Child life professionals play an important role in supporting children and families, helping them cope with stressful situations.
Child life professionals strive to reduce the negative impact of stressful or traumatic life events and situations that affect the development, health, and well-being of infants, children, youth, and families. This certificate helps prepare students for careers supporting children, often in hospital settings. Students completing the certificate, and a child life internship following graduation, are eligible to sit for the Child Life Professional Certification exam. Admission to the certificate is competitive.
Prior to admission into the Child Life certificate program, students must complete the following prerequisites with a B grade or better; HDF 252 Introduction to Relationships, Marriages, and Families; HDF 357 Adolescent Development; and HDF 390 Introduction to Research Methods. To satisfy the requirements of the Child Life certificate, students must successfully complete the required coursework, with a B or better in each course. All certificate students must take IEC 255, HDF 301, HDF 302, HDF 500, and PHI 380.
An overview of the various aspects of development in the social context for children prenatally through adolescence. Course will emphasize techniques of directed observation. (3 credits) Prerequisites: none
This course uses Child Life theory to address providing developmentally appropriate psychosocial and emotional support to hospitalized children and their families. Topics will include assessment, common stressors, therapeutic interventions, parent and sibling support, procedural preparation, pain management, and bereavement support. (3 credits) Prerequisites: none
This course uses child development as the foundation to discuss the importance of play throughout childhood to understand, educate, and support healing. Students will learn about various forms of play for each developmental stage, the value of various play environments, and be introduced to effectively integrating play into therapeutic, medical, and educational settings. (3 credits) Prerequisites: Primary registration access limited to majors.
This course supports students who are completing their Child Life practicum by providing focused assignments, discussion, and presentations on themes central to understanding and applying Child Life Theory to working with pediatric patients and their families. (4 credits) Prerequisite: Offered position with Certified Child Life Specialist, HDF 301, HDF 302 (concurrently)
A philosophical and interdisciplinary investigation of a cluster of prominent issues about the meaning of life and death, caring for dying persons, and the quality of life of the terminally ill. Among topics included are: death definitions and criteria; allowing to die vs. killing; euthanasia and suicide; life prolongation, ethics of care of the terminally ill; and rights of the dying. (3 credits) Prerequisites: none
Students must complete six credit hours of electives from the following, with a grade of B or better:
Current University of Kentucky Students
New Certificate ONLY students
Visiting Students from Other Universities
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food & Environment
S123 Ag Science – North
Lexington, KY 40546-0091
859-257-3469
