Cythia Vejar, PhD Lisa A. Martinelli Beasley, MPS, CCLS, ATR-BC Insight from Child Life Specialists who work in the field of death, dying and bereavement Cythia Vejar, PhD Lisa A. Martinelli Beasley, MPS, CCLS, ATR-BC 1

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Increase people’s comfort level with death, dying, and bereavement, at individual, community, and societal levels. Motivate people to become inspired by their own mortality – i.e., acknowledgment of death encourages people to forge more meaningful lives. Encourage people to become more supportive of other people when they are faced with a chronic/terminal illness, or when they’ve lost a loved one. Conceptualize death, dying, and bereavement in creative terms in order to personalize/normalize the experience.

Factors affecting familiarity with death Data collection overview PRESENTATION OUTLINE What is child life Factors affecting familiarity with death Data collection overview Prevelant themes in data Creating Metaphors Conclusion

WHAT IS A CHILD LIFE SPECIALIST? “Child Life Specialists help infants, children, youth and families cope with the stress and uncertainty of acute and chronic illness, injury, trauma, disability, loss and bereavement.” (Association of Child Life Professionals, 2017)

CHILD LIFE SERVIES Therapeutic and medical play Procedural preparation and alternative focus to reduce fear and anxiety Collaborate with interdisciplinary team to promote patient and family-centered care Emotional support for patients, siblings, and families Grief and bereavement services

CHILD LIFE CERTIFICATION REQUIRMENTS Current Requirements Future Requirements Bachelor’s Degree Master’s Degree (2022) 480+ hour internship 600+ hour internship (2019) Must pass the ACLP Certification Exam Acquire a minimum of 60 PDU’s in a 5-year period Child Life Specialists are also required to have a background in child development, play, family systems, grief and bereavement, expressive therapies , and ethics. Child Life Specialists are required to have a background in child development, play, family systems, grief and bereavement, expressive therapies, and ethics. (Association of Child Life Professionals, 2017)

FACTORS AFFECTING FAMILIARITY WITH DEATH The multigenerational home Change in death rituals Life expectancy and mortality rates Geographic mobility and intergenerational contact Life-extending technologies

EXAMINING ASSUMPTIONS Death is part of our lives- not thinking or talking about death doesn’t remove us from its power Ostrichlike behavior limits our choices for coping with dying Societal views: how death is acknowledged Professionals “deal” with death – doctors, nurses, funeral directors, etc.

108 individuals in the Child Life profession were surveyed DATA COLLECTION 108 individuals in the Child Life profession were surveyed Snapshot of people’s experiences Description of questions that were asked Why we devised this questionnaire Limitations Implications for follow-up questionnaire

Some relevant themes that emerged from the data: DATA THEMES Some relevant themes that emerged from the data: Language Support Lessons & Perspectives Legacy Building Metaphors

METAPHORS IN RELATION TO DATA Theoretical frameworks that encourage use of metaphors/Creative Approaches: Art Therapy Family Systems Theory 2. Gestalt Theory 3. Solution-focused Brief Therapy (Miracle Question) 3. Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy Why are metaphors/creative approaches important in working with the death, dying, and bereavement community?

METAPHOR ACTIVITY Think of the following: Something found in nature (person, animal, plant, a cycle, a natural phenomenon), a bodily, emotional, an intellectual experience, a relationship dynamic, an event, or an object. Imbed a timeline into what you selected for #1. Describe something about journeying through the timeline: Make sure that the emotional or thoughtful elements of your timeline reflects your perspective on life and death. (Optional): Keep a memento handy that represents your metaphor. For example, if your metaphor is about a butterfly, put a picture of this by your work desk, buy a butterfly keychain, etc.

CONCLUSION Q & A: 2. We would like to review our learning objectives: Increase people’s comfort level with death, dying, and bereavement, at individual, community, and societal levels. Motivate people to become inspired by their own mortality – i.e., acknowledgment of death encourages people to forge more meaningful lives. Encourage people to become more supportive of other people when they are faced with a chronic/terminal illness, or when they’ve lost a loved one. Conceptualize death, dying, and bereavement in creative terms in order to personalize/normalize the experience. Thank you for attending!

Cythia Vejar, PhD: cvejar@mcdaniel Cythia Vejar, PhD: cvejar@mcdaniel.edu Lisa Martinelli Beasley, MPS, CCLS, ATR-BC: lmartinelli@towson.edu