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Illustration of a child life specialist sharing information with a young person while holding a teddy bear with a cast on its paw.

Wellstar Child Life Specialists

At Wellstar, our child life specialists are expertly trained and experienced in helping children and youth navigate the challenges of illness, injury, disability, or the hospitalization or loss of a loved one.

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  • What is a Child Life Specialist?
  • The Healing Power of Play
  • Education
  • Preparation
  • Support for Patients and Family
  • Grief and Bereavement Support
  • Grief Resources

What is a Child Life Specialist?

A Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) is a healthcare professional who helps children, teens, and families understand and cope with injury, illness, hospitalization, or death and loss. Their goal is to help reduce anxiety, fear, pain, and misconceptions pertaining to medical experiences. Often through play, child life specialists enable children to explore, learn, and develop effective coping skills for facing challenging events.

Shows a medical professional demonstrating how to use a stethoscope to a young child, using a teddy bear to demonstrate.

What education does a Child Life Specialist need?

To become a Certified Child Life Specialist, a candidate needs extensive education and training. A four-year undergraduate degree is required. Some candidates graduate with a degree in child life while others graduate with a degree in education, psychology, human development, or a related field of study. Some child life specialists decide to further their education and obtain a master’s degree. These two-year programs provide specialized, in-depth education pertaining to the profession.

Each candidate must be certified by the Association of Child Life Professionals. In addition to completing a 600-hour internship or fellowship, candidates must pass the Child Life Professionals examination in order to become certified.

Child Life Specialists Graphic Wheel

The Healing Power of Play

Play is the work of children [Piaget]. It is how they process events and learn about and relate to the world. Play is especially important in the healthcare setting. Child life specialists utilize play to:

  • Encourage normal development and positive coping throughout healthcare experiences
  • Help children understand and feel more comfortable with medical procedures and environments
  • Enable children to process and reflect on prior medical experiences
  • Provide choices and a sense of control for children

Education

Shows a Child Life Specialist sharing information about a medical procedure for a child to understand, using a doll to demonstrate.

Children and teens often cope more effectively when trusted adults share information in a developmentally appropriate manner. Education is crucial to the role of a child life specialist. Often considered the “teachers of the hospital,” child life specialists use their knowledge of development to educate children and teens based on their individual level. Using technology, realistic medical equipment, and/or medical play, child life specialists explain diagnoses, medical procedures, and tests in ways children can understand.

Child life specialists are a helpful resource for caregivers and parents who are interested in learning more about how children develop, respond to challenges, and cope with stress.

Preparation

Shows a Child Life Specialist sharing information about a medical procedure for a child to understand, using a doll to demonstrate.

Going to the hospital or having a medical procedure can be stressful for children and their families, especially the first time. Children may have misconceptions or fears about what is going to happen to them. Children may hear doctors, nurses and other staff members use unfamiliar words, and they may have questions or use their imagination to interpret those words. Preparing children honestly and in a developmentally appropriate manner will help to:

  • Reduce anxiety
  • Develop trust in caregivers and staff
  • Identify stressors and develop coping methods
  • Give choices and a sense of control over what will happen

Child life specialists help children understand not only the sequence of events but also – more specifically – what children will feel, see, hear, taste and smell. During preparation, child life specialists provide information based upon the child’s level of development, often using pictures and medical manipulatives to promote understanding. Talking openly and honestly to children using words they understand can make the healthcare experience easier to manage, and it can also provide opportunities for children to express fears or concerns.

Support for Patients and Family

Throughout preparation, child life specialists also help children and their families develop positive coping skills and establish plans and techniques for facing challenging events. Coping strategies are unique to each child and family but may include strategies such as:

For Parents

  • Stating honestly how something may feel without minimizing it
  • Informing staff of important facts about your child
  • Remaining positive, calm, and supportive toward your child
  • Providing your presence/full attention and offering specific praise before, during, and after a procedure
  • Utilizing comfort positioning so that your child can always see and touch you
  • Preparing yourself for the upcoming procedure

For Children

  • Distraction: refocusing your child’s attention to an activity they find interest in
  • Imagery: asking your child to close their eyes and recall a positive place or memory
  • Breathing: encouraging your child to take slow, deep breaths
  • Comfort: bringing along your child’s favorite blanket or stuffed animal to hold before, during, or after the procedure

For Children of Adult Patients

Child life specialists are available to help children and teens learn about their loved one’s illness, injury, or treatment. Having a parent, grandparent, or other adult family member in the hospital can be a confusing and challenging change in a child’s life. Child life specialists can work with caregivers to educate their children and teens through kid-friendly language, books, and hands-on teaching materials. At Wellstar, there are designated child life specialists with additional training to support children of adult patients.

