Child Life Clinical Intern Supervisor Course (Cohort 8)

Includes Multiple Live Events. The next is on 08/14/2025 at 8:00 PM (EDT)

  • Registration Closed

Later time! Three live session meetings will begin at 5pm PT (7pm CT/ 8pm ET). See dates, times, and more details below.

Providing students with excellent supervision is critical to advancing the child life profession. Whether you are preparing to supervise your first intern, or you have been supervising for years, building and advancing your supervision skill set is an imperative part of your professional journey. This course is composed of 6 modules over 6 weeks. The modules are a mix of independent and live learning components. Those who successfully complete the course will earn 7.5 PDUs (Suggested Domain: Professional Responsibility) and a digital badge in recognition of Supervisory Excellence. Once purchased, no refunds will be provided. Please verify your availability for the 3 live section meetings (listed below) before purchasing the course.

Cohort 8:

July 17 to September 16, 2025
Registration is limited to 30 people

Live section meetings will occur on the following dates/times.

If you cannot attend all three sessions live, do not register for this cohort.

1.  Thursday, July 24, 2025 from 8-9:30pm ET / 5-6:30pm PT

2. Thursday, August 14, 2025 from 8-10pm ET/ 5-7pm PT (last half hour optional)

3. Thursday, August 28, 2025 from 8-9:30pm ET/ 5-6:30pm PT

*You are required to attend all three live section meetings for successful completion of the course*

Course Objectives and Goals:

  • Build a community of clinical supervisors to enhance the confidence of emerging professionals in the child life field.
  • Create a standard curriculum and resources for clinical supervisors to develop effective child life internships.
  • Create an accessible platform for emerging clinical supervisors in the child life field through an interactive synchronous learning environment.

I. Module 1: Course Overview - Getting Started in Internship Supervision (Live Component on September 7th from 6-7:30pm EST)

II. Module 2: Assessing Self and Professional Perspectives of Students and Learning (Independent Learning)

III. Module 3: Learning Styles (Independent Learning)

IV. Module 4: Communication and Supervision (Live Component on September 28th from 6-8:00pm EST)

V. Module 5: Tasks of an Internship (Independent Learning)

VI. Module 6: Ethical Scenarios and Sustaining Connectivity (Live Component on October 12th from 6-7:30pm EST)

Michelle Mathews (Moderator)

MS, CCLS

Michelle Mathews is a Certified Child Life Specialist working at Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children. Clinically, she provides services in pre-op and radiology. Additionally, she is the student coordinator for both pre-internship and internship learners, helping to create the program in 2002. To engage in learning new skills, Michelle became the secondary handler to one of the facility dogs in the Canines for Coping program at Huntsville Hospital.  Michelle holds a master's degree in Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis in Child Life. Her interests and focus are derived from her strong belief for the support of both students and supervisors alike.  Born from this desire, she led the creation of the Southeastern Association of Child Life Professionals in 2017 and continues to be supportive in several roles.  Michelle lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband, the comings and goings of four step-children, and a menagerie of animals.

Kristy Berksza (Moderator)

MS, CCLS

Kristy Berksza is a Senior Child Life Specialist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital where she has worked for almost 20 years. Though her primary role has been on the pediatric inpatient unit, Kristy has worked in all the areas served by child life throughout the hospital and was instrumental in program expansion to the perioperative area many years ago.  In addition to her clinical work, Kristy coordinates the student education programs at the hospital.  She has also volunteered with the ACLP on the Education and Training Committee as well as the original Practicum Task Force and has been a presenter at the ACLP Annual Conference. As you may imagine, Kristy’s current child life passions lie in student education and supervisor support.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Child Life and Family-Centered Care, an Organizational Leadership certificate, and is a Certified Child Life Specialist. Kristy lives just outside of Boston, MA with her husband and two children.

Megan O'Connell (Moderator)

MS, CCLS, CEIM

Megan O’Connell has been working with children and families for 20 years.  Megan holds a master’s degree in Child Development with a Child Life emphasis from Erikson Institute.  She became a Certified Child Life Specialist in 2011 and currently works as a CCLS III and the Family Advisory Council Liaison at Rush Children’s Hospital.  In her career, Megan has also worked outside the hospital setting for non-profits and universities.  Megan is an active member of the ACLP, where she has done five national conference presentations, a webinar and was most recently the chair of the 2023 ACLP conference.  She is currently an adjunct professor at Erikson Institute.  She lives in Oak Park, Illinois with her family.

