child life Archives - College of Education News

College of Education News

How to better care for children in crisis

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From traumatic injuries to natural disasters to violent incidents and more, first responders respond to hundreds of emergency events involving children every day.  

“Over nine million children in the United States receive emergency medical care for unintentional injuries annually,” said Dr. Lindsey Murphy, assistant professor of child life studies at Missouri State University.  

She conducted a research project to examine how first responders perceive and manage children’s reactions during emergencies. 

The goal was to dig deeper into first responders’ experiences with children during emergencies and their roles in meeting children’s psychosocial needs, as well as identify gaps in services to support these needs.  

With help from her colleague Dr. Elizabeth King, associate professor of child and family development, the article titled “The Lived Experiences of First Responders During Emergency Events Involving Children: Child Reactions, First Responder Roles, and Additional Needs” was published in The Journal of Child Life in December 2024. 

“The role of a first responder is sustaining life and supporting safety,” Murphy said. “The first responders I interviewed mentioned how helpful support would be, since they can’t always prioritize the patient and child’s needs.” 

Read the full article

Navigating loss and grief

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For its 2024 annual retreat, the Sudden and Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) Foundation asked Missouri State University’s Dr. Melissa Schotthofer to assist in grief workshops.  

Schotthofer, who is a clinical assistant professor in the child life track at MSU, invited two of her former students, Yukari Stickley and Ashton Hodge, to help facilitate a few workshops on Sept. 28 for children and teenagers grieving the loss of a sibling. 

A meaningful collaboration 

Stickley and Hodge both completed their bachelor’s degrees in child and family development with the child life option in 2016 and 2019, respectively. They also hold master’s degrees in child life studies from MSU.  

Stickley works as a child life specialist at Cox Health and Hodge is a child life specialist at the Child Advocacy Center in Springfield. 

For Schotthofer, the opportunity to work with her former students as peers was an enjoyable experience. 

“It was cool to work with them as colleagues in the field, creating programming for the workshops,” she said.  

Three of her current students also assisted with the effort.  

“I gave them the opportunity to help, and they fully embraced it,” Schotthofer said. “They did a great job relating to the kids on a really tough topic. They represented themselves and our program well.” 

Age-based workshop structure 

For the workshops, the team created age-appropriate grief sessions for around 45 participants. 

Ages 4-7 

  • Schotthofer read a book called “Invisible String” to the group and participants drew a picture of their loved one. 
  • Stickley asked them to write what makes them feel angry on a piece of paper. They were then told to rip their paper up. 
  • Hodge led a movement activity with the group. 

Ages 8-12 

  • Schotthofer gave participants canvases to draw a picture of their loved one or a special memory. 
  • Hodge used sand art and had them draw what their life was like before their loved ones passed away versus their life in the present.  
  • Stickley repeated her drawing activity that she did with the previous group. 

Ages 13+ 

  • This group did one large activity involving butcher paper.  
  • They drew whatever they wanted and discussed their drawings together. 

Importance of grief counseling 

The goal of the workshop for Schotthofer was to provide a space for people to express grief who might not be able to otherwise.  

“We know sometimes it can be hard for kids to talk about their lost loved one at school or with their friends and not everybody wants to hear about it,” she said. “But we had a lot of therapeutic conversations.” 

Schotthofer was especially moved by the conversations she had with her peers, students and the workshop participants in the teenage group. 

“They said, ‘Our friends just expect us to be over this by now, but it keeps coming up. Sometimes we’re fine, sometimes we’re not.’ That’s the nature of grief and bereavement,” she said. “We told the older kids that as they progress developmentally, it might hit them in different ways.”  

“We also said, ‘You might come to a point where you’re feeling better for a while and then something new happens in your life and it restarts things again,” Schotthofer said. “And that’s OK.” 

Learn more about the child life track 

Child life student runs nonprofit while in school

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In June 2020, Tamar Adler went through a traumatic experience that sparked her passion for child life.  

To begin her journey in child life, Adler created Cheery Charlie, a nonprofit corporation that donates craft bags to children in hospitals.  

Nearly three years since its inception in January 2021, Adler’s nonprofit has donated over 8,000 craft bags.  

In August 2022, Adler enrolled in the child life graduate program at Missouri State University. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and completes her courses online.  

Putting her education to practice 

Adler completed her practicum this fall at Mercy Kids Hospital in St. Louis.  

She spent most of her time in the emergency department and occasionally worked in the surgery center. She practiced providing support to children as a child life specialist during some of their most vulnerable times.  

“One of the most valuable things I learned was to match the energy in the room and of the patient. This helps build rapport and makes the child feel more comfortable,” Adler said.  

While she enjoyed working in both departments, she discovered she loved working in the emergency room.  

“I liked not knowing who was coming next, and the sense of surprise,” she said. “I’m sad the experience is over, but I’m looking forward to my future.” 

A supportive community 

Adler shared she has loved her online MSU experience. 

“I’ve learned so much, and the faculty is amazing and supportive,” she said. 

Adler said Dr. Lindsey Murphy, assistant professor of education at MSU and Adler’s advisor, has helped her tremendously. 

“Dr. Murphy goes above and beyond for her students. She’s extremely supportive, and you can tell how much she cares about each student,” she said.  

Adler plans to graduate in spring 2026. She is grateful to be able to complete her program while working on Cheery Charlie. 

“I hope to expand my nonprofit into other areas of Missouri and beyond. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me and Cheery Charlie.” 

