Supporting Healing Throughout Cincinnati Children's
Clinician-researchers in the Division of Child Life and Integrative Care lead and collaborate on studies to understand and develop the most impactful interventions that can improve health and care experiences for patients, families, and hospital staff.
The goal of our work is to support optimal healing, health, and well-being through compassionate and evidence-informed clinical practices. We are committed to creating an environment that fosters health and healing.
Our work can be described as bedside-to-bedside, focusing on quality improvement and evidence-based practice in addition to research. We are clinicians actively seeking to improve how we educate patients about their medical conditions, provide therapy to normalize the healthcare experience, and offer ways to cope with the psychosocial challenges of living with an illness or injury.
Our Collective Inquiry
Our division is comprised of media specialists, board-certified and licensed clinicians including child life specialists (CCLS), therapeutic recreation specialists (CTRS), music therapists (MT-BC), art therapists (ATR), massage therapists (LMT), and registered nurses (RN) with advanced training and degrees in integrative healthcare.
Our team is a tapestry of specialties uniquely positioned to partner with colleagues throughout the medical center.
Areas of inquiry include:
- Animal-assisted therapy
- Clinical aromatherapy
- Coping and procedural support
- Creative arts therapy (art and music therapy)
- Grief
- Energy-based therapies (Healing Touch and Reiki)
- Mindfulness-based practices
- Acupoint therapies
- Craniosacral therapy
- Massage
- Trauma-informed care
- Psychosocial support
- Stress management
- Symptom management (anxiety, fatigue, nausea, pain)
- Therapeutic recreation
- Clinician well-being
Innovation: Clinical Aromatherapy Aid
One innovative project underway is a direct inhalation prototype for clinical aromatherapy. This work has attracted funding from external partners including the State of Ohio.
The clinical aromatherapy idea was initiated eight years ago by an integrative care nurse and doctor. They developed the concept in response to a growing need for safe, effective nonpharmacological approaches to manage a constellation of distressing symptoms.
Today, clinical aromatherapy is widely used across the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute and with inpatient gastroenterology patients at Cincinnati Children’s. The team hopes to expand this work to other patient populations in the future.
Recognition and Awards
The work of Child Life and Integrative Care clinicians is recognized by local, state, and national institutions. They have received several Cincinnati Children’s Interprofessional Inquiry Day Awards in 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023. In 2024, our team members received both a Mission Innovation Award and Clinical Innovation Award from Cincinnati Children’s Innovation Ventures and the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation, for their accomplishments in music-based legacy work and clinical aromatherapy, respectively.
Impact Across Cincinnati Children's
Child Life and Integrative Care clinicians are privileged to partner with colleagues across Cincinnati Children’s campuses, in every acute care, critical care, and inpatient unit, along with many outpatient clinics and Starshine. To further our Division’s inquiry-based initiatives and advance change that improves important outcomes for our patients, we regularly participate in the Rapid Cycle Improvement Collaborative at the Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence and other quality improvement and evidence-based practice programs.