Grief & Bereavement Support

A child who is old enough to love is old enough to grieve. Though children’s understanding of death and ways of coping are different from adults, it is still important that they receive support.

Child life specialists are trained in how children understand and respond to the death of a loved one. They provide guidance on talking to children about a loved one who has died or is nearing the end of their life. Using play, art, and developmentally appropriate language, child life specialists help children and teens learn about the death, express emotions, and create keepsakes in memory of their loved one.

Specific services include:

  • Guidance and resources for caregivers to help support children and teens who are grieving
  • Preparation for children and teens who are visiting a loved one who is dying
  • Strategies for children and teens to express and manage their emotions in healthy ways
  • Legacy building through family artwork or remembrance projects
  • Connection with additional grief support resources in their community

Helping Children Deal with Grief

Camp Tranquility and Camp Dogwood are one-day events for children and adults who have experienced the loss of a loved one. These events are sponsored by Wellstar Community Hospice.

Camp Tranquility

Camp Tranquility is a one-day community workshop for individuals and families who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Adults and campers six years of age and older participate in sessions designed to aid in healthy grief expression. For more information, contact us at (470) 245-9959 or email [email protected].

At Camp Tranquility, participants build community with others experiencing similar losses while learning:

  • Age-specific strategies for processing grief
  • Self-care and stress reduction
  • Parenting through loss
  • Talking to children about death and grief
  • Activities for family healing over time

Camp Dogwood

Camp Dogwood is a free, one day event for children who are entering First to Seventh Grade from Troup, Coweta, Heard, Meriwether and Harris counties who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Created in 1997 as an outreach of West Georgia Hospice, it now serves up to 60 children each summer with the help of about 80 volunteers.

Through art, games and stories, campers will be helped to:

  • Realize that all people grieve
  • Discover healthy ways to deal with grief
  • Find positive ways of remembering their loved one
  • Learn healthy coping skills while enjoying fun activities

More Resources

  • Camp Kesem - programs and services for children who have a parent with a cancer diagnosis or have lost a parent to cancer
  • Camp Erin - bereavement program for youth grieving the death of a significant person in their lives
  • Kate’s Club - bereavement programs for children, adolescents, and young adults
  • Association of Child Life Professionals

For Reading

  • Teaching Kids About Death (in English)
  • Teaching Kids About Death (en Español / in Spanish)
  • When Teens are Grieving (in English)
  • When Teens are Grieving (en Español / in Spanish)
Image depicts holiday stocking filled with gifts for children and reads "Accepting Toy Donations."

Toy Drive for Child Life

Donations from our Amazon Wish List benefit pediatric patients receiving care at Wellstar. Thank you!

Donate Here

Contact the Child Life Program at Wellstar

Please email or call us for more information about our services.

Email Us

Call Us

Child Life Practicum

The Child Life Department at Wellstar offers practicum experiences for students pursuing a career in Child Life and currently enrolled in one of the affiliated universities listed below:
University of Georgia
Auburn University
Missouri State University
Eastern Washington University
Email us for more information and to request an application packet.

More Info


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A Child Life Specialist explains medical concepts on the child's level
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A Child Life Specialist describes how an MRI machine works to a child
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A Child Life Specialist listens carefully to a young person to learn their thoughts and feelings

Services & Resources


Child Life Services include:
  • Opportunities for play & growth and development in the healthcare setting
  • Healthcare education for children and families
  • Procedural and surgical preparation and support
  • Strategies for coping with stressful situations
  • Advocacy that promotes emotional safety for children, teens and families
  • Support of siblings during their brother's or sister’s hospitalization
  • Illness education and coping support for children & teens whose loved one is hospitalized
  • Grief and bereavement support
  • Consultative support for parents/caregivers on child development, responses to and strategies for managing stress and trauma
For Parents
  • Help Your Child Prepare for an EEG
  • Ayude a su hijo a prepararse para un EEG
  • Pediatric Ultrasound Comfort Positions


