What is a Child Life Specialist?
A Certified Child Life Specialist has the professional training to help support your child and family through whatever challenge life has thrown your way. Whether it be a struggle to get through blood work at the lab, cooperating to complete a dental exam, understanding a new medical diagnosis, or coping and healing after the loss of a loved one, a child life specialist is well equipped to create a plan of action to help the family as a unit.
When we provide education, preparation and play-based opportunities to express and process emotions, we empower children and their loved ones to reach their full potential and conquer whatever challenge they face. With a strong background in child development and play, child life uses simple tools and strategies that will be easily accessible to your child and family.
Prioritizing the coping and developmental needs of children and families, CCLSs promote and protect emotional safety in times of distress. This minimizes both the immediate and long-term effects of stress, anxiety, and psychosocial trauma, ultimately empowering children, families, and their support systems.
Why choose child life?
The Family-Centered Approach
Child Life Specialists are experts in helping children and their families move through difficult scenarios while meeting their social, emotional and physical needs. My approach is to work alongside a child and their family and help to highlight their strengths as a unit.
Child Life In Action:
Julian is a 10-year-old who loves baseball, riding bikes and his dog, Rover. His older brother died three months ago after a terminal cancer diagnosis three years earlier and his parents are struggling to help him as they are deep in their own grief.
After six individual child life sessions and two sessions as a family, Julian is finding his way to verbalize his emotions and growing to understand what “grief” means.
Nicole has also connected the family to a bereavement group where Julian can process with other kids his age on losing a sibling and his parents have the opportunity to process their grief with other caregivers.
The family is feeling more connected to each other and they are reminded of their strengths through this very challenging time.
Maggie is a 6-year-old who loves the color purple, kittens and playing with Legos. She has developed a great fear around any medical visit and the need for routine blood work because of a recent diagnosis.
Her parents consult Nicole, a Child Life Specialist to work with them on how to help Maggie cope better with this experience as it often ends with lots of tears and being held down by three adults to get the blood work done.
After four sessions of medical play, rehearsing medical procedures with a coping plan and accompaniment on her next doctor’s visit, Maggie successfully completes her blood work with less anxiousness and much more cooperation.
“Child life services are associated with improved quality, outcomes, and patient and family experiences as well as decreased costs in pediatric care.”
American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement