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Child Life / Creative Arts Therapy Seven child life specialists and creative arts therapists help children and adolescents cope with and adjust to all of the stresses involved with their illnesses.
Patients have the opportunity to receive therapy individually and/or in groups, both as outpatients or inpatients. All interventions are conducted with sensitivity to unique individual, family, and cultural features. Therapeutic modalities include child life, art therapy, music therapy, and dance/movement therapy which help children meet the challenge of coping with chronic, life-threatening medical illness. The team's focus is on normal development across emotional, social, and psychological areas, highlighting the child's understanding of their illness and its treatments. A wide variety of services are offered, including:
The team also collaborates on research projects and works closely with the psychosocial staff on clinical and therapeutic treatment goals. Social workers assess and address the needs of every family. An initial assessment includes, but is not limited to, determining the structure of the family, coping styles, and patterns of communications with other family members, the medical staff, and the community. Throughout the duration of treatment, a social worker tracks the family and provides a variety of services, including crisis intervention, problem solving, supportive counseling, and insight-oriented psychotherapy. Services are performed on an individual basis and/or in supportive group sessions for patients and parents. Individual and/or group bereavement services are available for parents and caretakers as needed. Social workers also provide referrals to a variety of community resources to help the family meet the financial burden placed upon them. Contact: Judy Solomon, LCSW, MPH, Supervisor of Professional Support Services, (201) 996-5624 Two pediatric psychologists provide a wide range of mental health services for patients and family members. These include evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of various psychological syndromes related either directly or indirectly to the disease and its treatment. Cognitive, academic, neuropsychological, and affective functioning are evaluated. Based on these diagnostic assessments, a number of psychotherapeutic strategies are available, including insight-oriented, cognitive-behavioral, social learning, and educational modalities including cognitive remediation. All services are provided by highly skilled, doctoral-level faculty, who are also involved in numerous research studies. L.E.A.R.N. (Liaison for Effective Academic Resource and Networking) is a program that provides educational guidance to children with cancer and blood disorders. The goal is to share information as well as provide practical assistance to families and school personnel regarding the impact of the disease on a child's educational development. Families no longer have to face school challenges alone. School may be one of the last things to be considered when a child is diagnosed with cancer or a serious blood disorder. However, it often provides reassurance through everyday events such as homework assignments and peer relationships. L.E.A.R.N. is sponsored by the Tomorrows Children's Fund and is available to all families followed by the Tomorrows Children's Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center. LIAISON Consultation with families and school personnel regarding children's academic development is an essential component of this program. This may include obtaining school records, securing tutoring services while a child is unable to attend school, attending Child Study Team meetings, or working directly with the child's teacher to design specific classroom modifications that assist in addressing the child's academic needs. Communication between family, healthcare providers, and school staff is essential in order to maintain the flexibility that is necessary to meet the changing needs of the student within the classroom setting. ADVOCACY From the time a child is diagnosed with cancer or a blood disorder, special considerations need to be made to address individual educational needs. At times, parents and teachers are unsure of the specific needs of the child because of changes that occur on a daily basis. As advocates the Educational Liaisons assist parents and school staff in determining the child's educational needs and work with them to implement the necessary modifications. LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF TREATMENT Advances in childhood cancer therapies have greatly enhanced long-term survival and rates of cure. Despite these breakthroughs, certain cancer therapies can affect a child's academic performance. It is essential that parents and educators become aware of potential learning effects associated with certain cancer treatments that may be subtle and appear slowly over time. The Educational Liaisons assist in the early detection of treatment-related learning problems through regular contact with parents and teachers. If necessary, more thorough psychoeducational testing will be pursued in order to assist in the development of an appropriate educational plan. Further assistance can be provided when students are ready to explore employment opportunities or college programs. Services include:
Contact: Sarah Donnangelo, MS, Coordinator of Educational Services, (201) 996-5672 or sdonnangelo@humed.com Sarah Donnangelo, MS, is Coordinator of the LEARN program at the Tomorrows Children's Institute. She received her Masters Degree in School Psychology from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Ms. Donnangelo has served children with cancer and blood disorders since 1992. Prior to joining Tomorrows Children's Institute, Ms. Donnangelo worked as a school psychologist and served as an Education Specialist in an interdisciplinary diagnostic clinic for persons with developmental and learning disabilities at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. In addition, she was involved in HELP; a similar education resource program designed to assist families in advocating for their children's educational needs within their school districts. Patients and their families who seek support and wish to better understand the elements of illness and treatment can participate in these ongoing special programs:
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For more information, please contact us at tel: (201) 996-5437 / fax: (201) 487-7340 / email: info@tcikids.com The Tomorrows Children's Institute |
