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Feel free to contact me at childlifesupport@gmail.com for further information and guidance through any medical difficulties regarding a child or your family.

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Recommended Practices That Have Influenced My Beliefs: 

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Recommended Practices That Have Influenced My Beliefs: 

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The Importance of Play

All children should be given the opportunity to play and be engaged with other individuals. Not only is play crucial in the development of children, it is beneficial to their well-being. There are various options for play such as imaginative, body and movement, or object. This allows children to be interactive within their experiences with not only their peers but play objects as well. My patients are some of the people that need play the most. While being young, and surrounded by various medical terms, equipment, and doctors, it becomes difficult to be a child as you are forced to be in situations that most children are not involved in. But this doesn't have to be the case, they should be engaged in the play that makes them feel as though their illness is cured. Child Life Specialists are the people that allow children the opportunity to feel like a kid, even when they don't believe it themselves. By engaging in play, we can provide children with the mentality that we care and are engaged in their interests and happiness.

Gathering information from research, I have gained the knowledge that play does more than physically and emotionally improve a child's development, but mentally can strengthen their mindset as well. Play is an activity that can allow children to feel as though they are "powerful" (Feeney, Moravcik, & Nolte, 2013, p. 331). In these patients scenarios, this is a quality that is crucial to gain as their illness can be strengthened greatly from their mindset. By feeling as though they can portray control over their personal environment, they will develop the motivation to fight their health issues. It is shown through research that a high level of play can relieve anxiety levels, along with the psychological conflicts and problems that any child may be facing (Hughes, 2009, p. 331).  Not only do Child Life Specialists have the opportunity to aid these difficulties, families will be by their child, brother, or sisters side to engage in positive play.

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Theories That Have Influenced My Beliefs: 

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Theories That Have Influenced My Beliefs: 

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Constructivism Theory - Jean Piaget

This theory goes deeper into the idea that children are influenced by not only their family members, but the engagement with various people, experiences, and materials. In relation to the work that I will put into as a Child Life Specialist, I will be able to change the preconceived notions that children have regarding hospitals. By learning about the child and allowing them the opportunity to feel safe and engaged, I will help them learn and adjust their views that they previously held on hospitals. By giving my patients a more positive outlook on their surroundings, they will feel more secure in an unsettling environment. Relating conversations and safety within the hospital with things that they are already comfortable with can allow the children to relate to various scenarios. (Pollack, Theories of Development, 2017).

Urie Brofenbrenner - Ecological Systems Theory

Brofenbrenner's theory focuses on the ecological systems that are in each of our lives, whether they are in our microsystem or macrosystem we are affected by them. These children's families are what fill their microsystem, along with their home and close friends. But as the children move into the hospital, these begin to shift, as the hospital becomes a part of their microsystem. This is where as health care professionals we develop an environment that is as welcoming and warm as the home they are coming from. With a great amount of change within their chronosystem, we have to be the stepping stool that allows children the opportunity to gradually flow into these transitions. (Pollack, Theories of Development, 2017).

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Historical Antecedents Who Have Influenced My Beliefs: 

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Historical Antecedents Who Have Influenced My Beliefs: 

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Friedrich Froebel (Feeney, Moravcik, & Nolte, 2013, p. 75).

Guided play for children that are filled with materials and activities to strengthen both a sensory and spiritual development.

Similar to his belief that the teachers should be an "affectionate" leader, as a Child Life Specialist we can do the same. Creating an environment to nurture the children both physically and mentally (Feeney, Moravcik, & Nolte, 2013, p. 75).

Children are able to learn and development most effectively when they are engaged in actions of play, toys, and games.

Froebel's actions were meant for children to feel nurtured and cared for in an environment, it is very similar to the actions that should be portrayed by a Child Life Specialist. By engaging in the importance of play, along with the affection and compassion that we need to show these children and families.

John Dewey (Feeney, Moravcik, & Nolte, 2013, p. 83).

Similar to children growing in schools, there is always areas of growth for patients that don't involve their sickness. By developing not only their physical but social interactions as well.

While it is important to have a core group of support within these patients lives, it is also important to be independent and strong throughout the process. Children should be able to expand their curiosity and ask questions when they have problems or worries.

John Dewey personally relates the idea of making immigrants transition into a new culture, which is an important role that a Child life Specialist takes on as they help the patients adapt into their new lifestyle in the hospital.

Caroline Pratt (Pollack, Historical Overwiew, 2017).

Pratt believed in the idea of open-ended play, by creating opportunities for children to grow connections with toys in various ways. Pratt also states how important meaningful play is, as it gives children the chance to strengthen their imagination.

While focusing greatly on unit blocks, she was able to create something that not only allowed children to understand having an open mind, but a closed mind as well.

