What are Child Life Specialist Services?
Child Life Specialists collaborate with parents and other healthcare professionals to meet the distinct needs of children in managing the effects of stress and trauma. Because children may feel overwhelmed, child life professionals help children gain a sense of familiarity and control of their environment through much play and exploration inside the healthcare facility. Understanding that a child’s wellbeing depends on the support of the family, they also provide information, support and guidance to parents, siblings, and other family members.
Services that a child life specialist provides include:
- Psychological preparation for tests, surgeries, and other medical procedures
- Support during medical procedures
- Therapeutic medical and recreational play
- Sibling support
- Support for grief and bereavement
- Emergency room interventions
- Hospital pre-admission tours
- Outpatient consultation with families
- Educate caregivers, administrators, and the general public about the needs of children under stress.
Child life specialists work with patients and families in many settings, such as inpatient units, surgical areas, outpatient clinics, the pediatric intensive care unit, the Emergency Department, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Although child life specialists typically function in the hospital setting, their skills make them especially trained to support children and families in other settings, such as hospice, dental care, schools, specialized camps, funeral homes, or wherever children experience stress or trauma. In each of these areas, child life interventions focus on the individual needs of the child and family.
Source: Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_life_specialist