The Teddy Bear Clinic Reimagined: Enhancing Graduate Student Education

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As the field of child life grows more competitive, academic programs desire to establish innovative, collaborative partnerships in an effort to address student educational needs. Graduate child life students had the opportunity to plan, facilitate and evaluate a teddy bear clinic for typically developing children enrolled in a preschool program. This project was embedded in a graduate play course. SUGGESTED DOMAIN: Assessment

Objectives:
Discuss the learning benefits of a graduate student facilitated teddy bear clinic from a graduate student perspective and from a child participant perspective.
Explore the fundamental components of a well-organized and facilitated teddy bear clinic.
Explore community partners for field based experiential learning opportunities.

Emily Margolis

Clinical Assistant Professor

Towson University

Lisa A. Martinelli Beasley

Clinical Associate Professor

Lisa Martinelli Beasley joined the Department of Family Studies and Community Development in 2006. Prior to her appointment at Towson University, she worked clinically as a Certified Child Life Specialist and Board Certified Art Therapist in children’s hospitals located in New York and Ohio. Much of her clinical experience centered on providing child life and art therapy interventions for pediatric hematology/oncology patients and their families.

Since joining the Department of Family Studies and Community Development, she has taught undergraduate and graduate child life and related courses. She serves as the graduate program director for the M.S. in Child Life, Administration, and Family Collaboration and provides student advising for both undergraduate introduction to child life track students and graduate child life students.