Tenet 15

The tenet that applies to my future profession the most and really explains what it is a Child Life Specialist does is tenet 15. It states, "Typical outcomes of TR interventions include increasing personal awareness, increasing interpersonal or social skills, developing leisure skills, decreasing stress, improving physical fitness and functioning, developing feelings of positive self-regard, self-efficacy, perceived control, pleasure, and enjoyment."

The following can be found on the Child Life Council's website (childlife.org). It briefly describes the duties of a Child Life Specialist.

Child life specialists focus on the psychosocial needs of children, collaborating with parents and other members of the team to:

• Ease a child’s fear and anxiety with therapeutic and recreational play activities
• Foster an environment that incorporates emotional support
• Encourage understanding and cooperation by providing non-medical preparation and support for children undergoing tests, surgeries, and other medical procedures
• Advocate for family-centered care
• Engage and energize children and families by coordinating special events, entertainment, and activities
• Consider the needs of siblings or other children who may also affected by a child’s illness or trauma
• Direct pre-admission hospital tours and resources, and consultations with outpatient families
• Support families confronting grief and bereavement issues
• Provide information and resources for parents and members of the interdisciplinary team

I think the most important job of a Child Life Specialist can be summed up in one essential duty, and that is to decrease the stress of a child. The tenet I stated above describes very closely the field of Child Life. They decrease a child's stress through therapeutic play, they teach children how to gain control over their new diagnosis by empowering them with knowledge, they give the child activities and physical goals to improve their health and mood, and they make sure the child is still getting to be a child while in the hospital through enjoyable activities and fun things to do and look forward to.