Towson University
Masters of Science in Child Life,
Administration, and Family
Collaboration
Certified Child Life Specialist
Academic Coursework
As a student at Towson University, I had the privilege of taking a wide variety of courses that have prepared me in both professionalism and in developing the skills to apply this knowledge to my profession.
GRADUATE COURSEWORK
Project in Family Focused Program Development
As a component of this course I worked with four other individuals to utilize action research methods to explore and assess the need for a child life program at a small community hospital in Carroll County, Maryland. Within our project we conducted focus groups with members of the healthcare interdisciplinary team and families in the community and subsequently presented our findings to members of the hospital's administration.
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Advanced Research Methods
Through this course I conducted research on the use of child life interventions on children who are victims of sexual abuse or trauma. I researched recent and relevant literature to explore the benefits of psychological preparation, therapeutic play, and cognitve behavioral interventions on children who undergo a Child Sexual Abuse Medical Examination (CSAME).
Medical Aspects of Illness
This course provided an overview of different medical illnesses and diagnoses, the impact on the child and family, and various interventions that could be provided by a Child Life Specialist. Specifically, I focused on the impact of Cerebral Palsy on the child and family and appropriate resources and interventions. Through this course I also conducted research on Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome and interventions that can be utilized by a CCLS when working with this population.
Seminar in Autism Spectrum Issues
Through this course I developed an elevator speech to discuss the impacts of hospitalization on children with autism spectrum disorder and types of interventions that can be utilized to mitigate some of the negative impacts of hospitalization.
Introduction to Art Therapy
This course served as a brief introduction to art therapy and various assessments and interventions that can be utilized when working with diverse populations.
Biomedical Ethics
In this course, a series of moral and ethical issues were explored including death and dying, organ transplant and acquistion, informed consent and confidentiality, and genetic engineering and counseling. This course has increased my understanding of differing perspectives on issues that are prevalent in the medical field.
UNDERGRADUATE COURSEWORK
Family Theories
This serves as a foundational course that provides the student with the basic knowledge of the nine most prominent family theories used in family and human services.
Internship in Family Studies
As a component in this course I completed over 170 hours at my child life practicum site at the Herman and Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai in Baltimore, Maryland. Other requirements of this course included conducting a learning plan and learning contract to guide my experience, as well as completing a professional portfolio.
Preparing Human Service Workers
This course is heavily directed towards developing professionalism and preparing for entering an internship through the practice of skills such as writing smart goals, building a professional resume, and promoting one's strengths and weaknesses.
Writing and Research Methods in Family Studies
This course was writing intensive and required me to conduct thorough research on the effects of various types of creative therapies on the anxiety and stress of hospitalized children. This research was presented as a proposal and emphasized the use of professional writing that corresponds with the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines.
Hospitalized Child and Family
This course addresses the many stressors and responses to stress that a child may experience as a result of hospitalization. In addition to learning the typical reactions to hospitalization, the importance of play and psychological preparation are covered in detail. To the right you can view my first time conducting a mock preparation session for an IV placement.
Human Development
This serves as a foundational course in development spanning from birth to death. Each developmental period is paired with basic characteristics and steps that are typically present.
Medical Terminology for Human Service Workers
This elective course focused on teaching the medical terminology specific to various bodily functions and medical procedures. Latin roots were a primary focus to help provide a generalized knowledge of words containing the specific roots words.
Community Services for Families
In this course I completed a 50 hour service learning project at the Towson University Veterans Center. As a component of the course I formulated an action plan and conducted a needs assessment for the organization. This course utilized an experiential learning approach as the skills learned in the classroom setting were directly applied to the service learning site.
Senior Seminar
This Capstone course promotes the use of Family Life Education (FLE) Methodology in order to develop and facilitate a 75 minute program geared towards presenting the participants with skills needed for enrichment of the family sector. In preparation for the program, I was required to write a thorough literature review and teaching module.