Child Life Specialists

Child Life Specialists help children cope with unfamiliar medical procedures or settings. We provide age-appropriate education and skills for children and their families.

UCLA Health excellence in Child Life

What is a Child Life Specialist?

Medical procedures, unfamiliar surroundings and new faces can all be stressful for children. At UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and pediatric specialty clinics, Child Life Specialists help our youngest patients cope with fear and anxiety by offering therapeutic activities tailored to their social, emotional and educational needs. Since it was founded in 1968, the Chase Child Life Program has been a pioneer and national model for appropriately addressing each child’s needs in a culturally sensitive manner.

Child Life program highlights:

Experts in child development: Our Child Life Specialists are integrated with the health care team to help children cope with illness and hospitalization. We offer age-appropriate information to children and parents, identify potential sources of stress and teach coping strategies. Our specialists also provide valuable insight to the child’s medical team about developmental and psychosocial issues.

Support for the whole family: We work with parents and siblings as well as our pediatric patients. Our specialists can help caregivers and family members understand a child’s response to the medical setting and provide strategies to continue supportive and empathetic caregiving.

Teaching and training: We offer educational and training opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students. The Child Life team continually stays at the forefront of best practices and research as we teach the next generation of Child Life experts.

Child Life services we offer

Our Child Life Specialists help our youngest patients and visitors cope with the unexpected and unfamiliar feelings that come with a hospital visit. Child Life services include:

Pre-hospitalization visits for children and their families
Preparation for medical procedures, support during procedures and post-procedural medical play
Therapeutic intervention-including music therapy(Link is external) and play to help children cope with issues related to their illness and medical care
Consultation with caregivers, siblings and children of adult patients to enhance their understanding of the impact of illness on the child and family
Supervision of playroom, Starlight Room/Teen Lounge and outpatient play areas
Expert consultation for caregivers and medical team members regarding child development and related issues
Special events that entertain and engage children and families
Assistance in transitioning from hospital to home and/or school following an illness

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How can a Child Life Specialist support my family?

Child Life Specialists support pediatric patients and their families in a wide variety of ways. We provide:

Assistance with transitioning from hospital to home, school or both after an illness
Consultations with caregivers, siblings and children of adult patients to help them understand the effects of an illness on their family
Expert insights to the medical team members regarding child development and related issues
Pre-hospitalization visits for children and families to tour the facility and prepare for upcoming procedures
Supervision of our playroom, Starlight Room/Teen Lounge, Family Resource Room and outpatient play areas
Special events to entertain and engage children and families
Support before, during and after medical procedures
Therapeutic interventions, including music therapy and play to help children cope with issues related to their medical care or illness

Meet our Child Life Specialists

Child Life Specialists are experts in helping children and their families navigate and cope with the anxiety and stress of a hospital stay or medical procedure. We understand how each child’s developmental, emotional, physical and psychosocial needs affect their reaction to medical care.

Whether providing insight to the child’s medical team or working with your family directly, we strive to help make each child’s visit to UCLA Health as comfortable as possible.