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Child Life Specialist
The Pediatric Emergency Department at University Hospital is pleased to announce the arrival of our very first Child Life
Specialist, Colleen Baish. The role of a child life specialist is to relieve anxiety and stress associated with illness
for the child and the family through education, play, and imagery while in the emergency department. Child life services
are endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the following information is an excerpt from the AAP policy on
Child Life Services.
"The child life specialist focuses on the strengths and well-being of children while promoting their optimal development
and minimizing the adverse effects of children's experiences in health care or other potentially stressful settings."
Pediatrics vol. 118, No. 4, Oct 2006
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Child life specialists use play and developmentally appropriate communication to help your child cope with stressful events.
Here are some of the ways that our child life specialist can help you and your child while you are under our care:
- Education for you and your child about what to expect for any necessary procedures (blood draws, stitches, X-rays), including teaching you ways to help your child cope with pain, stress, or anxiety.
- Instruction for your child on coping techniques and providing opportunity for rehearsal.
- Instruction of non-pharmacological pain management techniques, including visual guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, distraction, and diversion.
- Provide therapeutic play activities that encourage expression of emotion and promote a sense of mastery.
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text | Emergency Information
