Children today confront a wide variety of stressful and potentially traumatic events that may overwhelm their natural ability to cope and heal. Child Life Specialists are trained professionals with expertise in helping children and their families overcome life's most challenging moments. Armed with a strong background in child development and family systems, Child Life Specialists promote effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self- expression activities. They provide emotional support for families, and encourage optimum development of children facing a broad range of challenging experiences, particularly those related to healthcare and hospitalization. The Child Life Specialist concentration introduces the history, philosophy, theories, and concepts relating to child life services. The role of child life specialist as a member of the healthcare team is examined.
