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Students Connected

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Are you a student or individual pursuing a Child Life career in need of mentoring, support, and/or guidance to successfully obtain an internship or to achieve certification? You have come to the right place!

Students Connected Community

An exclusive online community of students and individuals pursuing Child Life certification!

  • Direct access to Hearts Connected Academic & Student Support Advisors who are CCLS with 30+ years of experience, child life professors, clinical supervisors, and experts in supporting students.

  • General Forum to collaborate with peers and Academic & Student Support Advisors.

  • Monthly workshops to prepare you to be the best candidate possible when applying and interviewing for clinical experiences and child life jobs.

  • Weekly "office hours" to meet with one of our Academic & Student Support Advisors to ask questions and receive support with anything surrounding the application/interview process and more.

  • One-on-one services including a resume review, mock interview, essay review, and quarterly mentoring sessions***

  • Resources and ACLP documents organized all in one place, including access to unique and curated resources/guides only available to this exclusive community to help you stand out among the rest!

*** One-on-One services included depend on membership tier (services are either discounted or included)

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1:1 Student Support Services

Choose from a variety of 1:1 student support services to prepare you for applying and interviewing for a child life practicum, internship, or job!

Our Academic & Student Support Advisors offer:

  • Mentoring Sessions

  • Mock Interviews

  • Resume and Cover Letter Review

  • Application Essay Review

To learn more about these offerings or to book an appointment with one of our Academic & Student Support Advisors, click here!

* These offerings are available in the Students Connected Community membership at a discounted rate or as part of your membership package!

Meet our Academic
& Student Support Advisor

Child Life Certification Exam Prep Program

Feel prepared & ready for the Certification Exam in just 4 weeks!!

Program Opens February 1 and access to materials remains open until March 30 -

REGISTRATION CLOSED, CLASS IS FULL!

Registration will reopen in June

  • Access to 8 curated packets of information focusing on each domain area

  • Book reference list detailing where to find specific exam information in each text book

  • Practice exams and many practice questions with answer rationale explained

  • 4 one hour LIVE classes focused on reviewing information and guiding you on how to effectively and strategically answer questions *recording available if unable to attend live

*Live classes will take place every Thursday at 8pm EST for the entire month of February. Must register for course by February 6th*

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED, CLASS IS FULL

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Suzan Watkinson, MA, CCLS, CPMT, RWWP

Suzan holds a Master’s degree in counseling and over 30 years' experience as a Certified Child Life Specialist.  Suzan is an Adjunct Professor of Child Life at Azusa Pacific University and currently serves as the academic internship supervisor for the Child Life Internship program. Working both domestically and internationally, she has provided Child Life teaching to students overseas, as a Child Life practicum preceptor, as well as provided psychosocial support and mentorship globally with Operation Smile. Suzan has served patients and families in both inpatient and outpatient settings around the US prior to transitioning into the community setting of Child Life work with Hearts Connected.

What Students are Saying

"Students Connected Community (SCC) changed my path in ways that I was not expecting. I stumbled across Hearts Connected and their services through a random posting on a Child Life Facebook group when I was feeling discouraged and isolated after yet another round of disappointing news through the internship cycle. After connecting and sifting through resources, I felt the courage to reach out to Suzan W regarding some support with the upcoming application cycle. We met through Zoom and I literally cried with joy as Suzan gently, firmly and with great skill catapulted me forward through re-writing, re-structuring and practicing my application, supplemental essays and videos. Why did I cry with joy? I had never felt more ME peeking through the questions and answers of the application.

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I had tried, and failed for several (more than three) rounds of internship applications, each that changed questions, or length of answers, or number of answers, or KSA focuses. As an independent student especially, I felt my application was no longer a representation of me, but a representation of what I thought internship committees wanted, and I was desperately grasping at straws. This past cycle was my last round of trying to get a Child Life internship. If I did not get an offer, I was going to move on and give up my dream of Child Life. I can say, with absolute certainty, that the difference SCC, Hearts Connected and Suzan made for me was immeasurable. Suzan never gave up on me, and was excellent in immediately identifying things in myself, my writing and my application that needed work. With that guidance, I am still a bit in disbelief, but am happy to say that I am packing my bags to complete my internship this fall! Highly recommend!"

- Leslie, SCC Member

Click Here to Join the Students Connected Community Today!

National List of Clinical Sites

This is a comprehensive list of clinical sites (both practicum and internship) nationwide! We cannot guarantee information will not change, but this list is consistently updated monthly. To access the full list, join SCC!

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Nationwide

Camp List!!

Gain incredible experience and boost your resume by volunteering at a camp! Check out our extensive list of hundreds of camps, organized by state.

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Child Life Academic Programs

This is a list of child life academic programs nationwide, organized by state. We cannot guarantee information will not change, but we consistently update this list monthly!

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