The Child Life Services department is staffed by Child Life Specialists who strive to make young patients as comfortable as possible in the hospital. Child Life Specialists are professionals who hold Bachelor or Masters level degrees and are devoted to making a child's hospitalization experience as understandable and close to their normal life as possible. Our team provides emotional and social support to hospitalized children and teens, and their families which helps to ease the stress and anxieties that often accompany a hospital stay.
The Child Life Specialists provide services in our inpatient units and in the Emergency Department. The team uses play, education, and self-expression to promote the patient's well being and development and explains procedures to help children and families weather unfamiliar environments.
We also offer:
- group sessions
- individual psychosocial support
- preparation for surgery and other procedures
- medical play opportunities
- growth and development information
For additional information related to Child Life Services in our Children's Hospital, please call 252-847-5327. Click here to learn more about our visitation policies or to download a visitation form.
For additional information about the national Child Life Council visit their website at www.childlife.org .