Study child life at MSU 

Cheery Charlie and child life

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Avi Adler was lying unconscious underneath a truck when his family found him in June 2020.  

A delivery truck driver had reversed without looking, striking Avi on the 20th mile of his bike ride. After the accident, the 18-year-old was rushed to the hospital, where he awoke with broken bones and a concussion.  

A child life specialist helped Avi while he was hospitalized, making him and his family feel calmer and at ease. 

Missouri State University student Tamar Adler was inspired by how much the specialist helped her brother through his traumatic injury. 

“The accident changed Avi, and it also changed me,” Tamar said. “It made me realize I wanted a career that benefits other people.”     

Since the accident, Avi has fully recovered. Tamar changed her career trajectory from fashion to child life.   

Bringing joy with Cheery Charlie 

Tamar Adler and Charlie smiling.Tamar had to think outside the box to find ways to volunteer in this field since it was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I started making craft bags and donated them to the child life departments at local St. Louis hospitals as a way to volunteer from home,” Tamar said. “The bags help kids be creative and experience normalcy while in the hospital.” 

She named her volunteer project Cheery Charlie and turned it into an official Missouri nonprofit corporation.  

“I chose the name because I had just gotten a puppy named Charlie, and Charlie makes me cheery,” she said.  

Since the inception of Cheery Charlie in January 2021, Tamar has donated over 6,000 craft bags to children in St. Louis hospitals.   

Tamar won the St. Louis Jewish Light 2022 Unsung Hero Award for her time, service and commitment to the St. Louis Jewish community through Cheery Charlie. 

Learn more about Cheery Charlie

Furthering her passion through education 

Tamar enrolled in Missouri State’s online child life graduate program two years after her brother’s accident.  

She plans to graduate in May 2027. As a future child life specialist, Tamar will help children and their families deal with the challenges of trauma, loss, long-term illness or injury and more.  

She said the knowledge she has gained about child life through her program has been invaluable for her future and nonprofit.  

“Being able to study child life at MSU while working on Cheery Charlie has been so powerful to me,” Tamar said. 

“My time at MSU has only allowed me to love child life even more.”

Despite the program being online, Tamar feels a great connection to her fellow child life students and her advisor, Dr. Lindsey Murphy.  

“Tamar is a natural,” said Murphy, assistant professor of childhood education and family studies at Missouri State.  

“She exudes joy and many characteristics and skills needed to be a great child life specialist. I have no doubt she will continue to touch many patients, families and staff throughout her career.” 

Explore child life studies 

The heroic role of a child life specialist

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There is power in deep breathing. It’s a coping mechanism Missouri State graduate student Grace Pipkins keeps in the toolbox of her mind.

It led to one of her favorite moments during her training to become a child life specialist.

She was working with a patient, completing a practicum in Cape Town, South Africa, when it happened.

“While working with this boy, I could tell he was in a lot of pain,” Pipkins said. “Through the play activity we were doing, something didn’t seem right.”

The boy’s face read that he was uncomfortable — that he was unable to concentrate.

So, Pipkins took his hand and started breathing deeply. Soon, he began to do the same.

Later that week, Pipkins was asked to work with the same patient. As soon as they sat down, he showed her just how much she had helped.

“He grabbed my hand and started taking deep breaths,” Pipkins said. “It was the moment I saw all my training come into place.”

Experience Gained

Some methods may be simple, but the responsibilities of a child life specialist are vast.

According to the website for the Association of Child Life Professionals, “In both healthcare and community settings, Certified Child Life Specialists (CLS) help infants, children, youth and families cope with the stress and uncertainty of acute and chronic illness, injury, trauma, disability, loss and bereavement.”

Gracie Pipkins smiles with coworkers during her time as an intern.
Pipkins, second from left, smiles with coworkers during her internship.

Pipkins is not yet certified, but her training in Africa, as well as in Springfield, put her on the right path. Her time as an intern at Mercy Kids Children’s Hospital August-December 2019 was especially rewarding, she said.

“My experiences as an intern have shaped me into the professional I am now,” Pipkins says.

A few of Pipkins’ duties during her internship included:

  • Providing education, preparation and distraction for patients undergoing procedure.
  • Providing play opportunities to patients to normalize hospital settings.
  • Extending support to families by listening.

It’s a job she took very seriously, Pipkins added. She liked how she could be her most authentic self at work, as well.

“Every patient, every experience, every game of UNO and every laugh made my time at Mercy exactly what it needed to be,” she said.

Pipkins and her coworkers dress up for Halloween.
Pipkins and her coworkers dressed up as the three-eyed aliens from “Toy Story” for Halloween.

Additionally, since Mercy Kids Children’s Hospital is attached to Mercy Hospital Springfield, for adults, Pipkins’ internship experience was unusual. She not only worked with children dealing with ailments — she helped children watch older loved ones combat illness and injury, too.

“That is not something students like me are exposed to often in a children-only hospital,” she says.

Almost There

As experienced as Pipkins is, graduation is still ahead of her. Today, Pipkins is living in St. Louis, taking a single online class as she concentrates on studying for her certification exam.

“I’m just taking it slow and steady while I search for jobs,” Pipkins says.

In the meantime, she’s reflective of the tasks she’s already accomplished — and the patients she’s already served.

“Of course, there are a lot of behind-the-scenes things that get done when child life specialists aren’t working with patients, but I’ve learned they are always our top priority,” Pipkins says. “Patients in need always come first.”