The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department helps you and your child adjust to and understand hospitalization, illness, injury, and treatment. The Child Life team is comprised of Certified Child Life Specialists, a Board Certified Music Therapist and a Board Certified Art Therapist, all of whom are professionals with advanced training in areas related to working with children and families in medical settings. All team members hold either Bachelor's or Master's degrees in the areas of child life, child development, music therapy or art therapy. In addition, each team member maintains professional certification in their respective field.
Our Mission
The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department's mission is to provide children and their families facing traumatic and complex healthcare challenges with clinical interventions of Child Life, Art Therapy and Music Therapy services. As vital members of an advanced healthcare team, we aspire to advocate, respond, and focus on supportive services that address the emotional and psychological needs of the individual patient and their family system. Our purpose is to foster understanding and coping, mastery and empowerment by using creative self-expressive mediums and developmentally, supportive therapeutic play opportunities to reduce the stress and anxiety related to illness, injury and hospitalization.
Special Programs and Visitors
Special programs are planned throughout the year to provide entertainment as well as distraction from the daily hospital routine.
Special events and visitors to the hospital are important components of our program as they offer your child something to look forward to during their hospitalization. These events include holiday celebrations, and regular performances by magicians, among others.
Psychosocial and Emotional Support
The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy team provides social and emotional support for children and their families.
Support comes in many ways, such as connecting families who are facing similar conditions/illnesses, providing education on hospitalization issues that arise, helping siblings cope and lending a listening ear when needed.