Navigating the Path to Becoming a Child Life Specialist: Internship Requirements at CHOP

The Child Life, Education, and Creative Arts Therapy Department at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) plays a crucial role in supporting children and their families as they navigate the challenges of illness, injury, treatment, hospitalization, and the overall healthcare experience. Aspiring Child Life Specialists seeking to make a difference in the lives of young patients often look to CHOP for its comprehensive training programs. This article delves into the internship requirements and opportunities available at CHOP, providing a roadmap for those interested in pursuing this rewarding career path.

The Role of a Child Life Specialist

Child Life Specialists are vital members of the healthcare team, dedicated to helping patients and families cope with the stress and anxiety associated with medical experiences. They achieve this by:

Providing Emotional Support: Offering comfort and reassurance to children and their families during difficult times.
Explaining Medical Procedures: Using age-appropriate language to help children understand what is happening to them and around them.
Developing Coping Strategies: Working with children to create personalized plans for managing pain, fear, and anxiety.
Facilitating Therapeutic Play: Utilizing play as a tool to help children express their emotions, process their experiences, and maintain a sense of normalcy.
Supporting Siblings: Recognizing the needs of the entire family and providing support to brothers and sisters as well.
Promoting a Sense of Normalcy: Helping children transition back to their everyday lives after hospitalization, ensuring they can still participate in normal activities.

Child Life Training Opportunities at CHOP

CHOP offers a range of training opportunities in child life, creative arts therapy, and patient media programs production. These experiences, offered three times a year (January, May, and late August/September), provide valuable exposure to the field.

Child Life Practicum Program

This entry-level training program offers a pre-internship experience, introducing individuals to the child life profession and providing an understanding of the unique challenges faced by children and adolescents in a healthcare setting.

Program Requirements:

Experience: Applicants must demonstrate prior experience working with children and families, which should be highlighted in their resume and application.
Time Commitment: Practicum students commit to 30 hours per week for 6 weeks. Clinical days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, with Thursdays dedicated to educational training.
Program Breakdown: The program includes one week of orientation, four weeks of clinical and educational training, and one elective week.
Educational Background: While a bachelor's degree in child life is not mandatory, related coursework is highly recommended.

A Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) supervises students as they engage in individual and group activities with children and families. Prior to participating in the practicum, students must have completed core coursework in child development and demonstrated successful experience working with children.

Read also: Requirements for CHOP Programs

Paid Child Life Internship (Starting in 2025)

Starting in 2025, CHOP will offer a 4-month paid Child Life internship. This program is designed to provide a comprehensive and immersive training experience for future Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS). This internship includes:

A structured, child life-led educational program
Simulation-based skill building and reflective supervision
CHOP gear (intern t-shirts!)
An environment focused on psychological safety, equity, and learning

The Application Process

To apply for Child Life training opportunities at CHOP, qualified students must submit a thoroughly completed application packet by the designated program's application postmark deadline. Due to the high volume of interest, applicants are asked not to call or contact the department regarding their application status.

The application process for the Child Life Residency program involves several steps:

Step 4: Complete Employment Application Questions: This includes agreements related to CHOP's tobacco-free workplace policy, flu vaccine requirement, previous employment at CHOP, and other standard employment eligibility questions.
Step 5: Voluntary Disclosures: Applicants will be asked to complete optional disclosures regarding veteran status and disability status. This information helps CHOP meet federal reporting requirements and support inclusive hiring practices.
Step 6: Self-Identification: This section relates to CHOP’s commitment to providing opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities.

It is advantageous to have references notified ahead of the application due date in the event the applicant moves forward in the selection process.

The Psychology Internship Training Program at CHOP

While distinct from the Child Life internships, the Psychology Internship Training Program at CHOP also offers valuable experience working with children and families in a healthcare setting. This one-year clinical experience is designed to train future child psychologists for entry-level professional practice in health service psychology.

Read also: Child Care vs. College Tuition

Program Goals:

Prepare advanced doctoral-level students to take leadership roles in developing, providing, evaluating, and disseminating effective psychological services for a wide range of children and families with health and/or mental health needs.
Prepare psychologists as leaders in the field, engaged in clinical practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, advocacy, and scientific investigation.

Training Approach:

The program embraces a scientist-practitioner training model, guided by developmental, ecological, and systems-based theories of psychology. Training occurs in multiple formats and multidisciplinary environments, with significant emphasis placed on effective functioning as a healthcare team member.

Program Structure:

The program is horizontally structured along the following clinical competencies: assessment, consultation, and intervention/prevention. In addition, there are cross-cutting competencies in cultural humility, professional development, and research leadership.

The program is vertically structured through five clinical specialty tracks:

Autism Spectrum Disorders
Integrated Behavioral Health (community-based primary care)
Clinical Child Psychology (care focused on primary behavioral health disorders)
Pediatric Neuropsychology
Pediatric Psychology

Competencies:

Internship graduates are expected to demonstrate intermediate to advanced "entry to practice" level competencies in the following areas:

Foundational Competencies: Professional values, attitudes, and behavior; individual and cultural awareness; ethical legal standards and policy; reflective practice/self-assessment/self-care; relationships; scientific knowledge and methods; research/evaluation.
Functional Competencies: Assessment; intervention; consultation.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must be in good standing in a doctoral program in professional psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS).
At the time of application, applicants should have completed 500 hours or more of supervised clerkship, externship, or practicum training, with at least 250 hours related to assessment and 250 hours related to intervention/consultation.
By the beginning of the internship, applicants must have completed all major graduate program coursework requirements and qualifying examinations for their doctoral degree and have only the dissertation requirement to meet.
Applicants are expected to have successfully defended a dissertation proposal and to have collected data for the dissertation study prior to the start of the internship.
Due to federal grant funding guidelines, trainees must be citizens of the United States, non-citizen nationals of the United States, or foreign nationals who possess visas permitting permanent residence in the United States.

Inclusion and Belonging

CHOP places a strong emphasis on inclusion and belonging. Interns have the opportunity to work with a wide range of children and families through clinical rotations and receive didactic training on issues related to inclusion and belonging in psychology.

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