On Tuesday April 27^th, a wonderfully diverse group of participants gathered for a workshop led by Evi Feltus (Childlife Specialist at Swedish Medical Center) to learn about using creativity with hospitalized children and their siblings.

Participants gained an awareness of the hospital experience from a child’s perspective, and engaged in writing, drawing, and collage exercises to deepen their understanding of how to use Art with Heart’s therapeutic books in ways that build trust, encourage creativity, and help reduce fear of the hospital experience.

All workshop attendees are eligible to become Art Buddies at Swedish Medical Center. Art Buddy volunteers work under the leadership of Evi Feltus, and spend time creating art with patients and their families.

Art Buddy workshops at Swedish Medical Center are now held quarterly, so if you weren’t able to join us this time, you’ll have 2 more opportunities this year! The next workshop date is TBA, so now is the perfect time to sign up for our monthly e-newsletter, to stay informed for all upcoming events.

Celebrate those who help hospitalized children cope

In March we celebrate women’s history and basketball.  It is also Child Life Month – an opportunity to recognize and honor those who provide special services for hospitalized children suffering from health-related challenges.

Children aren’t equipped to cope with traumatic health challenges like adults. That’s where Child Life Specialists step in. Terminal illness, loss of a family member or other serious hospital events can cause kids to feel frightened or confused. Before there were Child Life Specialists, they often faced these situations – and their emotions – alone.  The sights, sounds and smells of a hospital or watching a sibling undergo a painful procedure can create severe stress for a child, but with the help of these certified professionals, kids can better understand and manage these experiences.

The Child Life Specialist is a true hero who helps ease the burden of a child’s trauma with targeted interventions and creative tools that allow kids to work through their anxiety and express their feelings.  Hospital preparation, creative play and therapeutic art workbooks (such as those created by Art with Heart) are some of the tactics they use to help children understand what’s happening around them, foster an environment of emotional support,  and help them cooperate with the medical services they need. Research shows that the services a Child Life Specialist provides can help children through the stress of trauma and pain, causing them to actually heal faster – both physically and emotionally.

A while back, my own son received special treatment from a Child Life Specialist before his ear surgery, and I found that he wasn’t the only beneficiary. Both my husband and I found our anxiety levels decreased exponentially as we watched her demonstrate what was going to happen during the surgery in child-friendly terms. While in the waiting room, he happily worked through his “Oodles of Doodles” (Art with Heart) book and by the time they wheeled him off, he was happy and content.

So this month as we’re honoring women’s history and watching basketball, let’s take a moment to recognize Child Life Month.  While we all hope to avoid the need for these services, it’s nice to know that truly heroic professionals are there for our most vulnerable if they ever do.

Steffanie Lorig
Executive Director, Art with Heart
www.artwithheart.org