March Marks a Special Recognition for Child Life and Creative Arts

In March, the department celebrated Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Month. During this time, the department recognized the contributions that our child life specialists and creative arts therapists make every day for our pediatric patients and families. This year, the department introduced a new initiative in honor of Child Life Month and Creative Arts Therapy Month by welcoming Courtney Reynolds, a third year pediatric resident. Courtney completed a two-week elective in the department. Each day, she focused on a theme centered on various child life and creative arts therapy offerings and areas of expertise. “I chose to work with Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy over the last two weeks to gain a new perspective on taking care of our patients at Kravis,” she explained. Courtney “walked a day in the shoes” of child life specialists and creative arts therapists. She learned how to quickly build rapport with patients and families, in addition to the role of art therapy and creative arts therapy at Kravis Children’s Hospital. “By shadowing various child life and creative arts therapists, I have gained so much amazing and useful insight into all the work the department does. I've also learned some handy tricks and skills to help me better communicate and connect with my patients,” Courtney stated. This exciting opportunity was the first time the department partnered with the resident medical education program; the department looks forward to future resident electives like this. Courtney has shared her experience with other residents hopes that “going forward, many other residents participate in the elective.”

Our department’s creative social media committee took center stage during Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Month. With a takeover of the Mount Sinai NYC Instagram page, the social media team posted a grid displaying different members of the CLCAT department. Each day for one week a different modality or program in the department was highlighted, including child life specialists, creative arts therapists, animal assisted therapy, Zone programming and KidZone TV. Check out our Instagram page @mschildlife to explore the content. Look out every Monday for the social media committee s Instagram story highlights of each discipline in the department. Focusing on the role of a different staff member each week, the social media committee sets out to provide an in-depth look into the daily work of child life specialists and creative arts therapists. The department wrapped up the month’s festivities with a special celebration featuring crafts, food and team building activities.