Happy 40th Birthday! Child Life Services
Wow, Child Life Services at UCSF has helped kids, teens, siblings, and caregivers for 40 years. What a landmark! I joined the department 15 years ago. In comparison to now, we were a small group working each day to help families' experiences during their hospital stay. Here are photos from "back in the day."
The Foundational Team in 2003.
Kudos to Becky Higbee and Julie Pollman for starting it all.
If you are wondering, what exactly is Child Life Services? I will give you the unofficial breakdown from a technical person's perspective. Oh, ya, I am the person who works behind the scenes to support the team with a TV channel. I am not a clinician; I am a technologist. OK, so here is my high-level breakdown of what Child Life Services does:
Guardian Angel
Child Life Specialists, Art, and Music Therapists, Teachers, and Parent Liaison staff work with the medical team, the patient's schools and support systems, and various organizations so that a good experience is possible.
BFF (best friend forever)
You know when a good friend understands you, and they know exactly how to talk with you about a problem, perception, and experience. Well, Child Life Clinicians assess all factors involved (including things most people overlook) they make a plan to help a patient's ability to function under challenging circumstances.
OK, so this last observation may sound disrespectful to some unless you think about it. OK, here it goes…
Cruise Directors!
Ya, I said it. First, it helps to think about what a real cruise director does. A cruise director is literally the boss of all entertainment staff on a cruise ship. We are talking about a lot of people. The cruise director designs the entire experience from the moment you approach the ship to when you leave. It is a massive responsibility. Child Life staff are conceptually similar—everything from preparing a patient's expectation to surgery or difficult procedures, to a patient's birthday, group activities, celebrity visitors, and epic events like the Prom. The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes is massive.
The Child Life Services Team in 2019. It looks like a lot of people, we need more…
Yea! 40 years of meaningful family-centered care (help for parents, patients, and siblings) is worth celebrating. So today, March 16th, 2021, we celebrated. I believe all patients received a giant mylar balloon and activities. Kaleidoscope presented a time for celebration. We sang songs, met Momo (the hospital's facility dog), and played fun games and activities.
