DISCOVER The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department
January 2024
Child Life Expands to Pediatric Cardiac Clinic Through a partnership with the pediatric cardiac team, child life is expanding services to patients and families in the cardiac clinic for outpatient appointments. Kaleigh Bieling, a Certified Child Life Specialist in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU), is leading this child life initiative. Pre Admission Testing Appointments (PATs) are appointments scheduled to prepare the patient and families for heart surgery and hospitalization. During PATs, the following is completed: vital signs, ECHO, X-ray, imaging, COVID19, evaluation by the cardiologist and anesthesiologist, and consultation with the surgeon. Kaleigh saw PATs as an opportunity to integrate child life into the cardiac clinic to expand on her work in the PCICU. When going to meet a patient and family at a PAT appointment, there are a few components that Kaleigh considers: the patient's age; developmental level; if it is their first surgery/admission to the hospital; and if the patient has a sibling(s). The cardiac physician assistants coordinate the timing of the family meeting with Kaleigh. When going to meet a patient, Kaleigh typically brings a few things with her to the cardiac clinic depending on the child's developmental level in order to aid in distraction, comfort and positive coping. While meeting with the patient and family, Kaleigh uses this opportunity to give a developmentally appropriate explanation of what admission and surgery will be like and address any questions and concerns. Kaleigh introduces services that will be offered while admitted, like art therapy, music therapy, mindfulness/meditation and animal assisted therapy. Kaleigh also explains how co-treating with other specialties like physical therapy can help with motivation and positive coping in order to make admission as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Meeting patients and families during PATs is helpful for Kaleigh to get a sense of what the anticipated needs will be for the patient prior to their admission. Kaleigh creates personalized name signs and room decorations depending on interests the patient shared during the PAT to help promote immediate rapport and relationship building upon admission. Kaleigh is working with facility dog, Amos, to soon integrate him into future PATs and prep books. Be on the lookout for that next step of child life in the cardiac clinic.
Kaleigh is pictured here in the Pediatric Cardiac Clinic using an OR prep book and distraction items.
Art Intervention Offers Opportunity for Contemplation Katherine Parker, Patient and Family Care Coordinator and a Licensed Art Therapist, works in collaboration with the Adult Supportive Oncology team to support families who are affected by a caregiver’s cancer diagnosis. Katherine offers developmentally appropriate language and resources for discussing diagnosis and treatment, provides personalized art therapy interventions to help children and teens express thoughts and feelings and meets with families in the hospital to help minimize anxiety related to the medical setting. For this intervention, the participant was invited to create three different images with the following prompts: draw yourself as a tree; draw your current mood in the form of weather; and draw a source of inspiration or strength. This provided the participant with a chance to reflect, express, and discuss their current physical, mental, and spiritual state. LB 2019
Mountsinai.org/childlife
-
Facebook.com/MSchildlife -
Instagram: @MSchildlife
@KZTVlive
@mountsinai_pawsandplay
Teen Space Renovations Are In the Planning Stages The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy team has long recognized that from a developmental standpoint adolescent patients face a unique set of challenges when coping with illness and/or hospitalization. With this in mind, in early 2023 we jumped at the first opportunity to create a dedicated adolescent space within the Child Life Zone to potentially mitigate some of these stressors. We began to establish a “Teen Lounge” featuring programming and activities specifically tailored to the interests and skills of this population. This initial effort was quickly amplified thanks to a generous gift from the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation to redesign this area to better support adolescent creativity, self-expression and connectivity among hospital peers. Once completed, the adolescent area will include a distinct art and clay area, maker space, lounge area, gaming stations, reading and photo pods, and related supplies and materials. We look forward to this exciting advancement. Recently we welcomed NHL legend and Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine, along with his Companions in Courage Foundation, to celebrate the opening of the ‘Lion’s Den’ patient activity room in our P4 South Unit. The Lion’s Den room offers some of the latest technologies and interactive gaming in a welcoming, child-friendly space for patients and their families. During his visit, LaFontaine put smiles on the faces of pediatric patients as he visited with them and signed autographs. He made a special appearance in the KidZone TV studio, hosting sports bingo for our young viewers.
Jonathan Kyriacou’s “The Big Trivia Show” on KidZone TV Who knew that Mount Sinai Hospital’s own chief operating officer, Jonathan Kyriacou, was a trivia wiz? Since 2018, Jonathan has taken a seat in the host chair monthly in the KZTV studio with an ultimate trivia challenge. It’s the trivia show with the most questions and categories one will find on channel 114, hence the named “The BIG Trivia Show.” Jonathan always brings a surprise co-host along for the challenge. His dedication to bringing joy and fun to our pediatric patients and families is always felt during each of his visits. Jonathan loves a good time and will often challenge our players to a good old-fashioned karaoke sing-off (which everyone wins). He is a huge supporter and friend to the KZTV studio, but most importantly, the patients. Jonathan has joined KZTV specials such as “Sinai Feud” and the “KZTV Talent Show.” Jonathan brings a unique sense of fun and competitive spirit to our airwaves. We always look forward to our next show.
Jonathan Hosting “The BIG Trivia Show”, creating opportunities for fun on KidZone TV.
New Talented Staff Members and Current Accomplishments Kathleen Burke, child life specialist, recently completed her internship at Good Samaritan Hospital on Long Island. Kathleen is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland and received her child life certification through the University of California Santa Barbara. Kathleen loves living in NYC, going to concerts and traveling. She is excited about joining the child life team and about the opportunity to use her child life skills in her new role.
