Child Life and Music Therapy Training Opportunities
Child Life Student Programs
Child life professionals make a world of difference not only to sick children, but also to their anxious family members. They bring highly specialized skills to their practice, helping children and families understand the child’s illness, reduce the anxiety that accompanies it, and help them to cope with one of the most stressful of life circumstances.
Child life professionals use a range of techniques including: diagnosis-specific education, medical play, psychological preparation and therapeutic play to help children and families adapt to unfamiliar surroundings and circumstances. The work they do — to help children feel comfortable in their surroundings and encourage trust in the team of healthcare providers — is crucial to ensuring positive outcomes. What could be more important or more rewarding?
Children’s Health has one of the oldest and largest child life programs in Texas, offering a variety of opportunities for students interested in pursuing a career in child life. As a student in these programs, you will be provided a comprehensive learning experience encompassing therapeutic play, preparation and procedural support.
The Child Life Department is committed to providing quality education and training for future child life professionals through a variety of programs, including: child life workshops, child life practicum and child life internship opportunities.
For more information on programs offered, download a brochure.
Child Life Workshop
Child life professionals make a world of difference not only to sick children, but also to their worried family members. They bring highly specialized skills to their practice, helping children and families understand the child’s illness, reduce the anxiety that accompanies it, and educate themselves about the strategies they will need to cope with one of the most stressful of life circumstances.
Child life specialists use a range of techniques including diagnosis-specific education, medical play and psychological preparation to help children and families adapt to unfamiliar surroundings and meet challenges for which they may have had no prior experience.
It may seem the simplest of things to show a child how to give a teddy bear an injection or listen to its heart with a stethoscope, but a great deal of specialized education goes into making difficult situations appear simple and unthreatening for a frightened child.
If you’d like to learn more about the child life profession, we frequently have workshops that provide an exciting opportunity to become familiar with the roles, requirements and responsibilities of a child life specialist and learn about the preparation you will need to enter this exciting field.
The workshop is open to juniors and seniors in high school, college students and adults considering a career change.
For more information on the upcoming child life workshops, click hereto receive more information on the upcoming child life workshops.
Music Therapy Student Programs
Music therapy services are available to help patients and their families cope with the many issues that may be present during a health crisis. Board certified music therapists are specially trained to promote healing and wellness throughout a patient’s hospitalization, and work in collaboration with the treatment team to address the many aspects of care.
Children’s Health offer students who are enrolled in a music therapy university program the opportunity to enhance therapeutic skills in a medical setting. Students will receive specialized training necessary for advancement toward music therapy certification. Students are given opportunities to shadow and co-treat with board certified music therapists, as well as work independently under close supervision. The student’s clinical music therapy supervisors, along with other staff members in the Child Life Department, provide instruction and guidance.
