What is a child life specialist?
If you haven’t heard of a child life specialist, then chances are good you haven’t needed one. A child life specialist (CCLS) is a certified medical professional trained in child development and the stress related to illness and injury. Most child life specialists work in pediatric hospitals, but you can also find them in dentist’s offices, doctor’s offices and places where children have stressful medical experiences. Most larger children’s hospitals will have a child life specialist, often in many different areas of the hospitals: inpatient units, surgery, emergency department, oncology clinics etc. I work in an outpatient oncology clinic supporting patients who are newly diagnosed with cancer, are currently getting chemotherapy and/or radiation through the end of their treatment and into survivorship.
That’s great , but what exactly does a child life specialist do?
I often tell people my job is to make things less stressful for them during their visit. I help patients and families navigate their medical experiences through preparation and support using developmentally-appropriate language.
Ok, but what does all of that mean?
That’s where I come in. My job is to help patients and families understand what is happening in language they can understand. I am an advocate for patients’ and families’ needs and work with the medical team to provide the best support possible. I help patients understand the when, what, why and how of their visit. I work with all ages -infant through adulthood in all stages of development.
Think about when you walk into a doctor’s office or hospital – what do you see?, what do you hear?, what do you smell? Now, imagine all that, but not understanding what this wrap around your arm that squeezes it tight and hurts is (blood pressure cuff) or what they are going to do with that pointy thing they tell me to hold still for and stick in my mouth or armpit (thermometer). How would you feel if the words everyone was saying sounded like a foreign language? How would you react if these strangers with funny-looking clothes started pulling your arm or wiping them with cold, funny smelly wipes?
Now imagine the stress you feel as a parent watching your child encounter all of that. You want to do what is best for your child, but it’s overwhelming and scary for you too. You try to comfort your child, but also listen to every word the doctor is saying. It’s a lot!
So, how can a child life specialist help me or my child?
Child life specialists can help by providing normal activities for your child, preparation for what you might encounter during your stay, support during procedures and much more.
Children learn through play, it’s the language they use to communicate with when they don’t have or can’t find the words. Play is the thing that feels most normal to them. I have lots of toys, crafts and activities for the patients to play with during their visits. You’d be amazed what you can learn from a child over a can of play-doh or coloring with them for just 5 minutes. This helps me get to know my patients and families better. Children won’t always just answer your question or share what they are feeling. Remember, they are overwhelmed themselves. With everything going on around them and seeing their caregiver stressed, children will often feed off that stress.
Think about yourself and the stressors you have. Most times, stress comes from changes in your normal or the unknown. If we don’t know what is about to happen or don’t understand why something is changing, it is harder for us to understand and process it. I help patients and families by preparing them for whatever they will encounter – procedures, hospitalizations, tests/scans, etc.
Being prepared for what will happen or knowing what is about to come allows us to understand and cope with it better than not knowing. This means I talk to the patient and families about the procedure they will have – for example: an IV placement, a x-ray, a blood draw, you name it, I can help explain it to a patient or family in language they can understand.
For instance, if I were going to prepare a patient for an IV placement, I would walk him through each step of the IV placement before it happened, so he knew what to expect when the nurse places the IV. I will often bring in the equipment the nurse is going to use and allow the patient to touch it or play with it to help him understand and not be so scared of it.
Here’s a fun fact: after an IV is placed – the needle does not stay in your arm. I repeat, the needle does not stay in your arm. What is left is a small, flexible plastic tube small enough for a mouse to drink out of (think tiny straw).
I like to use the five senses to prepare patients for these encounters – what will you smell?, what will you feel?, what will you hear?, what will you taste?, what will you see? I also have prep books that can help show a patient what will happen, dolls to use medical equipment on to practice the procedure before it happens, and pictures and videos of what to expect.
The more you know, the better you can handle the stress of the unknown.
One of the key things to helping patients cope is distraction. Some patients want to watch everything that is happening and others don’t want anything to do with it. Distraction can help you focus on something other than the thing that is stressful. This could be deep breathing, playing a game, watching a movie, talking about your favorite things, or closing your eyes and imagining yourself at your favorite place. Child life specialists are skilled in continually assessing patient’s coping and changing their support as needed.
This might look like playing the Animal Crossing Hamiliton videos while a patient is having his port accessed for chemotherapy. This might be blowing bubbles while the nurse places an IV. Maybe you could use video goggles to watch a movie during your MRI. You might find talking about your favorite movie or telling someone a funny story means you aren’t focusing on the needle for your blood draw and it’s over before you have time to worry about it.
Another key part of a child life specialist’s job is helping patients build their coping skills. Following a procedure I will talk with the patient about how the experience went, what was helpful, what was hard and what could make it better the next time. When we focus on what went well, we can start to make a plan for coping the next time the patient has that same experience.
Wow, that’s a lot.
I get told often – I don’t know how you do it. I couldn’t work with kids with cancer. It must be so sad all the time.
While my job comes with sad days and big emotions, I love my career as a child life specialist and I truly find it an honor to walk with patients and families during some of the scariest and most fragile times of their life. It is not a job I take lightly, but I have found joy in working with these populations. My oncology patients are some of the strongest fighters I have ever met. They teach me to take in each moment and enjoy the small things.
So, how does one become a child life specialist?
Child life specialists have at a minimum their bachelor’s degree (many have their master’s degree), including specific coursework, and a 600 hour internship that is required prior to being eligible to sit for the certification exam. Child life specialists are required to maintain certification through professional development hours.
If you’d like to learn more about the child life profession, visit www.chidlife.org.
I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about child life specialists or how to contact one if your child is having an upcoming procedure. I would also love to hear any experiences you’ve had with a child life specialist. Leave a comment below.
