Taking Child Life to School: Child Life in the Education System

Looking into the background of psychosocial support in the school system, this presentation will dive into student, family and staff needs that could be met by a child life specialist using a strength-based collaborative approach. Topics around diversity, equity and inclusion will be focused on will reflecting on special needs, behaviour challenges and mental health. Traditional and non-traditional child life interventions will be explored as solutions to coping and social-emotional learning deficits in schools.

1.0 PDU

SUGGESTED DOMAIN: Intervention

Objectives:

• discuss the similarities between child life in a hospital and school setting, ultimately leading to how school based child life interventions fit within the child life domains and principles.
• have a better understanding of student and staff psychosocial needs within a school environment that Certified Child Life Specialists are capable of meeting.
• explore real examples of child life specialists in schools and the different ways of advocating for child life in the education system.
• Participants will identify how school child life interventions fit within the operating principles of child life professionals.
• Participants will explore examples of child life integration programs already running in a number of schools across North America.
• Participants will have the information to write a proposal requesting a child life position in a school.