Child-Life Therapist

Child Life Therapists nurture and support children, teens, and families as they navigate medical, surgical and hospital experiences. Their goal is to reduce the stress, anxiety, and fear that patients may experience during these potentially overwhelming times. They use specific therapeutic play interventions to address these challenges, which include supporting paediatric patients by:

• Explaining what to expect with a new diagnosis or medical procedures.
• Teaching coping strategies for a new diagnosis, with medical tests/procedures, pain, anxiety, etc.
• Helping them to manage medication taking.
• Helping them to regain skills lost due to prolonged illness or hospitalisation.
• Advocating for their needs to the medical team when they are unable to do for themselves.

How to become a Child-Life Therapist?

To practise as a Child-Life Therapist, you will require these qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Child Life, Child Development, Early Childhood Education, Psychology, or a related field and completed coursework certified by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP), or
• A foundation degree in Healthcare Play Specialism (UK)

All Child-Life Therapists need to be registered with a recognised professional body such as the ACLP.

For more information on institutions offering professional training to become a Child-Life Therapist, visit the links below:

• Association of Child Life Professionals – USA (ACLP)
• Association of Child-Life Therapists Australia (ACLTA)
• Society of Health Play Specialists - UK (SoHPS) 

Interested to join us as a Child-Life Therapist?

Find out more about the Child-Life Therapists working in our institution and the work that they do by clicking on the links below:

• National University Hospital (NUH)
  • NUH Paediatric Psychological Services
  • Khoo Teck Puat-National University of Children’s Medical Institute