Child Life

What does a Child Life Specialist do?

A Child Life Specialist provides psychosocial and emotional support for children and their families in vulnerable settings, specifically in hospitals. Moreover, a Child Life Specialist works together with the child and their families in order to help them cope with the challenges of hospitalization, illness, and disability. In addition to helping these individuals feel comfortable in hospital settings, a Child Life Specialist will also ensure that the children and their families are well informed and have a complete understanding of the procedures and steps that are going to be taken during their stay in the hospital.

While preparing the children for their procedures, a Child Life Specialist will not use anything above grade 4 language to further ensure the child will understand. The Child Life Specialist that I have had the opportunity to learn from has created a slide show on an iPad to help the children visually see where they are going for their procedures, the people that they are going to see, and some different things that may happen to them. Last year I was a Child Life Student and have continued on as a volunteer.

Throughout my experiences volunteering at The Hospital for Sick Children, I have met many different people and learned a countless number of lessons. I hope to someday become a Child Life Specialist and have the opportunity to create and implement more programs to help children and their families overcome the challenges of hospitalization.

Some AMAZING things Child Life Specialists have done:

Bravery Beads

The Bravery Beads program was initiated by a board of Child Life Specialists and has been implemented throughout each unit of the hospital. Bravery Beads provide the children with a visual representation of their journeys through their stay at the hospital, and due to each child’s individualized experiences, no two necklaces are the same. Each test and procedure has a bead that goes along with it, so when the child undergoes a scan or has a new IV put in, they can receive a special bead to add to their necklace. Moreover, when a child accomplishes a task, such as going for a walk, going to the bathroom, or simply hanging out with a volunteer, they will receive a bead that represents the task that they achieved. Lastly, if a child is hospitalized during their birthday or a holiday, they will receive a bead for that as well. While the Bravery Beads program is geared towards empowering the children and enabling them to visually understand their strength, it is also extremely important and impactful to the parents and families of these children. The Bravery Bead necklaces that are obtained extend further than the walls of the hospital. When a child returns to the hospital they are able to add more beads to their pre-existing necklace, and when they are discharged, it is something that they are able to take home with them to further represent the strength and courage that they have demonstrated throughout their journey.

Soft Cloth Dolls

The Soft Cloth Dolls is a craft that was created by a Child Life Specialist. The dolls are made out of a soft canvas material and are blank for the children to draw on and decorate. While creating the dolls is a fun activity for the children to engage in, it also offers the children a form of creative self-expression. This is important as it assists the Child Life Specialist and other medical practitioners in understanding how the child is feeling and gives them the ability to further assess the child’s needs. The Soft Cloth Dolls are also used for explaining medical procedures to the children in a visual and age-appropriate way. When in such a vulnerable setting, it is important to offer the children several forms to be able to express their inner feelings and understandings of what they are going through. The Soft Cloth Dolls have been proven to be very successful in the past and many Child Life Specialists continue to use this craft with the children.

PAWS (Pets At Work)

Another program that was introduced through the Child Life program at Sick Kids is the PAWS (Pets At Work) program. Throughout the week, several specially trained dogs and their owners visit the hospital and offer Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) to the inpatient children and their families. The PAWS program has been very successful and assisted many patients through tough times during their hospitalization. In my personal experience, I have seen one of the therapy dogs aid a young girl get out of bed in order to go for a walk after her surgery. This little girl seemed very hesitant and scared to walk as she was in pain, however once the option of walking a dog around the unit was offered, she became more comfortable with the idea and confident in her abilities. Another example of the impact that the PAWS program has had at Sick Kids is when I was visiting a patient with another therapy dog. This child is a HUGE dog lover and when we were in her room, she expressed the PAWS program as “the therapy that the doctors can’t provide”. This program continues to grow and help more children and families each day.

#Therapeutic #ChildLife