Seeking care for your child can be scary especially when your child is frightened and doesn’t understand what is happening. With everything going on during a child’s treatment it can be hard to answer their questions and cater to their needs. That is why we have Child Life Specialists, a member of your child’s care team that helps children and families navigate their hospitalization or illness process. A Child Life Specialist is an expert in child development who works to ensure that life will remain as normal as possible in a healthcare setting.
As a child life specialist, it is their mission to improve the healthcare experience for families with children and adolescents. This is done through many different channels but it is focussed on educational preparation and play. They will get to know your child and your family to understand what you need and how they can best help you. Not only are they focused on your child, but they are also focused on the needs of their siblings because it can be very stressful for them to watch their sibling in the hospital.
What does a Child Life Specialist do to Help?
A Child Life Specialist works with patients and their families to meet the care that each one will need. They do this in many different ways, but the most common ways that you will see are:
- Procedural Preparation – Where they help your child and your family understand what is about to happen in their procedure. They also offer support at this time to help your child to feel calmer and more comfortable.
- Medical Play – During medical play your child can get a buddy doll and medical supplies where they can learn more about what is happening to them as well as help them to understand their experiences.
- Play in a hospital setting – A Child Life Specialist will also focus on just playing with your child or children or providing them opportunities to play. Play helps your child to work through their thoughts and feelings and create a fun environment in the confusing or scary time that they might be having.
- Therapeutic Conversations – A Child Life Specialist can help your child find ways to express their feelings, concerns, or frustrations when they are in the hospital. It could be hard for a child to communicate what is going on with them, but they will encourage and help them to share what they are thinking and feeling and validate those feelings as well as answer the questions that they might have.
For more information on what a Child Life Specialist does and the influence they can have on child and family care, explore this article by Intermountain Healthcare.
If you ever have a situation where you need to go to the hospital and feel that you or your child could need some support reach out the the healthcare team and ask if they have a Child Life Specialist, these wonderful individuals are here to help and want to make your hospital visit a safe environment for your family and for your child.
