Child life specialists provide a variety of services:
- Educating your child about illness, treatment and surgery.
- Supporting your child during stressful experiences and procedures.
- Encouraging your child to express feelings about illness and treatment through therapeutic activities.
- Normalizing the environment through age-appropriate play and group activities.
- Helping your child with pain management through distraction and relaxation.
- Providing support for siblings and other family members. (They also offer support in times of grief and death.)
Child life specialists promote coping and normalization with opportunities for patients to play and interact in our activity centers. All three Children’s locations feature activity centers supplied with toys, games and crafts for all ages. Patients and families at our Scottish Rite location can also visit The Zone to relax, watch a movie or play video games.
Support for Parents and Siblings
When your child is in the hospital, siblings may need help expressing feelings and questions. Child life specialists are available to:
- Prepare siblings for hospital visits.
- Educate siblings about your child’s diagnosis and treatment.
- Identify ways to help siblings stay connected with your child during his stay.