Did you know, March is Child Life Month?
March is a month where hospitals (and others) celebrate child life specialists and the Child Life profession through education and awareness of their work.
We want to bring awareness and focus to this specialization because the KEYS Program has worked directly with Child Life Specialists, and we know that the Child Life Community can impact your life significantly if you are in need!
What is a Child Life Specialist?
As stated in https://www.childlife.org/the-child-life-profession...
Certified Child Life Specialists are educated and clinically trained in the developmental impact of illness and injury. Their role helps improve patient and family care, satisfaction, and overall experience.
Infants, children and youth confront a wide variety of stressful and potentially traumatic events that can impact their ability to cope. These experiences related to healthcare can lead to feelings of fear, confusion, loss of control and isolation that can inhibit their development and have negative effects on their physical and emotional health and well-being.
In both healthcare and community settings, Certified Child Life Specialists help infants, children, youth and families cope with the stress and uncertainty of acute and chronic illness, injury, trauma, disability, loss and bereavement. They provide evidence-based, developmentally and psychologically appropriate interventions including therapeutic play, preparation for procedures, and education to reduce fear, anxiety, and pain.
What are some of the things a Child Life Specialist Does?
Supporting children and their families by using a variety of tactics to help them better understand a process, procedure, or other element of their medical experience
Developing age-appropriate strategies to minimize trauma and increase understanding of a medical diagnosis through treatments plans using therapeutic play, education, preparation, and activities that promote growth and development
Advocating for the special needs of children and their families
Helping children and their families process and cope with medical situations
Providing information, support, and guidance to parents and family members
Collaborating with the health care team to coordinate and manage care
Non-direct patient care tasks, such as presenting learning opportunities to members of the health care team, coordinating student education, and maintaining therapeutic supplies and activity spaces
Child life specialists are highly involved with patient care and work with children and their families. They also commonly work with social workers, chaplains, nurses, doctors, and other members of the health care staff.
If you have been impacted by a Child Life Specialist, we would love to hear your story!!!
Feel free to reach out to info@thekeysprogram.org for more information on how a Child Life Specialist can impact you and your family today!
and remember....It's ALL ABOUT THE SMILES!
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