Our Locations


Currently showing 4 total listed locations
Wellstar Pediatric Center
1180 Ernest W. Barrett Parkway NW
Kennesaw, GA 30144
Closed • Opens at 8:00 AM
Phone: (404) 321-9900
mi away
200
Pediatric Center
34.00114
-84.58672
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center
677 Church Street NE
Marietta, GA 30060
Open • Open 24 Hours
Phone: (770) 793-5000
mi away - Open
108
Kennestone Regional Medical Center
33.96983
-84.55381
Wellstar Cobb Medical Center
3950 Austell Road
Austell, GA 30106
Open • Open 24 Hours
Phone: (770) 732-4000
mi away - Open
104
Cobb Medical Center
33.85711
-84.60629
Wellstar Paulding Medical Center
2518 Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway
Hiram, GA 30141
Open • Open 24 Hours
Phone: (470) 644-7000
mi away - Open
112
Paulding Medical Center
33.90072
-84.78371

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Wellstar Pediatric Center

1180 Ernest W. Barrett Parkway NW
Kennesaw, GA 30144
mi away
Phone: (404) 321-9900

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center

677 Church Street NE
Marietta, GA 30060
mi away
Phone: (770) 793-5000

Wellstar Cobb Medical Center

3950 Austell Road
Austell, GA 30106
mi away
Phone: (770) 732-4000

Wellstar Paulding Medical Center

2518 Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway
Hiram, GA 30141
mi away
Phone: (470) 644-7000

News


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Highlights

Health Equity in Action

The Weekly Check-up Atlanta


When Dr. Earl Stewart thinks about health equity, he thinks about patients who delay care because they can’t take time off work, who are seniors silently battling chronic disease in food deserts and who live in communities hit hard when summer heat bears down on the South.

“Health equity,” he said on  The Weekly Check-Up podcast, “means making sure every person, regardless of ZIP code, income or background, has access to the care they need delivered with dignity.”

Dr. Stewart is the medical director of health equity at Wellstar and an internal medicine physician. He’s at the forefront of building a more just healthcare system rooted in listening, proactive outreach and community-based care. His work is redefining what community health looks like in practice.

Health equity starts with access

One of the biggest misconceptions about health equity is that it’s only about insurance coverage. But that’s just the starting point.

“Access doesn’t mean only having a clinic nearby or having insurance,” Dr. Stewart said. “It means that care is affordable, culturally competent, geographically reachable and provided in a way that meets people where they are.”

In Georgia, especially in urban and rural areas, barriers to healthcare can have many forms: long travel times to the nearest physician, language barriers, gaps in preventive care and social factors like food insecurity and housing instability. Each of these affects whether patients seek care at all and what happens when they do.

That’s why Dr. Stewart is helping lead efforts at Wellstar to address care beyond hospital walls, including thinking outside the traditional healthcare model.

Food as medicine for chronic disease

Health happens everywhere, not just in exam rooms. For example, conditions like diabetes and hypertension, wo diseases that disproportionately affect ethnically minoritized and low-income populations, are directly linked to access, or lack of access, to healthy food options.

Wellstar is working to reduce the health impact of food insecurity and chronic disease across the state through:

  • Fresh food as medicine initiatives
  • Mobile Markets in partnership with Goodr
  • Partnerships with local organizations

“If you don’t have access to healthy foods, your ability to control your blood pressure or manage your blood sugar is already compromised,” Dr. Stewart said.

By addressing food insecurity head-on, Wellstar isn’t only treating illness—we’re preventing it through community investment and education.

Mobile health removes barriers

For patients who can’t easily get to a clinic or pharmacy, Wellstar is bringing the clinic to their neighborhoods. Through mobile health programs, including pop-up clinics and food markets, patients can get screened for high blood pressure, pick up healthy groceries or receive preventive education.

“These programs reflect a shift in strategy—from reactive to proactive and from system-centered to patient-centered care,” Dr. Stewart said. “This is PeopleCare in action.”

“Mobile care gives us the chance to address healthcare access in a tangible way,” he added. “It removes barriers before they become complications.”

Health risks presented by climate

In a season of extreme and dangerous weather events, Dr. Stewart noted the connection between climate and health risks, especially for older adults and low-income populations.

“We see emergency department visits spike when the temperatures rise,” he said. “Older adults, people who work outdoors and people with chronic heart and lung conditions are especially vulnerable. Heat isn’t just a weather issue—it’s a health equity issue.”

For communities with limited cooling, transportation or healthcare providers, rising temperatures create a dangerous, often deadly situation. Dr. Stewart sees climate resilience as part of the activities needed to build health equity, calling for stronger connections among climate data analytics, care strategies and community outreach.

