Citation

Lerwick J (2019) An Exploration of the Roles of Certified Child Life Specialists & Registered Play Therapists in the United States. Int J Pediatr Res 5:049. doi.org/10.23937/2469-5769/1510049

Copyright

© 2019 Lerwick J. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

REVIEW ARTICLE | OPEN ACCESSDOI: 10.23937/2469-5769/1510049

An Exploration of the Roles of Certified Child Life Specialists & Registered Play Therapists in the United States

Julie Lerwick, PhD, LPC, NCC, RPT*

University of Western States, USA

Abstract

In the United States pediatric hospitals and healthcare organizations are becoming more familiar with the value of Child Life Specialists to partner with children and their families to offer information, preparation, and stress reduction interventions to ease the potential negative emotional impact of a healthcare experience. To that end, Child Life Specialists have a unique role, which is not often understood by other healthcare providers. Historically casually regarded as "the hospital play ladies" Child Life Specialists offer more than simply play. They are child development experts that help to prepare children for unique healthcare experiences. If Child Life Specialists offer therapeutic play to children, what is the role of Registered Play Therapists? This article aims to clarify the roles, training, and scope of practice of both Child Life Specialist and Registered Play Therapists in the United States.