# How to Support Grieving Children; Insights from a Child Life Specialist

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/lighting-the-path-a-new-concept-of-hospice-care-7056584/how-to-support-grieving-children-insights-from-a-child-life-specialist
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/lighting-the-path-a-new-concept-of-hospice-care-7056584/how-to-support-grieving-children-insights-from-a-child-life-specialist.md
Podcast: [Lighting the Path: A New Concept of Hospice Care](https://stenobird.com/podcast/lighting-the-path-a-new-concept-of-hospice-care-7056584)
Published: 2026-06-09T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://7b6788ca-4023-4014-ab53-1011fba2c6fe.libsyn.com/how-to-support-grieving-children-insights-from-a-child-life-specialist
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/7b6788ca-4023-4014-ab53-1011fba2c6fe/Season_4_Episode_012.mp3?dest-id=3624510
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Duration seconds: 1732

## Resource

In this episode, we sit down with child life specialist Katie Ransdell to explore how children experience grief and how hospice professionals can better support them. Katie shares her journey into the field of child life, practical insights for working with grieving children, and meaningful stories from her work that highlight the power of presence and connection. About Our Guest Katie Ransdell is a certified child life specialist dedicated to supporting children and families through serious illness, grief, and loss. Her work focuses on helping children express emotions, understand complex experiences, and feel seen and supported during difficult times. Episode Summary What does it look like to truly support a grieving child? Child life specialist Katie Ransdell joins us to share her expertise in helping children navigate serious illness, loss, and grief. With compassion and clarity, Katie explains how her role developed, what child life specialists actually do, and how hospice teams can provide developmentally appropriate, emotionally attuned care to children. Whether you are a chaplain, social worker, nurse, or volunteer, this conversation offers practical tools and heartfelt encouragement for engaging children during some of life's most difficult moments. What You'll Learn How Katie Ransdell became a child life specialist and what drew her to this work The role of a child life specialist in supporting children through illness, death, and grief Common misconceptions about how children understand death at different developmental stages Practical ways hospice professionals can show up for grieving children with confidence and compassion The importance of play, language, and presence in helping children process loss Memorable stories from Katie's work that illustrate th…

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