Child Life Wild Life

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Stephanie Barta, about how she has navigated a spectrum of unique environments from community hospice to gender diversity clinics, and most notably, dental clinics. How does child development education shape a dental clinic? What's it like being the solitary child life figure in a pediatric hospice? Prepare to be enli...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Raquel Cooper, about her experience working on an adolescent unit. She highlights all of her unique techniques in creating meaningful bonds with teenagers. Raquel unveils the importance of not only engaging with young patients but also communicating effectively with their parents and siblings. She also shares the joy she e...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and first-year CCLS, Cami Schafer, about what her experience has been like during the first 6 months of working as a Certified Child Life Specialist. In this episode, Cami bravely shares her journey, starting from her practicum, through her internship experiences, to her current position in a level one trauma center's emergency...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and CCLS, Aimee Karas, about her experience working in labor and delivery and an outpatient fetal center. Ever wonder what it's like to be a child life specialist in an environment dominated by adults? Aimee details her journey, from working in inpatient hematology/oncology, radiology, and postpartum to the creation of new chil...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and fellow school child life specialist, Cassie Wilke, about her experience working in a middle-high school for her first school year (2022-2023). Cassie passionately demonstrates the value a child life specialist brings to a school environment, despite the intricate licensing requirements in Minnesota. She shares her unique insight...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friends and CCLSs, Rachel Calvert and Nicole Boik, about navigating salary discussions, counter-offering, and gauging organization's culture in order to be navigate compensation Are you ready to master the art of salary negotiations and self-advocacy in the child life profession? Nicole Boik and Rachel Calvert, both seasoned child lif...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and seasoned CCLS, Kelsey Mora, about being a dual Certified Child Life Specialist and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor as well as her unique work in a non-profit setting. Kelsey discovered her passion for child life profession after losing her friend, Ben, to Leukemia. Her journey took her from working in a hospital setting...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friends across the pond - Cath Hubbock, Deanna Kenward, and Katie Lane - three UK-based Play Specialists. Together, we unravel the intricacies of child healthcare in the UK, a unique perspective that has transformed over the years. This conversation unveils the hurdles and opportunities related to Play Specialist training--from recruiting...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and Canadian CCLS, Abby Tigchelaar, about her experience working with patients who are being treated for eating disorders.  Abby's experience is unlike any other, working in a unique unit dedicated to children battling eating disorders. She paints a vivid picture of her journey, conveying both the challenges and rewards she enc...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friends and seasoned CCLSs, Kizzy Marco and Cara Graneto, about stepping out of the field after 10+ years.  Have you ever found yourself questioning your career path and how it’s interwoven with your identity? This is the crossroads both Kizzy and Cara have experienced and courageously navigated. After 10+ years, they decided to step away...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with three students who have gone through the process to becoming a child life specialist and  successfully achieved their final step -- passing their certification exams. Please welcome Olivia Stephan, Tara Mullin, and Sophie Schuller to the podcast.  Olivia completed her internship in fall 2022. She is a new CCLS in pre-op/ED and passiona...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with four  students who have completed or are currently completing their internships - Regan Corsi, Maureen Pushea, Olivia Horn, and Catarina Benninghoven. Regan and Maureen are both completing their internships during the summer of 2023 and provide insight and knowledge about what it's like in-real-time being an intern.  Olivia Horn c...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with four  students who have completed practicums - Haley Alexander, Jenny Cazares, Aislinn DiRito, and Connor Jensen. Haley is currently a Patient Care Tech in an outpatient pediatric hematology/oncology clinic but will be transitioning back into a student role as a child life intern in August 2023. She holds a B.S. in Psychology, an M.S....

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with four graduate students - Casey Campo, Lindsey Lightfoot, Caleb Shannon, and Caitlin Breen. Casey is already certified as a child life specialist, currently working in a float position. She is obtaining her Master's in Child Life Studies. Lindsey is obtaining her Master's in Child Development with a Child Life Concentration in...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with several undergraduate students - Mollie Wolf, Olivia Karson, and Maddie Sassa.  Mollie is a senior in her child life program and is about to start her internship. Olivia is a senior majoring in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Youth and Society. Maddie has an Associate of Applied Science in Human Services with a con...

Starting this week, enjoy 5 days straight of student panels that will walk you through the big key areas of pursuing child life (undergraduate education, master's degrees, practicums, internships, and certification exam tips) by panels of child life students and specialists who have recently completed each step!

Welcome back to The Child Life Wild Life Podcast with your host, Jessica Lewin, CCLS, The Child Life Mentor. Season 3 will officially drop Monday, August 7, 2023 - starting with a week of Student Series Panels that will walk you through the big key areas of pursuing child life (undergraduate education, master's degrees, practicums, internships, and certification exam tips) by panels of child...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend and former supervisor/school principal, Ryan Portenga, about their shared experience working in a small, rural middle-high school last year. Back in 2021, Jessica sent out proposals to school districts across southwest Michigan hoping to break into the school setting as a Certified Child Life Specialist. Ryan, after careful consider...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend, Bridgette Danielson, CCLS, about her experience working in an inpatient psychiatric facility as a child life specialist.. Bridgette is passionate about trauma-informed care, mental/behavioral health, self-care, family-centered care, and working with students. Over the last five years, Bridgette has presented at numerous conferences...

Child Life on Call's Katie Taylor interviews Jessica Lewin as an expert in the schools.  Jessica proposed and created a child life specialist position in a rural middle-high school during the 2021-2022 school year. Over halfway through the school year, Jessica sat down with Katie to talk about some of the things she finds most useful for parents, child life specialists, and students to know i...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with friend, Sabrina Alinejad, CCLS, about what her experience has been like as a new Certified Child Life Specialist working her first job in the Pre-Op  Unit (Surgery). Sabrina walks us through what it was like for her as a practicum and internship student, how she best navigated studying for the certification exam, things she didn't...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with one of her best friends, Allison Parker, about her experience transitioning from pursuing child life all the way up to certification to switching gears and teaching kindergarten instead.  Walking away from child life was never something that Allison intended for her career. But with COVID hitting at just the right time, deciding she wa...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with friend, Amanda Wright, CCLS, about what her experience has been like as a new Certified Child Life Specialist working her first job in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  Amanda is so animated in her stories that she shares honestly about her child life journey, though sometimes disappointing,  always the right path. She talks about her...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with friend, Paige Ronsen, about her journey through child life and how she continues to use that knowledge and experience in where she is today as a Program Director for a Boys and Girls Club in Seattle.  Paige talks about what it's like now being in a supervisor role and interviewing people for jobs (unlike how she's spent the l...

Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, sits down with friend, Lauren Kosiewski, CCLS, about her experience transitioning from a full-time child life specialist in a hospital setting, to now a full-time organ donation liaison. Leaving the field for Lauren was absolutely terrifying. She worked so hard to become a CCLS and to earn that title. She has had to navigate feelings of enormous guil...