Key:

Complete
Failed
Available
Locked
Child Life Clinical Intern Supervisor Course
Begin self-paced component package.
Begin self-paced component package.
Open Discussion
Open discussion to continue.
Open discussion to continue. Use this discussion thread to share challenging supervision scenarios you have encountered and to interact with your peers in this cohort. This discussion thread is not a required assignment, but an opportunity for additional connection and resources to be shared.
Module 1
Due 7/19/25: Pre-Test
10 Questions  |  Unlimited attempts  |  10/10 points to pass
10 Questions  |  Unlimited attempts  |  10/10 points to pass Answer the following questions to help us individualize course content to meet this cohort’s unique goals.
Due 7/23/2025: Module 1 - Discussion Post
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue. Due 7/23/2025: Please include the following: name/preferred pronouns, child life journey, favorite TV show or movie, current or favorite book, favorite color/hobby, and goals for this course.
Live on 7/24/25: Module 1 Live Section Meeting
07/24/2025 at 8:00 PM (EDT)  |  90 minutes
07/24/2025 at 8:00 PM (EDT)  |  90 minutes Topic: Module 1 Live Section Meeting Goals for this meeting: 1) Introduce and get to know your learning cohort 2) Review course norms and syllabus 3) Discussion: What is great supervision? 4) Look ahead to Module 2
Module 2
Due 8/2/2025: Module 2 - Discussion Post
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue. Due 8/2/2025: 1. What did you learn through your own self-assessment of bias? 2. What is one goal that you are working on to be more inclusive in your own practice or in supervising students?
Module 3
Due 8/9/2025: Module 3 - Expectations of Interns
Upload 1 files to pass. | Due Date: 10/13/2024 at 12:59 AM (EDT)
Upload 1 files to pass. | Due Date: 10/13/2024 at 12:59 AM (EDT) Due 8/9/2025: Upload your PDF from Module 3. Please use the naming convention FirstName_LastName_Module 3
Due 8/9/2025: Module 3 - Discussion Post
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue. Due 8/9/2025: 1. What did you learn about yourself and how it may reflect upon your teaching style? 2. What is a takeaway from this module that you would like to employ in your own practice?
Module 4
Live on 8/14/2025: Module 4 Live Section Meeting (last half hour optional)
08/14/2025 at 8:00 PM (EDT)  |  120 minutes
08/14/2025 at 8:00 PM (EDT)  |  120 minutes Topic: Module 4 Live Section Meeting Goals for this meeting: 1) Gain knowledge and skills in successfully coaching a student 2) Gain communication and listening skills 3) Discuss conducting a performance evaluation The last half hour will be optional and provide time to review any challenging situations that course participants have experienced in supervision.
Module 5
Due 8/23/2025: Module 5 - Discussion Post 1
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue. Due 8/23/2025: What are the expectations of you as a Rotation Supervisor? (e.g., administrative responsibilities, professionalism, communication expectations, supervision tasks – daily, weekly, mid/end of rotation, etc.)
Due 8/23/2025: Module 5 - Resource Inventory and Gap Analysis
Upload 1 files to pass. | Due Date: 10/27/2024 at 2:00 AM (EDT)
Upload 1 files to pass. | Due Date: 10/27/2024 at 2:00 AM (EDT) Due 8/23/2025: Upload your Module 5 assignment. Please use the naming convention FirstName_LastName_Module5
Due 8/23/2025: Module 5 - Discussion Post 2
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue. Due 8/23/2025: What is one valuable practice or resource that your internship program uses that you would be willing to share to help strengthen other internship programs?
Module 6
Due 8/26/2025: Module 6 - Discussion Post
Make 1 discussion post to continue.
Make 1 discussion post to continue. Due 8/26/2025: 1. What does ethics mean to you? 2. How important is reflective supervision? What is the connection between our ethical responsibility to the student and patients/families?
Live on 8/28/2025: Module 6 Live Section Meeting
08/28/2025 at 8:00 PM (EDT)  |  90 minutes
08/28/2025 at 8:00 PM (EDT)  |  90 minutes Topic: Module 6 Live Section Meeting Goals for this meeting: 1) Recognize the importance of boundaries with learners and an informed awareness of ethical components. 2) Understand the importance of reflective supervision and how to skillfully use this tool to enhance learning, self-reflection, and a foundational means for fostering longevity in the field. 3) Explore and identify key opportunities to teach ethics in a clinical setting, beyond textbook examples. 4) Become familiar with the technical components of an internship program and the integrated thread of ethical responsibility throughout.
Quiz
12 Questions  |  Unlimited attempts  |  10/12 points to pass
12 Questions  |  Unlimited attempts  |  10/12 points to pass You have completed 6 modules related to clinical intern supervision.  Now is your opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge. This quiz is composed of 12 questions. You must answer 10 correctly to pass this course. There are unlimited attempts.
Certificate
Certificate
Live Viewing: 7.50 PDUs credits and certificate available
Live Viewing: 7.50 PDUs credits and certificate available