A look inside Child Life

For a child, going to a hospital or medical office can be scary. Painful treatments, new surroundings, separation from family and friends, and changes in routines can increase these fears. Child Life Services at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital – Upstate focuses on reducing the stress of health care experiences and on helping families foster healthy coping strategies.

Child life specialists are experts in child development who are trained to help children and their families cope with stressful and potentially traumatic events. They use play, self-expression, and educational activities to support children and families during medical experiences.

To meet the unique needs of children and families, Child Life Services provides the following activities and services:

- Therapeutic and recreational play activities to ease a child’s fears and anxieties.
- Educational preparation and sensory explanations to help children learn about what they will see, feel, and hear in the hospital or medical setting
- Planning, rehearsing, and implementing coping strategies to help children and their families cope with hospitalization and medical procedures
- Support for siblings to help them understand and cope with their brother’s or sister’s illness or condition
- Bereavement support for children and families facing the loss of a loved one
- Special events, such as holiday parties and camps, for children in the hospital or who are living with chronic illnesses to allow them to participate in normal childhood activities
- Developmental screenings for children assessed to be at risk for developmental delays.

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