A taste of our own medicine: Palliative psychosocial care principles to support patients and families are good for us, too!
This session will explore key insights that guide our psychosocial care of families living with serious illness, uncertainty, and grief. Lessons learned in practice in the hospital and community will be extended and applied to our own roles, expectations, and experiences as child life specialists.
Suggested Domain: Professional Responsibility, Intervention, Ethics
Credits: 1.0 PDU
Learning Objective(s):
Recognize how societal and medical expectations affect caregiving and contribute to feelings of inadequacy and grief.
Learn to move from a mindset of fixing to one of accompanying and supporting families through their experiences.
Gain practical tools for navigating different types of uncertainty and providing comfort through presence.
Recognize the importance of showing vulnerability and seeking support to enhance personal well-being and caregiving effectiveness.
Integrate lessons learned from palliative care principles into daily practice to improve the quality of care and support provided to families.
Please note: All series content and its related certificates will expire on 5/1/2028 regardless of when it is purchased, accessed, or completed. At that point, contents will no longer be available in any form, including as an archive or as a PDU certificate. It is the responsibility of the learner to complete the contents and download and save the certificates for their records before 5/1/2028.
Shaindy Alexander
BA, MSc, CCLS
Shaindy Alexander has dedicated 22 years to her practice as a Certified Child Life Specialist. Recently, she stepped into the role of Clinical Manager for Child Life Services at SickKids Hospital. Throughout her career, Shaindy has offered support to patients and families across various domains, including palliative care, grief support, hematology/oncology, burns and plastic surgery, critical care, and community outreach. Her true passion lies in working closely with youth, families, and healthcare providers, advocating for the inclusion and support of children and adolescents throughout an illness journey.
Ceilidh Eaton Russell
CCLS, PhD
McMaster University
Ceilidh is a certified child life specialist, a Lecturer in Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care at McMaster University, and a Research Fellow with the Association of Child Life Professionals. She practices clinically with AWC Grief Support and is the Child Life Lead for Canadian Virtual Hospice. Since 2001, Ceilidh’s research, clinical work, teaching, and resource development have been focused on supporting children and families living with a child’s or parent’s serious illness, dying, death, and grief, with an emphasis on communication and relationships from the perspectives of young people and their parents.
Key:
Complete
Next
Failed
Available
Locked