Integrative Care Team

Preparing Your Child for Surgery at CHKD

Integrative Care at CHKD

Being sick or hospitalized is difficult for children. In addition to the physical discomfort of illness, they may feel frightened, confused, and overwhelmed. 

Our integrative care team works with patients and families to help children feel more comfortable and more in control of their hospital stay.

Integrative care team members like child life specialists along with recreation, music, and art therapists help patients and families successfully navigate the hospital experience by providing education, therapeutic and developmental play, creative therapies, and so much more. Through the use of age-appropriate interventions, they help children better understand their illnesses and medical procedures, provide distraction, and develop positive coping skills.

Our integrative care team encourages play and creative expression for patients as they learn about their world and how to cope with new experiences. Through these therapies, children can express their feelings and gain a sense of control.

Services We Provide

• Family support to help adjust to the hospital.
• Creative expression through art, music, and recreational activities.
• Medical play to become more familiar with the medical equipment and procedures, and encourage expression of feelings.
• Sibling visits to help brothers and sisters understand why their sibling is in the hospital.
• Coordination of special celebrations such as birthdays and holidays.
• Activities to help bridge the gap between home and the hospital.
• Psychological preparation and tours to help patients and siblings understand and cope with healthcare experiences.
• Emotional support and coping techniques, such as guided imagery, deep breathing, and diversion.
• Activity room and bedside programming to promote normalization to the hospital experience, peer interaction, and independence.

Contact an Integrative Care Team Member

For general inquiries, please call (757) 668-7327.