Child Life Services

It’s common for kids to feel nervous about medical procedures. At OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, we provide child life services to support your child while they are in the hospital, offering them comfort, distraction and emotional support.

What is a child life specialist?

Certified child life specialists are part of the medical team and use age-appropriate play, language and support to help children navigate their health care experiences. They are specially trained to address common fears, misconceptions and stressors, and provide a more comfortable experience for children and their families.

Watch How Child Life Specialists Make a Difference

Where do child life specialists work?

Our child life specialists serve many different areas of the hospital, including:

Child Life Services We Provide

Our child life services team offers a variety of services to help your child feel safe and supported throughout their health care experience.

Play at OSF Children’s Hospital

Your child and our team of child life specialists have something in common – play is at the center of all they do. They’ll help your child feel supported through different types of play, including:

Medical play - Helps children get used to medical equipment and understand their condition and care.
Therapeutic play - Encourages children to express their feelings and helps them achieve treatment goals.
Normative and developmental play - Brings a sense of normalcy to the hospital and encourages a sense of fun in spite of challenging circumstances.

Coping Plan and Techniques

Our trained specialists will help your child feel prepared for medical procedures using age-appropriate language, pictures and medical play tailored to their needs. Your child will be encouraged to ask questions, which can boost their confidence and sense of control.

Child life specialists also provide ongoing support during procedures, creating personalized coping plans. These can include demonstrating more comfortable positions during a procedure, as well as pain management techniques that reduce anxiety.

Support for Siblings and Family

Our child life team will partner with each member of your family to make sure they feel welcome and supported. This includes working with siblings of your hospitalized child, using many of the same methods to help them understand and cope.

Child-Friendly Pre-Operative Tour

If your child needs surgery, a pre-operative tour can help them feel more comfortable with the surgery process. The tours are free and are ideal for kids ages 3-12. You and your child will get a walk-through of what to expect on the day of their surgery.

Call (309) 624-0231 to schedule your tour or learn more. Not able to take a tour? Check out this video instead.

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Child Life Practicum and Internship

OSF Children’s Hospital offers a child life internship and practicum for students or graduates in child development, psychology, education or related fields. Students receive training from certified child life specialists and gain valuable experience in supporting families through medical challenges.

Learn more and apply today