Wellstar Child Life Specialists
About Us
- 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.
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.
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
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
- 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
Services & Resources
- 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
Our Locations
News
Related Articles
Newsroom
Wellstar Team Members Bring Heart and Hands to Communities Across Georgia
A Few Highlights from the Day:
- Community Gardens Revived
- Volunteers partnered with Food Well Alliance to rejuvenate gardens in Austell, Douglasville and North Fulton—prepping soil, planting crops and creating vibrant spaces for neighbors to grow fresh produce.
- Food Banks Fueled
- At Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta and Aiken, teams packed backpack meals for children and food boxes for families. In Marietta and Atlanta, volunteers sorted donations and prepped pantries at the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
- Shelters Supported
- At Covenant House, volunteers assembled 400 sack lunches for youth and organized clothing donations. In Cobb County, they helped Habitat for Humanity paint a home for a local family as part of the Women Build 2025 initiative.
- Kindness Kits Created
- At MUST Ministries, team members assembled hygiene kits, birthday bundles and heartfelt notes for seniors—adding a personal touch to essential services.
About Wellstar Health System
Wellstar personalizes the patient experience. We call it PeopleCare, and it's only possible thanks to our 33,000 team members who provide expert, compassionate care for every stage of life. PeopleCare also means we serve our communities as a nonprofit health system, providing more than $1 billion annually in charity care and community programs, and operating the largest integrated trauma network in the state of Georgia. We embrace innovation and technology, nurture early-stage companies through our venture firm Catalyst by Wellstar, and train future generations of caregivers with academic institutions including the Medical College of Georgia. Wellstar honors every voice and is one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. To learn more, visit Wellstar.org.
Highlights
Wellstar Opens New Locations in Douglasville & Villa Rica
To serve our community’s growing healthcare needs, Wellstar has opened new urgent care, primary care and pediatric locations in Douglasville and Villa Rica.
Wellstar Urgent Care
If you’re dealing with a minor injury or illness or need care after your physician’s regular office hours, going to urgent care is often the right choice. Wellstar Urgent Care centers provide quick, convenient care for non-emergency medical conditions such as coughs, colds, sprains, broken bones and minor bites, burns and cuts. Visit our new locations at:
Douglasville
2710 Fairburn Road, Suite 175
(943) 202-8640
Villa Rica
662 Carrollton Villa Rica Highway, Suite 100
(943) 202-8590
Wellstar Primary Care
Primary care is ongoing, comprehensive care and preventative medicine that helps you live a full, healthy life. Services include wellness exams, vaccinations, treatment for acute illnesses like flu and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes. Wellstar Primary Care often has same-day or next-day availability and is welcoming new patients. Visit our new locations at:
Douglasville
2710 Fairburn Road, Suite 150
(943) 202-8560
Villa Rica
662 Carrollton Villa Rica Highway, Suite 200
(943) 202-8560
Wellstar Pediatrics
From wellness checkups and immunizations to chronic and complex conditions, Wellstar Children's of Georgia focuses on the physical, mental and emotional well-being of every patient, helping families navigate care with confidence. Visit our new location at:
Douglasville
2710 Fairburn Road, Suite 100
(943) 202-8660
Douglasville location
Villa Rica location
Highlights
Live to the Beat Powered by Wellstar: Celebrating a Year of Impact
What began as a bold idea—bringing cardiovascular health education into the heart of our communities—has now culminated in a joyful, music-filled celebration that honored the success of a powerful one-year pilot program of Live to the Beat at First Baptist Church East Point and Mount Olive Seventh Day Adventist Church. From inception to execution, this journey has been a testament to what can happen when community, clinical partners and courageous participants come together with one mission: to live longer, stronger, healthier lives—one beat at a time.
Final Class Check-In & Celebration
We opened our final sessions with a check-in, inviting participants to reflect on how they’ve been incorporating their support networks into daily life since our “A Family Affair” class. Their stories affirmed the power of connection and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who help you thrive.
After the check-in, we transitioned into a formal celebration that included:
- A brief agenda to thank everyone—from stakeholders and service line leaders to our participants and guest speakers
- A powerful recap of success metrics from each church
- A joyful closing moment that quite literally had everyone “living to the beat” with music, dancing and smiles all around!
Mount Olive: Setting the Bar High
With 18 dedicated members, Mount Olive consistently exceeded expectations:
- 90% average attendance
- 100% 5-star rating in both knowledge gained and overall satisfaction
- 82% reported positive behavior change in daily life
- 61% saw improvements in their average blood pressure readings
- Three participants shared that their clinicians reduced the dosage or number of their medications
- Two reported more regular visits to their doctors since joining the program
From their energy in the classroom to their commitment at home, Mount Olive’s cohort has become a model of what’s possible when knowledge meets action.
First Baptist: Stepping Boldly into Wellness
With 14 committed participants, First Baptist brought steady engagement and deep personal growth:
- 74% average attendance
- 80% reported positive behavior change
- 43% saw improvements in their average blood pressure readings
- Two participants reported a reduction in medication dosage or number
- Three reported more regular visits to their doctors since joining the program
- 4.69 rating in knowledge gained and overall rating of 4.77 out of 5
Their thoughtful conversations, openness to growth and willingness to step outside their comfort zones truly made this cohort shine. And yes—we danced our way into what’s next.
Looking Ahead: The Beat Continues with Art Pharmacy
While the classroom sessions have come to a close, our participants’ journey is far from over. As a next step, all graduates will now enter the next phase of Live to the Beat through our new partnership with Art Pharmacy—a social prescribing organization that connects individuals to arts and culture-based experiences to support long-term health and well-being.
Graduates will receive one “social prescription” per month for the next six months, focusing on connection, creativity and continued wellness. This phase was designed with intention—to ensure the momentum continues beyond the classroom and into real life.
We’ll also be conducting a 6-month follow-up to evaluate how behavior changes have been sustained over time, using lessons learned to inform the next cohort launching in September.
National Impact: CDC Foundation & LTTB Ambassadors
We were honored to have representatives from the CDC Foundation join our final celebrations to share how graduates can become Live to the Beat Ambassadors for the national campaign. Many participants expressed excitement about using their voice to inspire others to begin their heart health journeys too—a beautiful full-circle moment of community-led change.
One Chapter Ends, A Movement Continues
As we officially close out this year-long pilot, we stand in awe of what was accomplished—and energized for what’s ahead. To our participants: thank you for your courage and commitment. To our partners, service line leaders and supporters: thank you for believing in the vision.
Together, we proved that heart health isn’t just clinical—it’s cultural, communal and deeply personal. And as we prepare for the next chapter, one thing is certain: The beat goes on… and it’s only getting stronger.