Background: Child Life Disaster Relief focuses on ensuring that all children have tools and resources useful in positive coping and resilience during and after disasters.
The organization relies on Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) to carry out this mission. CCLSs are trained professionals who focus on providing developmentally appropriate explanations, support, and opportunities for children and teens to process thoughts and emotions in critical moments of need. CCLSs utilize creative outlets and treatment modalities including expressive art and music, role play, therapeutic and imaginative play, as well as group processing. Besides disaster relief, CCLSs are often employed in various locales such as emergency rooms, procedure suites, outpatient and inpatient hospital units to help children deal with stressful encounters and to mitigate trauma.
Program: This program is organized by Child Life Disaster Relief and provided to serve as a tool in helping children and teenagers cope with the uncertainty and stress of the current pandemic virus, COVID 19, and all the associated changes that the children are experiencing as a result.