Leading with empathy & listening with intention

Health equity starts with listening. Dr. Stewart grounds his leadership in the belief that every patient story matters and empathy is as important as data to the future of healthcare.

With Wellstar Mobile Markets, social determinants of health screenings and mobile health outreach units, Dr. Stewart, the Wellstar Center for Health Equity team and Wellstar clinicians are working to transform healthcare from the inside out.

“Equity is not just the right thing to do morally,” he said. “It’s how we get better outcomes for everyone.”

Hear the full conversation.

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Illustration of children playing sports surrounded by fruits and vegetables, water bottle

Highlights

Fueling Up for Sports this School Year

Wellstar knows that the beginning of the school year is often accompanied by getting back to extracurricular activities. With the return to the classroom and competition arenas, we know parents, coaches and teachers alike are concerned that their student athletes are fueling their bodies and brains for optimal performance.  

Wellstar Pediatric Orthopedics recommends getting the correct amount of protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, iron, calcium and vitamin D, as well as fluids. Dietary supplements are not needed for youth athletes unless recommended by a healthcare professional. It is more important to meet the body’s caloric needs.

For hydration, it’s recommended that student athletes consume up to 20 ounces of fluid one hour before an activity and 5 ounces every 15 minutes during the activity.

“Proper nutrition and hydration are critical for all students, but particularly for athletes who are more active and burning more calories,” said Dr. Lindsay Stephenson, Wellstar pediatric orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist. “I recommend using the nutritional guide released by the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. This information makes it easier for students and their parents to understand the nutritional needs of the body to perform in the classroom and during competition.”

Access the recommended nutritional guide.

To learn more or make an appointment with Wellstar Pediatric Orthopedics, visit wellstar.org/pedsortho.

Keep reading
Illustration of parent speaking with child

Highlights

BackToSchoolCare: Helping Your Child With Stress & Anxiety

The new school year comes with a lot of change for children—a different classroom, teacher, peers, learning material and routine. These changes can cause stress and anxiety in some children and teens, especially if they struggle in school and dread going back.

How to respond to stress

Kids and teens of all ages can feel stress at times, and that’s normal. It’s essentially a signal to get ready for what’s coming. With typical back-to-school stress, a parent or caretaker can help adolescents start the school year with confidence—and gain important coping skills—with the following tips.

  1. Listen and validate your child or teen’s feelings.
  2. Talk through what they can expect of everything from the morning routine to the bus ride to the school day and dismissal.
  3. Visit the school and the classroom, especially if the child is younger or is new to the school.
  4. Check in with your child about how the year is going so far.
  5. Look ahead at what the rest of the year could be like.

Recognize chronic stress and anxiety

Stress can be good for kids. But on the other hand, chronic stress and anxiety that lasts for more than a few weeks aren’t healthy. In recent years, Wellstar Pediatrician Dr.  Andrew Doyle has noticed a growing number of adolescents, especially females, have anxiety.

“It’s normal to have stress; it’s not normal to have anxiety,” Dr. Doyle said. “Understandably you get nervous with new situations that make you uncomfortable, but you’re still able to do it and have fun. Significant anxiety starts to interfere with a child or teen’s ability to do what they need to do—homework, school, social situations. That’s when it’s helpful to get it checked out.”

In addition to having difficulty participating in and completing activities, signs of anxiety in children and adolescents can include difficulty sleeping, abdominal pain, headaches, significant changes in appetite or an explosive temper.

Effective treatments include lifestyle changes, medication and therapy. For example, lifestyle changes can include getting enough sleep, exercising, eating a healthy diet and planning downtime from social media and life responsibilities.

“Therapy and role-playing can help you recognize your stressors and think through how to handle them ahead of time so you can face those situations,” he said. “For example, on exam day, start with positive self-talk. You can say, ‘I’m feeling nervous. I have a headache and an upset stomach. I know that’s because I’m anxious. I’ve taken many tests before and I can do this, so I don’t need to worry about it.’ Breathing exercises before the test can help you stay calm.”

Start the year strong with a wellness screening

Another way to begin the school year right is to check in on your child’s emotional and physical health. Wellstar pediatricians will get to know your child and help them live their healthiest.

“I try to do whatever I can to help our patients and families so that when they leave my office, I've given them something to hold onto that is going to make life better for them,” Dr. Doyle said.

Find a pediatrician near you and book your child’s back to school exam so they can start the year strong.

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