a guide for difficult conversations with children
Support Systems
What is a child life specialist?
A child life specialist is an individual who is educated on the impact of illness and injury on children’s development. They are able to provide care for pediatric patients as well as being a source of support for patients’ families. Child life specialists are primarily found in hospitals, but may also be present in environments such as schools, camps, medical clinics, or hospice.
Role of a Child Life Specialist
A child life specialist utilizes age-appropriate interventions such as therapeutic play, procedure preparation, and education in order to create a supportive and anxiety-free environment for children in the healthcare environment. They may also be seen in community settings, and are trained to provide support for traumatic events such as illness, injury, disability, and bereavement.
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Why do I need a child life specialist?
Child life specialists have the unique ability and training to work specifically with children in reducing trauma. They are trained to normalize a child’s experience in hospitals or other healthcare environments as much as possible, and ensure they still get to experience fun events and socialization with other children. They are an integral part of the medical team because of their ability to collaborate with medical professionals to break down medical procedures and medications to the child’s level of understanding. Child life specialists offer support not only for children, but for the family as a whole.
Child Life Specialists
What is a medical family therapist?
Medical family therapists are trained to evaluate children’s comprehension and guide conversations that relay medical information to children.
Role of a Medical Family Therapist
Medical family therapists can help families lead conversations about medical information that are developmentally appropriate. Medical family therapists encourage treating the patient as a whole, and are trained to facilitate communication for all parties involved in healthcare.
Why do I need a medical family therapist?
Medical family therapists can serve as part of your healthcare team. You may be interested in medical family therapy if you or a family member are experiencing a chronic or terminal illness. Medical family therapists consider both physical and mental health in their approach to provide support for individuals and their families, which can often seem overlooked in healthcare.
Medical Family Therapists
What is a social worker?
Social workers are trained in providing care to vulnerable people. Their training prepares them for working as an advocate for vulnerable people and helping improve their quality of life. In the context of healthcare, social workers typically work with patients facing chronic or terminal illness.
Role of a Social Worker
Within healthcare, social workers coordinate with your medical team to understand your medical history, provide patients with medical information, and help patients and their families make plans for their treatment and discharge. They work to meet patients’ social, emotional, and financial needs. Most importantly, social workers are an incredible resource for support while undergoing medical treatment.
Why do I need a social worker?
Social workers are able to provide services to people of all ages within the healthcare system. Social workers can serve as advocates for clients, especially ones who are members of vulnerable populations. Social workers represent the perspective of the patient and are crucial in providing patients and their families with resources to address their psychosocial and emotional needs.
Social Workers
What is a genetic counselor?
Genetic counselors receive training in genetics and counseling that enables them to guide and support patients who are interested in genetic testing, need help interpreting genetic testing information, or have received genetic testing results.
What does a genetic counselor do?
Genetic counselors meet with individuals or families regarding genetic testing. They are able to provide support for patients who are seeking information about inherited diseases or conditions. Genetic counselors can help people understand genetic risks based on family history, whether genetic testing is right for you, and what the results of genetic testing means. They are also able to provide support for individuals or families in making decisions about healthcare.
Why do I need a genetic counselor?
You may be referred to a genetic counselor by a medical professional, or choose to seek one out yourself. A genetic counselor can help people understand their genetic risk for a condition or disease, such as cancer or heart disease.