Take a Second Look at that Therapeutic Book: Using Bibliotherapy as a Child Life Specialist

Kate Carpenter has been a certified child life specialist for the last 9 years with her master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in a variety of settings, including the emergency department, outpatient clinics, and for the last 6 years as the inpatient pulmonary, lung transplant, and complex care child life specialist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Prior to becoming a certified child life specialist, she was an elementary school teacher in an inclusive classroom where she taught 6th grade.
Kate facilitates the hospital’s Preparation and Coping Committee, co-coordinates a sibling program known as Sibshops, and she has co-authored a book for children with Cystic Fibrosis. Additionally, Kate has been committed to research in the field of child life. Children’s literature has always been an important part of Kate’s work, both in the classroom and in the hospital.

Andrea is a certified child life specialist with a B.A. in Psychology from The College of New Jersey and 10 years of experience at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She has worked in a variety of settings including the Emergency Department and inpatient surgical-trauma unit. Currently, Andrea is providing services to patients in the expanding outpatient settings of Urology, General Surgery, Endocrine, Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, and Phlebotomy.

Andrea is involved in several quality improvement initiatives throughout the hospital and co-facilitates a sibling support program known as Sibshops She has a particular passion for surgical preparation, coping techniques for painful procedures, and therapeutic play. Andrea has been able to integrate literature into her daily practice in the outpatient setting and through her therapeutic play work with siblings.