Kana Harada: My Encounter with Child Life Specialists and My Life Today

2018/04/01

I first learned about the profession of Child Life Specialist (hereinafter CLS) when I visited a children's hospital during a nursing training program in Pittsburgh, USA, while I was a nursing student. I remember being moved when I first met a CLS and heard about their work and role. I was very surprised to learn that what I wanted to practice as a nurse for hospitalized children was already being performed by CLS as specialists in the United States. After graduation, while working in the mixed pediatric surgery ward at Keio University Hospital, I still wanted to become a CLS and went to study in the United States.

It has been nearly ten years since I returned to Japan after obtaining my CLS certification and started working as a CLS. A CLS is a professional who provides psychosocial support to reduce the psychological burden that children and families may face in medical settings, helping children understand their illnesses and treatments so they can participate in their medical care proactively. Currently, 45 CLSs are working in 34 facilities across Japan.

While facing children and families dealing with various illnesses and treatments, I aim for the goal of discharge by running alongside them—sometimes giving the child a gentle push to overcome surgery or treatment, and sometimes pulling them up. From the perspective of a CLS, who is not a medical practitioner, I value building relationships and interacting with children so that I can be a presence that puts them at ease and someone they can share their true feelings and thoughts with. I play with children, laugh loudly with them, sometimes scold them, and sometimes cry with them. It is challenging to accept a child's raw thoughts and emotions, but there are many things I realize through my interactions with them.

To become a CLS, one must study in the United States to obtain the certification. While continuing my activities with the Association of Child Life Specialists Japan, I hope that in the near future, it will be possible to study this in specialized courses at Japanese universities. I am grateful for the learning and opportunities I received at Keio University, which allowed me to broaden my horizons by learning about American medical sites and nursing during my student days, and to find my goal by encountering CLS. Without that precious experience, I would not be who I am today as a CLS. Furthermore, the various knowledge and experiences I gained as a nurse are very useful in my current work, connecting to my skills as a CLS and serving as my foundation.

*Affiliations and titles are those at the time of publication.