At Denver Health the Child Life program is comprised of professionals who are committed to the practice of family-centered care by promoting play, education, developmental and psychosocial support. We are an integral part of the health care team that specializes in your child’s emotional well-being, minimizing stress, and maximizing coping for children and their families throughout their hospital experience.
Each specialist is equipped with a strong background in child and adolescent development. These specialists use play and other educational techniques to assist children and their families during medical visits and procedures by helping ease children’s fear and encouraging cooperation and coping.
All of our certified child life specialists have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in one or more of the following areas: child life, child and adolescent development, psychology, human growth, and development, or special education. They are required to have completed an internship supervised by a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) and become certified through the Association of Child Life Professionals. Each child life specialist is required to keep their certification through continuing education. To ensure and maintain their knowledge is current and up to date practices in their day-to-day practice.
What do We do?
The Child Life program values providing evidence-based interventions that cultivate an environment where children and families can discover, develop, and master positive coping for the best possible outcomes through a comprehensive individualized care plan including.
- Psychological Preparation
- Advocacy
- Therapeutic and Medical Play
- Diagnosis Education
- Grief and Bereavement
- Pain and Distress Management
- Procedural Support
- Family-centered Care
- Coping Skills Education
- Developmental Interventions
- A Psychosocial Risk Assessment for Pediatrics (PRAP)
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Additional Information about the Child Life Program
Educational and Volunteer Experiences
Students - We are proud to train future child life specialists through our Child Life Practicum.
Volunteers - This is a rewarding way to help children while also showing your support and appreciation of Denver Health. Volunteers make a tremendous impact on the lives of our patients and their families. Become a Volunteer!
Surgery, blood draws, and broken bones, are a few procedures the Child Life team teaches kids about what to expect, how the body works, and decrease the fear and anxiety that come with each procedure.
In collaboration with providing age-appropriate education for children and teens, during medical procedures they provide distraction and relaxation techniques. Additionally, they assist caregivers in helping their loved ones during medical procedures. Their goal is to make each procedure as positive as possible for patients and families.
Playing helps children cope with and adjust to their hospital experience by providing them with a safe and developmentally appropriate way to express themselves, meet their treatment goals, decrease pain, and help them feel like themselves.
Our Child Life team uses medical play to help teach children about procedures, diagnosis, and so much more. This gives the children and teens a hands-on learning experience so they can express their feelings or concerns.
Siblings: A trip to the hospital can be difficult for the child and also affect siblings. They need to understand what is happening and need to work through their feelings. Our child life specialists are here to help children understand the situation and provide age-appropriate support.
Family: Medical treatments and hospital visits affect the entire family. Families benefit from emotional support during their child’s hospital stay. Child life specialists help caregivers communicate with their child’s healthcare team to promote a family-centered experience.
Child life specialists provide education and support to children and teens whose family members are in the adult intensive care units. They teach them about the diagnosis and/or injury, help facilitate visits to the adult intensive care units and provide ongoing emotional support.
