Role of the Play Specialist
Play specialists work with children of all ages and conditions and their work includes:
- To try and normalise an abnormal setting for children in hospital
- To co-ordinate, organise and initiate normal and specialised daily play for children and young people with neurosurgical conditions appropriate to their age, medical condition and background on the ward.
- Participate in the assessment of the play, developmental and emotional needs of individual children and young people. Plan implement and document therapeutic play programmes as part of total patient care.
- providing play to achieve developmental goals
- Participate in play preparation, distraction and post-procedural play with children and young people
- helping children to cope and manage their fears and anxieties around hospitalisation, conditions and treatments.
- using play to prepare children for hospital procedures such as injections, treatments, scans, dressing changes or surgeries
- helping children cope with pain
- helping children regain skills lost through the effects of illness or hospitalisation
- supporting families including siblings through hospitalisation and illnesses
- contributing to clinical judgements through documentation and through their observations
- advising parents, carers and staff on appropriate play for sick children
- taking individual referrals in conjunction with other professionals to provide specific goal oriented therapeutic programmes and liaise with the multi-disciplinary team in the total care of the child
- to try and make hospital as fun as possible while trying to reduce stress for children and young people.
They are part of a multidisciplinary team including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, dieticians, specialist nurses, teachers, doctors and nurses.
Meet the Team
Julie Collins – Neurosurgery Play Specialist
I have been working as a Play Specialist in Temple Street Hospital for the past 14 years, 7 of which I have spent working with neurosurgery patients on St. Gabriel’s ward.
I have a degree in Early Childhood Care and Education and a Diploma in Specialised Play for Sick Children and Young People.
I love my job, and being able to support children through diagnosis, treatments and procedures on the ward. I am privileged to be able to get the chance to get to know each patient, and their families, to understand who they are, and support them through their journey in hospital. I am here to support children through difficult days and to help them cope, while also getting to celebrate positive events with them like reaching milestones, celebrating their birthdays, going home after long admissions and making memories etc. I strive to support each child on their journey while trying to create a positive hospital experience for children in my care.
Carolyn Parse – Neurosurgery Play Specialist
Carolyn joined the CHI team in 2022 after relocating from Northern Italy. Carolyn is passionate about family-centred, whole-child healthcare and believes health events can be opportunities for growth and connection. Being able to help each child and family identify positive coping strategies and tune into their unique strengths is an honour.
Her previous hospital experience includes preparing and supporting pre- and post-surgical patients at both Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Maryland where she also completed her training with rotations in Pre/Post Surgery, Infant/Toddler/Preschool Inpatient Programming, and the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. In addition to her early childhood and school-age work experiences, Carolyn has spent at least a decade working exclusively with teens in hospital and school settings.
While in Italy, she supported expat and military families, as well as provided guidance and training content for hospital personnel at L’Ospedale di Bambino Gesu’ in Rome. She presented on Practical Distraction Techniques for Pain Management at their Paediatric Pain Congress and was a guest speaker multiple times at their congresses on Therapeutic Value of Play in Children’s Hospital Care. Carolyn also co-presented at the Families in Global Transition Annual Conference in the Hague and virtually. Titles include The Uninvited Guest: When Illness Comes to Visit Abroad and Navigating Unfamiliar Systems During Our Most Vulnerable Moments: how do we reduce anxiety around healthcare-related situations?
Carolyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Child Advocacy and Theatre Arts, a Master’s in Education: Guidance and Counselling, and post-graduate qualifications as a hospital Child Life Specialist, Grief Educator, Professional Coach (Transitions and Mental Fitness), and trauma-informed Yoga Teacher.