The Child Life and Recreation Therapies Department has combined the expertise of these two professional groups and produced a comprehensive program which provides services that contribute to improving the patient’s psychosocial, recreational and developmental abilities.
Child Life and Recreation Therapies Department Programs
Child Life: Child life specialists help patients and families facilitate coping with and adjustment to illness/injury and hospitalization. The program focuses on emotional support, education on medical procedures and conditions, and enhancement of developmental skills through therapeutic play. Child life services are available to inpatients on the pediatric rehabilitation unit and pediatric feeding disorders unit, as well as multiple outpatient clinics in the 801 N. Broadway building. Learn more.
Therapeutic Recreation: Therapeutic recreation specialists provide individualized therapy for patients requiring intervention for the effects of a traumatic illness or condition. The specialists facilitate the patients' involvement in structured one-on-one, group and/or community activities that focus on individualized treatment goals.
Music Therapy: The music therapist uses singing, songwriting, playing instruments, and other musical experiences to address treatment goals for patients during individual and group therapy sessions.
Sibshops
Kennedy Krieger Institute is excited to offer Sibshops, a nationally recognized program for siblings (ages 8 to 12) of complex and/or chronically ill children, for the siblings of patients receiving outpatient medical care. The groups will focus on these siblings’ well-being, as they experience stressors and challenging emotions, just like parents and caregivers do. Siblings can feel sad, ignored, worried, angry, lonely or even guilty—all perfectly normal feelings for a child to navigate. During group sessions, siblings will play games and participate in age-appropriate activities that promote self-confidence, understanding and empathy. Through these activities, siblings will meet other children in similar situations and provide support for each other. Sibshops groups will be offered by Kennedy Krieger Institute quarterly on Saturdays at Ronald McDonald House Charities Maryland.
Additional programming will be offered by Kennedy Krieger at Ronald McDonald House Charities Maryland for caregivers. The Caregiver Wellness Groups are open to parents and caregivers who wish to participate in a supportive group experience while remaining on-site as their children participate in Sibshops groups.
Our next Sibshop is scheduled for Saturday, January 25, from 10 a.m. to noon. This program is reserved for siblings of patients receiving care through an outpatient medical clinic at Kennedy Krieger.
Visit the event page to register your child or learn more. Please feel free to email Sibshops@KennedyKrieger.org with any questions.
Careers in Child Life and Recreation Therapies
Looking for a career in the Child Life and Recreation Therapies Department? Visit our careers page by clicking the button below.
Child Life Pre-Internship Experience
Therapeutic Recreation Internship Experience
We are seeking students for our Spring 2025 Therapeutic Recreation Internship! Please email RecreationTherapy@KennedyKrieger.org to receive our internship application. Applicants must submit their application and all other required documents by September 16, 2024.
To learn more information about our therapeutic recreation internship experience, click here!
Professional Certifying Organizations
- Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP)
- National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC)
- Certification Board for Music Therapists
Certifications
- Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS)
- Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (CTRS)
- Certification Board for Music Therapists (BC-MT)
