Child Life Specialty
About Child Life:
Child Life Specialists help reduce the stress and anxiety that
many children experience in hospital and healthcare settings. Knowledge
and application of foundations in theories of child development, play,
stress and coping, and family systems are the basis for child life
professional practice.
Child Life programs in health care settings promote optimum development of children and their families, to maintain normal living patterns and to minimize psychological trauma. Typically, child life professionals:
- Supervise therapeutic and diversional play
- Prepare children for and assist children during medical tests and procedures through education, rehearsal, and coping skill development
- Support families during hospitalization or challenging events.
UWL and Child Life:
No one major course of study is required to become a Child Life
Specialist. (i.e. therapeutic recreation major, psychology major, etc.)
The University of Wisconsin – La Crosse Therapeutic Recreation Major offers 2 classes and a dual internship in child life, in addition to the other relevant therapeutic recreation classes. Students are eligible to sit for both the Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist exam and the Child Life examination if they take the recommended coursework.
For more information on this program, contact: Dr. Susan Boon Murray, CCLS, CTRS, 608-785-8207, murray.sus2@uwlax.edu.
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| Rehearsing how to use a photo preparation book to explain a medical procedure to a patient and parents |
Using a teaching doll to facilitate medical play |
