Child Life Specialist - Children of Adult Patients

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report , we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career! JOB SUMMARYThe child life specialist will meet with well-children to answer questions and help them understand and manage their thoughts and feelings about their loved one's medical condition; utilizing bibliotherapy, appropriate verbiage and play that is based on meeting the needs of each child at their developmental level. The child life specialist will facilitate developmentally-appropriate anticipatory grief, grief and bereavement interventions with well-children; including preparation for an anticipated death, preparation for hospital visit to say their final goodbye to their loved one, support during transition to hospice, disclosure of expected, traumatic or unexpected death of their loved one, legacy and memory-making interventions, preparation for funeral or memorial services, and early grief processing support. BENEFITSUT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copayPaid Time Off, available day oneRetirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)Paid Parental Leave BenefitWellness programsTuition ReimbursementPublic Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits! Work Schedule: This role offers a hybrid schedule with two remote workdays per week, alongside a consistent Monday-Friday work schedule. The hybrid schedule may adjust based on operational needs. Start time flexibility may also be available and can be discussed during the interview process EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATIONRequiredEducationBachelor's Degree in Child Life, Child Development, or a related field. Licenses and Certifications(CCLS) CERTIFIED CHILD LIFE SPECIALST Upon Hire and (BLS) BASIC LIFE SUPPORT course accredited by the American Heart Association (AHA) or the American Red Cross (ARC) is required Upon Hire PreferredExperience2 years of child life experience JOB DUTIESMeets with involved adults to assess psychosocial needs of children and their families prior to implementation of therapeutic interventions.Understands and provides age-appropriate explanation of key aspects of disease, anticipatory grief, death, loss and bereavement to children, their parents or other involved adultsFacilitates developmentally and situationally appropriate therapeutic interventions as an outlet for expression and normalcy, for children, grandchildren or other relation to a patientInitiates legacy and memory-making activities for the entire family; and advocates for allowing children the choice to say goodbye to their loved one, when developmentally appropriateProvides grief and bereavement interventions, both preceding and following the death of their important person, including age-appropriate preparation for funeral or memorial services, therapeutic interventions to assess children's understanding and coping, educational sessions for involved adults including explanations of developmentally appropriate/inappropriate coping and common behavioral concerns, as well as information and resourcesEducates medical center personnel serving adult patients experiencing serious/limiting conditions, about child life services and identifying families with anticipatory grief or grief that could benefit from child life servicesPerforms other duties assigned.SECURITY AND EEO STATEMENTSecurityThis position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information.EEOUT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.

Created: 2026-04-15