This last point shows that within our development it is not only crucial to allow children to acknowledge that throughout traumatic experiences there might only be one answer. As a Child Life Specialists it is important to inform children on the idea that not everything can be seen in different ways. Each family and child understand when a situation, operation, or end result doesn't turn out as expected, there is still someone to comfort them.

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While simply entering a hospital can be scary, whether you have a diagnosed illness or not, the first thing any child or family needs is an advocate, a safe and happy place where it seems unimaginable. Although I do not personally hold my own office for patients to be interactive in, I am the person that enters the patient's hospital rooms daily. I will be participating in various therapy activities in the environment that is most familiar to them. Although it is not only the physical environment surrounding them that can make their experience more positive, it falls back on the social and emotional climate that can help to improve their challenging reality. By walking in every day with a smile and positive attitude, it can be carried over to the child and their families, while making them feel more at home. While thinking of home, I think of safety and comfort, that will be my first goal as I step foot into any child's hospital room. While it is important to acknowledge and become knowledgeable about the medical aspect, it is just as important to create a safe place that allows the families to make decisions without being scared. But this should not stop them from being scared, as it is normal with any hospital visit. Our goal is to make the scary times just a little more bearable and the play times just a little more memorable.

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Informing them on various opportunities for additional information, therapies, and guidance.

Being a guide and hand to hold through making medical decisions.

Incorporating play activities that involve the family as a whole.

Being an advocate for not only the parents, but the siblings, so they feel comfortable and knowledgeable about the illness and procedures.

Learning about their family’s backgrounds to make them feel welcomed and safe in their environment (Culture, beliefs, morals, values, etc.)

Setting up dates and times that siblings can be interactive with their ill brother or sister inside of the hospital.

While being engaged with the child is important throughout these stressful, unknown, and life-changing experiences, it is equally important to stay connected with the families. By growing relationships with the family about their background and most valuable beliefs, we become more knowledgeable of the decisions that can be made. As a Child Life Specialist, not only will I be honest in answering all their concerns, I will be vocal in relaying all information to the families within a timely manner.

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Be open about their diagnoses and medical procedures in a manner that is most understandable to their age level.

Decrease the stress they hold from being in a hospital setting.

Make them feel comfortable with discussing their concerns medically, physically, and emotionally.

Be the person that makes them smile, simply by walking into their hospital room.

Learning about the child (more than just their illness) and applying their interests to their daily activities.

Pay attention to their well-being and change of behavior.

In order to complete these actions, I will not only grow the necessary relationships that a child deserves, but will make them feel as though they are worth fighting for. In order to create this safe and happy place for a child, I will incorporate play within our meeting times. By not only laying out activities for them to complete personally, but interactive items that will allow connections to be grown within our team. I will build relationships with each child to allow them to develop a voice, while growing the confidence to use it.

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A Child Life Specialist is a health care professional that works with children, siblings, and families that are in the process of coping with any hospitalization illness or disability. As previously stated, families and relationships are a crucial part of any child's life, whether they are battling a sickness or not. While overcoming an obstacle it is important to develop a core support group that will not only allow you to speak your mind and values, but can make you feel as though you are worth fighting for. While beginning this career I discovered that each patient you meet is different and everyone sees support in a wide variety of ways. This is where we have to dig deep to understand the various children and families. While being understanding it is crucial to also be open with our conversations and actions that allow them to feel comfortable in opening up about their concerns and doubts. Urie Brofenbrenner states, "Each child needs at least one adult who is irrationally crazy about him or her" (Pollack, Principles of Development, 2017). In relation to a Child Life Specialist, this is them. We are the people that are so deeply involved with a child that we would do anything to make them smile. While working with sick children we are the advocates that are there to listen, motivate, and endure on their journey to make their experience as positive as possible. We are more than just their hand to hold, we are there crutch to help them walk, blanket to keep them warm, goofy face to make them laugh, and constant smile to make them happy.

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My name is Morgan Moody and I would like to start off by saying that from the day I was old enough to participate in dramatic play, the only characters that I wanted to act out were the teachers, doctors, nurses or mom. In other words, all I wanted to do was be the "helper", the "care-taker", or the "nurturer". Before I can thank anyone for this quality that I hold, I have to say that it was simply born in me. It was a trait that not only defined who I was at a young age, but it currently is a quality that has guided me down a path that I will simply never look back in. Growing up, I have always juggled the idea of being a teacher, nurse, or child life specialist. While they are held in various locations, with a wide variety of children, I have always been attached to the idea that I can build lasting relationships with a child while being more than an advocate, but a safe and welcoming place for not only the child, but the people that mean the most to them, their family. Growing up in a home with my two siblings and loving parents, I felt nothing but the constant support and compassion that I hope to relay back to the patients I have one day.

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Morgan Moody