, my scope of work being mainly in the Adult Mental Health Sector for the past 20 years. 

I was keen to reach out via this platform as The Hub is new this year but has such great potential to be utilised as a regular resource for our children whilst at Galilee, with a flow on effect to both parents and staff alike. 

So, what is the Hub? It’s a “Break away” sensory space that can be utilised by students to help them regulate their senses and emotions and prepare for focused learning as well as socialisation. This can include the use of activities or tools to reduce sensory overload for those who find aspects of their school day overwhelming and would benefit from assistance to support a calmer state of learning. Some children also require increased sensory input and stimulation to assist with focus and concentration in the classroom. 

You might be asking yourself, why is this so important and why now? When children learn to understand and regulate their emotions and internal states they are building on their resilience and well-being, which in turn prepares them for managing and coping with day to day stresses and challenges. As our children develop and grow, they will be faced with many challenges, both in the classroom and at home -academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. There is a great deal of evidence that suggests self regulation processes have a direct influence on health and well-being later in life. These concepts are becoming more widely understood; the Victorian Government are recruiting mental health practitioners in mainstream secondary and specialist schools across the state to assist students with health promotion and mental health prevention. The department of Education in South Australia has a developed Self-Regulation Service, with other states looking to follow suit. 

I believe our children at Galilee have access to a wonderful and inclusive resource that can support growth and well-being and further promote learning and creating social connections.   

Thank you,

Sarah Geason