How Child Life Therapy supports children with cancer

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When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it’s an emotional journey for the entire family. Amid medical treatments, hospital visits, and the upheaval of everyday life, maintaining a sense of normalcy and emotional wellbeing can feel overwhelming.

What is Child Life Therapy?

  • Child Life Therapy is an Allied Health profession that supports kids and families throughout their hospital journey.
  • Kids and families are empowered through assessment, preparation, procedural education, support with re-direction/distraction, developmental, medical and therapeutic play, desensitisation to hospital and all the experiences that arise throughout their admission.
  • Child Life Therapy supports and empowers the kids and families that may be newly diagnosed with cancer, throughout their journey or at the end stages of their treatment.
  • Child Life Therapy services are based on the principles of play which is essential for childhood development and even more vital during a medical crisis. Through play children process emotions, reduce stress, and build resilience helping them to regain a sense of control. Creative activities such as art, craft and storytelling allow children to communicate their feelings in a safe space and supportive environment.

How Does Child Life Therapy Help?

Child Life Therapy provides numerous benefits that positively impact a child’s emotional and psychological well-being.

Some of these include:

Reduced anxiety during treatment 
Medical procedures and hospital stays can be intimidating for children. Child Life Therapists use preparation techniques, medical play, and relaxation strategies to help children feel more comfortable and less fearful about treatments and procedures.

Improved communication and coping skills 
By providing age-appropriate explanations of medical procedures and diagnoses, Child Life Therapists help children better understand their experiences. They also teach coping strategies, such as deep breathing or guided imagery, to help children manage pain and anxiety.

Strengthened emotional bonds with family and caregivers 
A cancer diagnosis affects the entire family. Child Life Therapy fosters stronger family connections by involving parents, siblings, and caregivers in therapeutic play and activities. This shared experience enhances emotional support and strengthens family resilience.

Positive impact on mental health and wellbeing 
Children facing serious illnesses are at risk of emotional distress, including fear, sadness, and frustration. Child Life Therapy provides emotional support, encourages self-expression, and helps children develop a sense of mastery over their medical experiences. This support contributes to better mental health and overall well-being.

Why Child Life Therapy Matters

Case Study: Empowering S through play and medical education

Background 
S is an 8-year-old girl who was diagnosed with leukemia four months ago. Before her diagnosis, S had been nervous around medical procedures, which has made her oncology journey particularly challenging. One of her biggest struggles has been her fear of needles, which has affected her ability to cope with treatment. Child Life Therapy worked closely with S to provide support through play, procedural preparation, education, and empowerment.

Challenges

  • Apprehension surrounding medical procedures
  • Fear of needles leading to distress and resistance during treatments
  • Difficulty coping with painful or uncomfortable aspects of her care.

A particularly difficult moment occurred during a recent clinic admission when S needed a port dressing change. The cleaning solution used caused intense stinging pain, leading to tears, frustration, and increased resistance.

Intervention 
After the procedure, the Child Life Therapist engaged S in a reflective discussion to explore what strategies might work better in the future. During this conversation, it became evident that S had been role-playing port changes with her siblings at home – a self-initiated coping strategy that allowed her to process her experiences in a safe and familiar environment.

After assessment, Child Life Therapy engaged the therapeutic value of play, providing S with a doctor’s kit and real medical supplies, including sample dressings, a cleaning solution, and a dressing change kit. This allowed her to continue engaging in medical play at home, reinforcing her understanding of the process while helping her feel a sense of control.

Outcomes

  • Increased Confidence: When S returned to the clinic the following week, she was eager to share photos of herself role-playing ‘hospital’ with her siblings. She demonstrated a detailed understanding of the port dressing process by using a drinking straw under the dressing to represent the port. Her sister even kept a dressing on for a few hours, which led to a powerful moment of empathy and understanding within the family.
  • Improved Coping: During her next dressing change, S exhibited increased confidence and cooperation. In addition, Child Life Therapy had advocated for a switch to a different cleaning solution, reducing the discomfort S had previously experienced. This combination of advocacy and medical play significantly improved her ability to manage the procedure.
  • Family Engagement: S’s mother was amazed by her daughter’s depth of knowledge and resilience. She credited the medical play at home as a key factor in S’s improved ability to cope with her treatment.

Through connection, play, and advocacy, S has transformed her medical experiences from distressing moments into opportunities for empowerment and learning. By engaging in medical play, she has gained a greater sense of control over her treatment, reducing her anxiety and enhancing her ability to cope. This case highlights the power of play as a therapeutic tool in paediatric healthcare, reinforcing the essential role of Child Life Therapy in supporting children through their medical journeys.

Therapy at Home

Bringing child life therapy techniques into the home can be incredibly beneficial for helping children process emotions, build coping skills, and feel more secure in their environment.

1. Play as a tool for expression

  • Follow the child’s lead: Let them choose activities and themes during play. This helps them to feel a sense of agency and control which is something they are not experiencing much throughout their illness.
  • Use medical play: when a child is dealing with medical experiences, offering toy doctor kits, dolls with bandages, or letting them role-play as a doctor or nurse can help them to process feelings about their illness and treatment as well as help communicate any challenges or fears they may be having.
  • Provide sensory play: Playdough, water play, kinetic sand, and other tactile activities help with emotional regulation.

2. Validate feelings and promote coping skills

  • Name emotions: Help children identify and label what they are feeling (“It looks like you’re feeling frustrated. Do you want to talk about it?”).
  • Use books and storytelling: Read books about emotions, challenges, or hospital experiences if relevant. Let them create their own stories, too.
  • Practice coping strategies: Teach deep breathing, mindfulness, or progressive muscle relaxation through fun activities like blowing bubbles or pretending to be a melting snowman. There are lots of resources online that you can use.

3. Create a safe space for processing experiences

  •  Have a comfort corner: A cozy space with soft toys, books, and sensory items where child patients can go when they need to regulate emotions.
  • Use art for expression: Drawing, painting, or crafting can help children to express feelings they might not have words for.
  • Offer choices: Giving a child control over small things (choosing their outfit, picking a bedtime story) builds confidence and helps them feel secure.

4. Prepare for New or Stressful Situations

  • Use play to practice: If a child is nervous about an upcoming event (doctor visit, procedure, hospital stay) role-play the experience at home with toys or real-life practice runs.
  • Provide age-appropriate information: Use simple, honest explanations for upcoming events or challenges.
  • Encourage questions: Let them ask anything, and if you don’t know the answer, explore it together.

5. Support through transitions

  • Use social stories: Create simple stories with pictures to help children understand changes (e.g., a new procedure or treatment, hospital visits).
  • Make a visual schedule: This can ease anxiety by showing what will happen throughout the day.
  • Use transitional objects: A favourite stuffed animal, bracelet, or small object can provide comfort during stressful times.

How does Camp Quality Support Child Life Therapy

Camp Quality is one of the major funders of Child Life Therapy positions in Australia currently funding Child Life Therapist roles at Monash Children’s Hospital (Vic.), Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne (Vic.), John Hunter Children’s Hospital (Newcastle, NSW), The Children’s Hospital at Westmead (NSW) and Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick (NSW).

Camp Quality offers a range of online fun, ideal for children when they are in hospital.

Camp Quality’s Kids’ Guide to Cancer is a great help when it comes to talking to kids about their diagnosis in a way that’s reassuring, and in language they understand and includes games and videos to make learning about cancer fun.

Digital Puppet Playdates are almost as much fun as the real thing! Fully customised interactions with the Camp Quality Puppets increase laughter, reduce anxiety and provide a wonderful distraction from the tedium and torment of cancer treatment.

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