Child Life Clinical Internship Curriculum - Child Life Council

Module 8
Therapeutic Play and Coping
Clinical Learning Goals
The child life intern will develop and successfully apply a working knowledge of how to use
play in a therapeutic manner to support children in coping with a range of psychosocial issues.
Child Life Competencies
I. Care of Infants, Children, Youth and Families
A. The ability to assess and meaningfully interact with infants, children, youth and
families.
Utilize therapeutic/creative modalities such as bibliotherapy to meet individual
developmental and emotional needs.
B. The ability to provide a safe, therapeutic and healing environment for infants,
children, youth and families.
Identify and describe the developmental and psychosocial goals of each activity and
interaction.
C. The ability to assist infants, children, youth and families in coping with potentially
stressful events.
Facilitate opportunities for play to decrease distress and increase effective coping
Facilitate mastery of potentially stressful experiences.
II. Education and Supervision
A. The ability to represent and communicate child life practice and psychosocial issues of
infants, children, youth and families to others.
Demonstrate effective advocacy for child life practice and psychosocial issues.
Related Domains and Tasks from Professional Certification Examination Classification
System
Domain II: Intervention
Task 5: Facilitate the development of coping strategies for children and families (e.g.,
pain management, Positioning for Comfort ® , distraction, alternative focus, guided
imagery, child participation) in order to minimize distress and promote empowerment.
Task 6: Facilitate play (e.g., recreational, health care, therapeutic) and familiar life
experiences in order to encourage expression, process information, and promote
development and normalization.
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