r/ChildLife

Hello everyone! I'm a psych grad student (canada) who just learned what a child life specialist is last week from a job posting. I've pursued working with youth in a psychosocial healthcare role since 1st year undergrad, so was shocked I didn't know about this profession sooner. After reading more, I am strongly considering if I might appreciate the role diversity, pace, and education/ advocacy emphasis of being a CLS over that of a psych treatment-oriented, hospital-based child psychologist. The very specific training/licensing requirements and intership would require some time/money sacrifice, given I'm partway through a non-CLS master's program that doesn't have all the APLC required course offerings. While I'm all for pursuing what will be most fulfilling, it also seems like CLS internships are hard to come by without attending a specialized program, and the CLS salary undercuts the length of training even without already having time/money invested in another pathway. Before entertaining this further, I'd really love to hear from anyone willing to speak more on the following points. Thank you!

1. Firsthand day-day experience as a CLS, especially if you can personally compare it to a hospital-based psychologist.

2. Realistic feasibility of switching tracks and securing an internship with a relevant, but not CLS-specific background

I'm most drawn to this career, and I love absolutely everything about it. I'm a bubby person, and creating magic for kiddos and shielding them from "adult things" is something I'm really good at. That being said, seeing them hurting does hurt me. I can handle it, of course, I'm a big kid, but I was wondering if any seasoned child life specialists could weigh in... is the engagement with children really a lot of coloring, singing, and planning proms? Or will I just spend most of my time helping hold children down for medical procedures? I don't think the latter is something I can do long-term. It would really hurt my heart.

Hello, everyone.

I’m posting to let people know that there are 7 (yes, SEVEN) full time child life jobs open at Cincinnati Children’s. I’ve been on this sub a while and have seen many posts about people struggling to find work so I figured I’d share.

I’m not gonna do a whole song and dance about how wonderful it is to work there. It’s work. Being a child life specialist is both rewarding and challenging, there are pros and cons to this. I will say, I have worked there for nearly 13 years, and one of the open positions is an inpatient unit I worked on for over 10 years.

I’m also sharing in case anyone has any questions. People often have to move for this job and that’s a lot to ask. I moved 700 miles and I’m still here. So if you want to ask about the hospital itself, the city, cost of living, I’m happy to help. I’m not a manager or involved in the hiring so I don’t have salary information. You’re welcome to ask here or DM and I will do my best and be honest (while also being professional.)

Hello, I am currently completing a Death, Dying, and Bereavement course with UCSB as part of my Child Life studies to become a certified Child Life specialist. One of my course assignments requires me to interview a professional who supports children and/or families who are experiencing or have experienced the death of a loved one. I had originally scheduled an interview with a local bereavement professional, however they have had to cancel twice and I’m running out of time to complete my interview (I have already been granted an extension).

I was wondering if there is someone who currently supports children and/or families who would be willing to participate in a 30–60 minute interview with me. The interview can be conducted virtually. I am based in Mountain Daylight Time.

The interview would focus on topics such as the population they serve, their role in supporting children and families through grief and bereavement, interventions and resources they use, their perspective on self-care, and any advice they have for someone entering the Child Life profession. This interview is solely for a course assignment, and no academic references or research participation are involved.