At BC Children's Hospital we have an extensive team of certified child life specialists (CCLS) providing direct patient care throughout the various hospital care areas. CCLSs are educated and clinically trained in child development and the impact of hospitalization on children and youth. All of our CCLSs are certified through the Association of Child Life Professionals. CCLSs are experts on evidence-based therapeutic interventions that minimize stress and maximize social-emotional coping for children and youth in the hospital setting.

In the hospital setting, children and youth experience various challenging events that are often stressful and anxiety-inducing. Certified child life specialists help our patients to cope with these events by providing clinical interventions in the form of preparation for hospital tests and procedures, support during tests and procedures, therapeutic play, education about hospitalization, and teaching coping methods and strategies.

Our certified child life specialists support direct patient care at BC Children's Hospital by providing:

• Developmentally appropriate and individualized patient preparation for medical tests and procedures
• Therapeutic interventions to promote coping during medical tests and procedures
• Therapeutic play sessions including healthcare play to reduce patient anxiety and promote mastery of medical experiences
• Collaboration with the patient's medical team to maximize the patient's coping in the hospital environment
• Support to patient's family to promote a family-centred care approach
• A variety of recreational play opportunities in a hospital setting
• Patients with opportunities for peer socialization
• Coordination of holiday events, entertainment, and special visitors
• Support to Therapeutic Clown Program and Pet Therapy Program

Creative Art Program:

The Creative Art Program provides therapeutic art experiences for patients and families in order to support healing, coping and resilience. Through individual art opportunities at the bedside, art groups in the studio, special events, and one-on-one art therapy sessions, patients and families are invited to explore, create and express.

Pet Therapy Program:

The Pet Therapy Program in partnership with Patient Experience supports the psychosocial needs of children and families in hospital by providing them with:

• Opportunities to experience unconditional acceptance and affection between dogs and individuals
• Relief from stress and anxiety of hospitalization
• Normalized opportunities for socialization, sensory stimulation, and diversion that children can look forward to on a regular basis
• Activities that increase patient responsiveness and ease isolation and boredom

Please contact Patient Experience for more information about the Pet Therapy Program and see "Volunteering with us" for information on becoming a therapeutic dog volunteer.

For further information about the professional requirements of becoming a certified child life specialist please see The Association of Child Life Professionals website and read through their Certification Manual (PDF).

For information on child life internships please see the Train with Us page.

Visit our careers page for current child life job postings at BC Children's Hospital.

Please visit these links before contacting a child life specialist at BC Children's Hospital

To become a child life volunteer:

Volunteers and students are an integral part of child life service. If you would like to volunteer, see Volunteer with Us.

If you would like a list of toys, games and other items the Child Life Department needs in their play areas and units, please see our wish list (PDF). You are also able to give online through our hospital foundation.

For all non-monetary donations (PDF), please contact Patient Experience at patientexperience@cw.bc.ca.

Due to infection control guidelines, we regret that we cannot accept any used toys or books for patient care areas.

The Sunny Bear Birthday Club helps your child donate any funds raised from birthdays to the patients and families of the hospital.

Thank you to our donors. Without you, we wouldn't be able to do what we do.