In honor of CHILD LIFE MONTH (WOOOHOO!!!), I figured I would start off my new business adventure/blog by answering the most common question I receive. “How do I become a Certified Child Life Specialist?”
Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there isn’t a cut and dry answer for this. HOWEVER, there are specific steps that every single one of us have had to go through to get those 4 capitalized letters behind our name. Luckily, as our field continues to grow, we are being given more structured paths to becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist. As CCLS’, we all have our own personal passions and areas of interest that we are drawn to, whether that be research, grief/bereavement, therapeutic play, preparation, or procedural accompaniment and support. However, we all go through the same educational requirements, clinical internship, and national certification examination to get us to those areas of interest.
So today, I’m going to walk you through the bare minimum requirements to follow to achieve your goal of adding those 4 letters behind your name. The steps are below with details and links!
As always, if you have questions email me at cope.play.love@gmail.com. If you are in the process of becoming a CCLS, whether that be a student applying to a graduate program or an internship candidate, and need any consultation services please remember that I offer these services for a small fee (the fee is very reasonable for emerging professionals).
Without further adieu, here are the 3 basic steps to follow:
*I personally recommend becoming a student member of the Association of Child Life Professionals as soon as you decide to pursue this path, see https://www.childlife.org/ *
1: Education:📚
- Complete a bachelor’s degree in any field of study (Recommended related fields of study: psychology, social work, sociology, family studies, etc.).
- Although holding a master’s degree is not currently required—they can be highly beneficial, and necessary for certain employment. I currently hold my Master of Science in Child Life and would not trade this for the world, as it has made me the best CCLS possible.
- *The following is a link to academic programs offering CCLS Course : https://www.childlife.org/certification/students/academic-programs-offering-ccls-course *
- *The following is a link to the child life academic programs across North America: https://www.childlife.org/certification/students/child-life-academic-programs *
- *Keep in mind, programs constantly change and you will need to do your own research on if this is still offered!*
- Complete the 10 required college courses set forth by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). (This can be done through graduation from an ACLP-endorsed child life academic program (https://www.childlife.org/certification/students/endorsed-program-directory), OR through college courses. Distance Learning and In Person courses will count!)
- 1 Child Life Course taught by a CCLS with 2+ years experience
- 2 Child Development courses (covering birth-18 years)
- 1 Death/Dying or Loss/Bereavement course
- 1 Therapeutic Play course
- 1 Family Systems course
- 1 Research Methods course
- 3 Additional Courses in related content areas
- Complete the Eligibility Assessment via the ACLP
*An excellent resource to review regarding educational requirements as of 1/1/2019: https://www.childlife.org/docs/default-source/certification/2019-eligibility-details.pdf?sfvrsn=12 *
2: Experience:🧸
- Volunteering: You must complete volunteer working with ALL of the following: well children, sick children, and children under stressful situations. To complete a Child Life Clinical Internship Experience, one must have experience in all three areas. (Examples of volunteer experiences: Child Life Hospital Volunteer, Grief/Bereavement Agencies, Summer Camp (for normally developing and chronically ill children), etc.)
- Clinical Experience:
- Completing a Practicum is optional but often highlight encouraged. Practicum Experiences allow you to shadow CCLS’ in their daily job duties to enhance knowledge of the role of a CCLS. Practicums do not have a standardized structure—meaning that every practicum will have different requirements and assignments. Some practicums are solely provided to students of specific programs. Practicum experience may require you to travel. There are opportunities for summer, winter, fall, and spring practicums across North America.
- Completing an Internship is required. The internship must be 600+ verified hours under the direct supervision of a CCLS with 4,000+ hours of paid clinical experience. *I plan to work on many posts regarding internships*
- Finding an internship site, and each site has unique requirements, may take quite a bit of research. Child Life clinical internships are COMPETITIVE! Be prepared to apply nationwide to multiple sites and interview either over the phone, Skype, or in person.
- Completing a Fellowship is optional. A fellowship allows an emerging CLS or CCLS to gain more experience in one or more areas that they would like to expand professional development wise. Fellowships are typically paid experiences.
3: Certification:📝
- Once completing a clinical internship of 600+ hours and having this verified by your supervisor and the ACLP, you can apply to register for the Child Life Certification Examination.
- *Verification Form: https://www.childlife.org/docs/default-source/certification/exam/clinicalexperienceverificationform.pdf?sfvrsn=10 *
- Once approved to sit for certification, one will complete a 150 multiple choice question exam. This exam covers an individuals knowledge, understanding, and practical application of child life theory through assessment, intervention, and professional responsibility of a CCLS.
Thanks for reading!
Go out and COPE PLAY LOVE!