Introducing Childlife Services In Georgia
On May 13-26, 2007, Andrea Mangione Standish, Executive Board Member of the Child Life Council (http://www.childlife.org/) visited Tbilisi as a U.S. Department of State-funded speaker. The aim of Ms. Standish’s program was to introduce child life services in Georgia.
The child life program was developed in North America and strives to promote the optimum development of children, adolescents and families in health care settings; to maintain normal living patterns; and to minimize psychological trauma in children and families. As integral members of a health care team in ambulatory care and inpatient settings, child life professionals provide opportunities for gaining a sense of mastery, for play, for learning, for self expression, for family involvement, and for peer interaction.
Mrs. Standish’s main host in Georgia was the Georgian Association for the Care of Children’s Health. Ms. Standish delivered 6 days of training for up to 20 Georgian children’s psychologists on providing child life (or psycho-social) services.
During her visit in Georgia, Ms. Standish visited the Second Republican Children’s Clinic, Isashvili Republican Children’s Hospital, Jo Anne Clinic, and Tbilisi Children’s Hospital. She has met with representatives of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the Parliamentary Committee on Health to discuss the current situation in Georgia’s healthcare sector.
Ms. Standish also delivered lectures at Tbilisi State Medical University, the Tbilisi State University Faculty of Psychology, and met with the administration of Tbilisi State Chavchavadze University. Tbilisi State Chavchavadze University and Tbilisi State Medical University expressed a desire to develop a joint certificate program to train child life professionals.
On May 23, Ms. Standish delivered a public presentation on “Introduction to Child Friendly Practices to Improve Healthcare Outcomes.” The presentation was attended by over 40 Georgian pediatricians, psychologists, educators, and members of the Parliament of Georgia, UNICEF, USAID, the European Union, and Georgian non-governmental organizations working on children’s health issues. |
