Certified Child Life Specialist, Jessica Lewin, talks with friend, Kizzy Marco, CCLS, about creating, managing, and rockin' a facility dog program. Kizzy has nearly a decade of experience in the field and has worked with her 9-year-old partner, a Golden Retriever named Ralph Lauren, for almost eight years.
Ralph is a celebrity at his hospital which puts a spotlight on the child life program at large, but especially in how Kizzy interacts with patients, families and staff. It's not every day that the CEO of a hospital knows a child life specialist by name. Throughout my conversation with Kizzy, I witnessed her enthusiasm for her facility dog program, her initiative in getting things done for the better, and her motivation to continue to grow this niche field.
Kizzy highlights the clinical, goal-based nature of this work, which distinguishes it from volunteer/therapy dog programs (what most people are familiar with). A facility dog program is championed by Certified Child Life Specialists who can do the clinical work that volunteers can't such as assisting with a procedure, assessing a patient/family, and end-of-life support.
https://youtu.be/2EG3S9d_8Os
You can follow Kizzy and Ralph at @RalphInTheRockies on Instagram
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