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Family services

During her chemotherapy treatment, Child Life specialists helped Lexy understand what was happening to her body. Read more.

Family Services plays a critical role on your child’s health care team. Specially trained pediatric professsionals and volunteers help hospitalized children and their families, including talking to children about treatment. Teams help families discover:

Ask for a social worker when your family…

  • Feels stressed, threatened or overwhelmed
  • Has concerns about treatment decisions
  • Wants emotional support
  • Needs food, clothes or other help

Ask for a chaplain when you as a parent…

  • Want someone to talk to, such as a priest, pastor or rabbi
  • Want a prayer, blessing, Bible or Sabbath candles
  • Wonder “Why is this happening to us?”  

Ask for educational services when your child…

  • Wants help with homework or intellectual stimulation
  • Has school-related issue

Ask for a Child Life specialist or creative arts therapist when…

  • Your child is scared, sad or lonely
  • You want to help your child or your child’s siblings  understand what is happening  

Ask for a ParentWISE volunteer when you as a parent…

  • Want to talk to a parent volunteer whose child  has experienced illness and hospitalization