How Child Life Helps Kids Understand, Cope and Thrive

For many children, visiting the hospital can be a frightening experience. Anxiety and stress related to illness, separation, hospitalization and medical encounters can be emotionally damaging as well as interfere with their optimal response to medical treatment and care.  

Research has shown that children who are prepared for medical procedures experience less fear and anxiety and will have better long-term adjustment to medical challenges.

The Child Life team at Valley Children's strives to promote optimum development of children, adolescents and families to minimize psychological trauma. Their interventions can increase cooperation and help to reduce procedural and post-procedural pain.  

Today, we’re taking you behind the scenes to experience a day in the life of a Child Life professional.

Who Makes up our Team?

Our Child Life team  is made up of 13 Child Life Specialists, six Child Life Assistants, one Music Therapist, one Coordinator, one Teacher, one Supervisor and a Director. 

What is Child Life Month?

Child Life Month is celebrated annually during the month of March. It honors and recognizes the impact Child Life Professionals have on patients and their families. In addition to education and celebration, one of our goals is to raise awareness about the crucial role these professionals have in reducing anxiety through play, education and emotional support by normalizing hospital experiences and empowering patients and families during difficult times.  

What Does our Day Look Like?

Our team meets each morning after rounding on each specialist's respective units to evaluate the day’s patient needs. We create a detailed schedule to organize our workflow and plan visits to the playroom, clubhouse, various activities and campus events to enhance the patient experience. This process may also include training our department’s many interns, such as Child Life student interns, Fresno State interns and individuals participating in job-shadowing. Our team then begin visiting patient and support them by offering:  

• Therapeutic play and education
  • Providing support to families is an important part of what we do. Providing resources for a patient's primary caregiver not only helps them, it helps Child Life Specialists are no strangers to therapeutic play. Therapeutic play is designed to meet the developmental, emotional, social and physical goals of children who are battling illness. These are the exact goals a Child Life Specialist aims to meet, and what better way to do that for children than through their native language - play! Using play to meet children can reduce anxiety, increase autonomy, promote positive coping, foster normalcy, provide social interactions and empower them in their healthcare journeys. While there are lots of goals for therapeutic play, there are also lots of different ways to engage in it. Some various forms include art, music, storytelling, role playing, recreational therapy, sensory play and medical play. Medical play can specifically be an effective tool in a child’s care plan to meet various physical and psychosocial needs. Using pretend and real equipment in medical play can encourage a child to express how they are feeling, allow them to feel heard and promote an understanding of what is happening to and around them, contributing to more positive health outcomes. Therapeutic play is crucial to care that offers patients opportunities to cope and heal in a compassionate atmosphere, and Child Life Specialists are just the ones to lead it!
• Family support
  • Providing support to families is an important part of what we do. Providing resources for a patient's primary caregiver not only helps them, it helps the patient as well! When caregivers are taken care of and comfortable, it only helps the patient.
• Special events
  • We arrange many fun, engaging, and therapeutic activities for patients and families. Think carnivals, movie nights, arts and crafts and seasonal events like our annual Spring Festival, Christmas in July, or Halloween parade/bash event.
• End of life/memory making
• Improve compliance and medical outcomes
  • When children understand procedures and feel supported, they are more likely to cooperate with medical procedures and staff.  
• Support development
  • Hospitalization can interrupt emotional, social and cognitive development. Child life interventions like therapeutic play and routine building help children continue developing in healthy ways.
• Empower children with coping skills
  • Child Life Specialists teach children techniques like deep breathing, distraction and positive self-talk, giving them tools they can use during and after medical experiences. This ultimately reduces fear, anxiety and trauma for the patient.
• Promote emotional expression through play
  • Play allows children to express feelings they may not be able to verbalize. This is especially important for younger children or those experiencing grief, pain, or fear.  

While each day may look different, our dedication to our patients remains the same. For the past 56 years, Valley Children's Child life team has come to work and make children’s – and their parents' – lives a little easier. To learn more about the impact this team has on the patient experience, visit here.