What Does a Child Life Specialist Do? And When Should My Child See One?

Many parents have never heard of a Child Life Specialist until their child faces a medical challenge. These professionals help children cope with medical experiences and stressful life events.

What Is a Child Life Specialist?

Many parents are unfamiliar with the role of a Child Life Specialist until their child or a family member is facing a medical procedure, diagnosis, hospitalization, or loss. These experiences can bring uncertainty, stress, and many unanswered questions about how to support a child emotionally.Child Life Specialists are trained to step into these moments- when something significant is unfolding in a child’s world- and provide developmentally appropriate support that helps children and families feel more informed, prepared, and supported.

A Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) is a professional with expertise in child development, psychology, and therapeutic play. They are an integral part of the care team, focusing specifically on the psychosocial needs of children and families including emotional, developmental, and relational wellbeing during times of illness, injury, or life transition. Rather than focusing on medical treatment itself, Child Life Specialists support how children experience and understand what is happening to them.

Through therapeutic play, preparation, education, and emotional support, Child Life Specialists help children:

• Build understanding of medical procedures, diagnoses, and hospital environments
• Develop coping strategies to reduce anxiety and increase a sense of control
• Express fears, questions, and emotions in developmentally appropriate ways
• Process experiences related to illness, hospitalization, or loss
• Maintain opportunities for growth, play, and connection during challenging times

Child Life Specialists also support families by:

• Providing guidance on how to talk with children about illness, procedures, or death
• Advocating for the emotional and developmental needs of the child within the healthcare setting
• Supporting siblings and caregivers who are also impacted by the experience
• Collaborating with medical teams to create a more supportive and child-centered care environment

This work is highly individualized and often creative, drawing from each child’s developmental stage, personality, and unique needs. Interventions may include medical play, expressive arts, storytelling, preparation for procedures, and the development of personalized coping plans.

At its core, Child Life support is about helping children feel seen, supported, and included in their experiences so that even in the presence of stress or uncertainty, they can move through these moments with greater understanding, resilience, and a sense of safety.

When Children May Benefit

Support can help during medical procedures, hospitalizations, or grief.

While Child Life Specialists are often associated with hospital settings, their support extends far beyond the medical environment. Certified Child Life Specialists are trained to help children and families navigate a wide range of experiences involving illness, stress, uncertainty, and loss.

Child Life support focuses on helping children understand what is happening, express their emotions, and develop coping strategies in ways that are developmentally appropriate and emotionally supportive.

Children may benefit from working with a Child Life Specialist when they are:

Preparing for a medical procedure or hospital visit

Child Life Specialists provide developmentally appropriate preparation using play, language, and visual tools so children know what to expect. This reduces anxiety, increases predictability, and helps children feel more engaged and in control of their experience.

Managing a medical diagnosis or chronic illness

When a child is living with illness, Child Life Specialists help them understand their diagnosis and treatment in ways that match their developmental level. They also support coping over time, helping children adjust to changes in their body, routine, and sense of normalcy.

Coping with a sibling’s illness

Child Life Specialists recognize that siblings are deeply impacted by a child’s medical journey. They provide space for siblings to ask questions, express feelings, and stay connected within the family system, helping reduce confusion, fear, and isolation.

Navigating a parent or caregiver’s illness  

When a parent is facing illness, children often sense changes without fully understanding them. Child Life Specialists support families in communicating openly and honestly, helping children build a clear, developmentally appropriate understanding of what is happening.

Recovering from a stressful or traumatic medical experience  Children who have experienced painful or distressing procedures may develop ongoing fear or avoidance. Child Life Specialists use therapeutic play and gradual exposure to help children process these experiences and rebuild a sense of safety and trust.

Coping with grief and loss  

Child Life Specialists support children in understanding death and loss in ways that align with their developmental stage. Through play, storytelling, creative expression, and memory-making, children are given opportunities to process grief, maintain connection, and integrate their experiences over time.

Child Life also recognizes that children exist within a larger family system. Illness, medical experiences, and grief affect not only the child but parents, siblings, and caregivers as well.

Certified Child Life Specialists often provide guidance to caregivers, including:

• How to talk with children about illness, medical procedures, or death
• How to support siblings with differing emotional needs
• How to respond to behavioral or emotional changes
• How to create consistency, connection, and a sense of safety during times of stress

This collaborative approach helps families feel more supported and better equipped to navigate challenging experiences together.

Children are inherently resilient, especially when they feel informed, supported, and emotionally safe. With thoughtful, developmentally attuned support, even complex experiences can be integrated in ways that foster growth, connection, and long-term wellbeing.

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About the Author

Kelsey Ellis is a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), grief counselor, and eco‑therapy practitioner based at Mindful Child & Family Therapy’s Half Moon Bay office. She supports children, teens, and families navigating medical experiences, grief, and life transitions through therapeutic play, emotional education, and nature‑based support. Kelsey is also the founder of the Waves of Grief Collective, a global community that gathers people in nature to honor grief and find connection.

Learn More about Kelsey Ellis through her Bio Page

This article was reviewed and approved by  Jaclyn Long, MFT