WHAT IS A CHILD LIFE SPECIALIST?

A child life specialist is an individual who generally works in healthcare, focusing on the emotional and developmental needs of children and families. Using play and other forms of communication, this professional member of the healthcare team seeks to reduce the stress associated with healthcare experiences and enables children and families to cope in a positive manner.

Current literature and research document that hospital and medical experiences can be emotionally upsetting to children and their families. The degree of anxiety and related emotional effects are not always dependent upon the seriousness of the child's illness or the length of the hospital stay. Recognition of the potential trauma of hospitalization has led to the development of child life programs and specially trained child life staff. Increasing prevalence of pediatric ambulatory care delivery has led to an increasing number of child life specialists employed in outpatient facilities.

The term "child life specialist" is widely recognized as the title for these healthcare professionals. Hospitals may instead refer to similar personnel as activity therapists, play therapists, or therapeutic recreation specialists. Increasingly, child life specialists are also employed in non-hospital settings, either related to healthcare (e.g., in rehabilitation centers, hospices) or other stressful life situations (e.g., providing grief counseling to survivors of severe or fatal family violence).

--www.ChildLife.org