Child Life Services

What is a child life specialist?

A child life specialist role is unique to a children’s hospital setting. The goal of child life specialists is to minimize stress and anxiety for children receiving medical care and their families. Child life specialists strive to promote normal growth and development by recognizing the emotional, social and psychological needs of children and adolescents. Child life specialists hold either a bachelor’s or master’s degree and are trained to use evidence-based practices to support patients and their families through their health care experiences.

Child life specialists can:

• Help patients prepare for procedures or surgery through medical play
• Increase patients’ understanding of their diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care
• Provide pre-operative tours
• Provide developmentally appropriate play opportunities
• Offer distractions and coping strategies for kids
• Help children understand their sibling’s illness, surgery or injury
• Educate parents and caregivers on the developmental effects of their child’s condition
• Collaborate with the health care team to support patient and family needs through advocacy and communication

Activity rooms

Piper’s Playhouse is located on the sixth floor of Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. This play area provides a safe place for kids to take a break from their medical routines. The Teen Room offers developmentally appropriate activities for patients 12 years and older and is also located on the sixth floor. Child life specialists and volunteers host activities in these rooms and have a variety of games and activities that can be taken to patients at the bedside.

Pre-surgery tours

Pre-surgery tours are designed to introduce the surgery experience in a relaxed atmosphere to children 2 years and older, along with their families. A child life specialist will lead your tour and answer any questions you or your child might have. Tours are available for day surgeries and inpatient surgeries requiring an overnight stay. To schedule a tour, call 253-403-5315.

Special events and visitors

Every year, Child Life Services coordinates many special events, as well as special visitors, that help to normalize the hospital environment and create unique memories and opportunities for patients and families. Some of our most popular events include:

• Visits from princesses and superheroes, Santa, local sports athletes and other personalities
• Holiday parties and parades
• Volunteer pet therapy dogs that provide joy and comfort to children

Volunteers

Volunteers are essential to our Child Life team. Mary Bridge has a great team of well-trained volunteers who assist with keeping the environment safe and offering play activities for patients and their siblings.

Please note that all Mary Bridge Children’s volunteers must fulfill a minimum commitment of 100 hours. We are unable to accommodate requests for less time. Learn more about  volunteering at Mary Bridge.