Jeffrey Novick, child life assistant, is a graduate of The Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College and holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from The School of Visual Arts. Jeffrey came to Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital in 2022 as a volunteer for KidZone TV, where he hosted shows, co-viewed with patients and also assisted in The Zone. Jeffrey is thrilled to be a new member of the child life team. You can find Jeffrey in The Zone, The Hematology/Oncology Clinic, KidZone TV Studio and at bedsides for visits and activities. Jordana Salomon was featured in the Association of Child Life Professional’s #ChildLife blog for her work at The Cohen Center for Pediatric Comprehensive Care clinic. Mountsinai.org/childlife
-
Facebook.com/MSchildlife -
Instagram: @MSchildlife
@KZTVlive
@mountsinai_pawsandplay
Music, Art and Animal Assisted Therapy Join for Treatment Although music therapy can be offered as a standalone service, it can also be offered as a cotreatment to many different modalities such as physical therapy, occupational therapy and art therapy. Bethany Pincus, a Board Certified Music Therapist, and Christina Auriemma, a Licensed Art Therapist, are providing combined music therapy and animal laying with a patient and assisted therapy sessions Professor her mom during an animal on P2 with facility dog, assisted/music therapy session. Professor. The goal is to bring relaxation, positive coping, emotional support, and verbal conversation surrounding a patient’s hospitalization. During these sessions, Christina guides Professor to lay with a patient on their bed, while Bethany plays grounding and holding music on the guitar. A patient could request songs for Bethany to play or to just listen and/or participate in art making provided by Christina. These sessions have been very successful and beneficial to patients and their families.
Plenty of Activities Fill the NICU The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) engaged in many enjoyable activities during the fall. First, the NICU received a generous caregiver package from a high school club named Bundles of Joy. This organization helps support and remind caregivers on the importance of taking care of themselves, according to Claire Pettengill, Certified Child Life Specialist. Additionally, the NICU hosted its first caregiver Halloween costume crafting event. Parents made their babies’ Halloween costumes for this special day. Finally, the lactation baking event relaunched for the first time since its inception in 2019. NICU caregivers learned how to bake lactation cookies and were also Claire Pettengill, Certified Child Life able to bond with other NICU Specialist, received items for the caregivers. NICU from Bundles of Joy.
Instagram Child Life
Instagram KZTV
Instagram Paws & Play
Holiday Celebrations Bring 2023 to a Close in The Zone The holiday season brought an avalanche of cheer and excitement to The Zone. From October's spooky frights to December's heartwarming celebrations, our patients and their families experienced unforgettable holiday fun. Halloween kicked off with our inaugural "Spooky Room," where patients and child life staff put the freight into their own medical teams. Nurses, therapists, caregivers, clinicians and other interdisciplinary team members all dared to be scared by their patients. The month of October culminated in our traditional Halloween party, a joyous celebration that left everyone in a festive fall mood. Thanksgiving brought a new twist to The Zone with our very own "Turkey Trot.” Patients, families and special guests decorated their own turkeys and raced them in a one-of-a-kind competition. December saw The Zone transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with festive decorations and heartwarming activities. Patients created thoughtful gifts for loved ones while celebrating and learning about Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Once again, caregivers enjoyed “shopping” for their children in the holiday shop; toys and gifts donated from community members and companies alike. Our caregiver event offered a special opportunity for parents and caregivers to wrap gifts for their hospitalized loved ones, spreading the holiday spirit throughout the unit. The holiday season in The Zone was a resounding success, proving that laughter, creativity and community can truly brighten even the most challenging times. We are grateful for the opportunity to bring joy and hope to our patients and their families, creating lasting memories that will warm their hearts throughout the year.
Mountsinai.org/childlife
-
Facebook.com/MSchildlife -
Instagram: @MSchildlife
@KZTVlive
@mountsinai_pawsandplay
The Paws & Play Team Welcomes a New Member Kaleigh Bieling, a Certified Child Life Specialist, started a new role as a secondary handler with Amos primarily in the PICU and PCICU. Her work with Amos includes seeing patients and families in the ICUs to help support socialization, positive coping and normalization of the environment. Amos and Kaleigh work alongside other modalities, like physical therapy, to provide co-treat sessions with patients to increase motivation and personalization of treatment plan goals. Amos enjoys staff support sessions by making rounds of the units and getting lots of pets and love, helping to provide comfort for the staff in the PICU/PCICU. Kaleigh will also be working to integrate Amos into her work in the outpatient Cardiac Clinic.
Impact on Painful Procedures Our Paws & Play program’s research study featuring facility dog Professor has been published! It is the first study of its kind that demonstrates the clinical impact of animal assisted therapy and child life interventions on painful procedures and pediatric pain. ‘Impact of Facility Dog and Certified Child Life Specialist Dyad on Children’s Pain and Anxiety During Needlestick Procedures in a Pediatric Hematology Oncology Clinic Setting’ is available to all through the Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Due to our donor’s generosity and support, the Paws & Play team is able to bring comfort and healing to patients and families while conducting valuable research to demonstrate the impact of animal assisted therapy in pediatrics. Thank you!
Kaleigh and Amos Bring Joy to Teen Patient Throughout her admission, a teenager with scoliosis has benefitted from Kaleigh, Certified Child Life Specialist, and Amos’ therapeutic presence. The patient enjoyed having Amos rest in bed with her while engaging in arts and crafts, but most of all, she enjoyed Kaleigh and Amos during walks with physical therapy. In collaboration with physical therapy, Kaleigh set up photos of Amos throughout the hallway for the patient to look for and collect throughout her walk. When she returned to her room from her walk, Amos and Kaleigh were inside to congratulate her on her first walk post-surgery. This patient and her caregivers shared appreciation and gratitude throughout their admission for Amos helping to make their stay comfortable. Kaleigh and Amos provided motivation and positive coping throughout their interactions. Amos providing comfort and snuggles during an AAT session.