Ways Child Life Can Support Your Family

Facilitating group time activities and familiarizing your child/ teen to the play areas and teen rooms. During this time, we provide expressive and fun activities and introduce them to other patients which can help make the hospital seem less threatening when it is unfamiliar to them. (see Therapeutic Group Time)
Providing comfort and support, particularly for children who are going through a significant change or who are upset about a disruption to their routine (see Children Coping Skills)
Working with your family to provide developmentally appropriate explanations for your children/ teens about the illness, treatment, and body so that they understand and are not confused (see Diagnostic Teaching)
Offering psychological preparations and assisting your child/teen with planning coping strategies to help them during upcoming challenging and unfamiliar events (see Preparations)
Giving support and guided distraction to child/teen during procedures
Making available pre-surgical tours to assist in preparation of patients and your family for scheduled for surgery (see Preparations)
Offering medical play opportunities to promote understanding of the events your child/teen encounters during hospital stay (see Medical Play)
Serving as a resource for parents regarding growth and development, specific needs of hospitalized children/teens, and age appropriate play, activities, or toys
Providing helpful information and support to parents and siblings regarding siblings’ response to hospitalization (see Siblings)
Aiding in strategies and activities to connect a child/parents to absent family/ friends
Providing support to children/teens grieving a loss and facilitating interventions to help with expression of feelings
Assisting patients’ transition back to school by educating classmates about diagnosis and treatment (see School Re-entry)
Planning special event celebrations for holidays, special events, birthdays, and end of treatment (see Annual Child Life Events)