DISCOVER October 2026
The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department
Pediatric Facility Dog, Doreen, Joins the Team The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department recently added another four paws to the team. Meet Doreen, a three-year-old Labrador Retriever raised and expertly trained by Canine Companions. Doreen is the Paws and Play program’s first facility dog from Canine Companions. She was trained at their Northeast Region in Medford, New York. Doreen knows over 45 commands that can be used in a variety of clinical interventions. Doreen is expanding the Paws and Play Program by supporting pediatric patients in anesthesia inductions in radiology, endoscopy, and in the pre-op space for surgery. For the patients who get admitted following their scan or procedure, Doreen will then see them on the inpatient units. Doreen has already started supporting patients and has made a huge impact. Some of Doreen’s favorite interventions are showing kids how she can take deep breaths from the anesthesia mask, having the child hold a second leash as they walk into the procedure room together, and applying deep pressure in the bed while they fall asleep from the anesthesia. Doreen’s handler, Catherine Rodgers, Certified Child Life Specialist, was previously the radiology child life specialist where she worked for four years building the program. Catherine was our first facility dog, Professor’s, secondary handler for the last two years of Facility dog, Doreen, takes a break in the his career. It was during Catherine’s time working with Professor that she had the idea of park during the workday. having a dog dedicated to anesthesia inductions. With the help of our leaders and generous donors, this idea came to fruition. Catherine said “It has been a joy to watch Doreen settle in her new role and support our patients, families, and staff in these new areas. She has brought a newfound joy and calmness into spaces that are naturally very intense. To watch our patients exude more confidence and mastery over their anesthesia experience because they have Doreen by their side has been a privilege to see first-hand."
September Shines a Light on the NICU To kick off NICU Awareness Month, Katie Messina and Amelia Edwards, NICU Child Life Specialists, hosted special events. The Second Annual Baby Shower brought together current admitted NICU families to celebrate their babies and create meaningful memories. The event included a variety of activities such as word games and a therapeutic intervention led by art therapists Sophia Gutierrez Osuna and Kyla Ohayon. Caregivers enjoyed decorating and personalizing onesies to be displayed on a mural in the family lounge. A volunteer from the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp led an activity that included air brushing wooden signs and giving caregivers a chance to personalize their baby’s spaces. Families enjoyed special sweet treats during the baby shower. NICU Awareness Month also featured a Read-A-Thon, which is a two-week annual event hosted at NICUs across the country. Mount Sinai Hospital has participated for the last three years. Katie Messina, Certified Child Life Specialist, Dr. Stephanie Bernard, Neonatologist Attending, and Brittany Smith, Family Coordinator, took the lead for the Read-A-Thon. Families are provided information on the importance of reading to their babies and filled out tickets every time they had a reading session. Every day, Katie wheeled a book cart to each bedside for families to be able to pick out a new book. Books were provided in multiple languages. Finally, the NICU hosted the first Storybook Day in which families made outfits to match their favorite storybook characters. From Toy Story, Dr. Seuss, Curious George and Pooh Bear to biblical characters and more, Storybook Day was a great addition to NICU Awareness Month.
A NICU baby holds his certificate for the Read-A-Thon. LB 2019
Mountsinai.org/childlife
Facebook.com/MSchildlife
Instagram: @MSchildlife
@KZTVlive
@mountsinai_pawsandplay
The Director’s Desk: A Culture of Learning and Shared Growth As summer gives way to fall, our department is embracing one of the most exciting times of the year: the start of a new academic term. This season brings fresh energy, new perspectives, and renewed opportunities to make a meaningful difference for the children and families we serve. I am pleased to welcome the members of our newest term of our Youth Advisory Council and Family Advisory Council. These dedicated partners play an invaluable role in helping us better understand the experiences, needs, and priorities of patients and families. Their voices continue to shape our programs, guide our initiatives, and ensure that family-centered care remains at the heart of everything we do. This fall also marks the arrival of five talented interns who have joined our department for the academic year, including one child life intern, two music therapy interns, and two art therapy interns. We are proud to support the development of future pediatric psychosocial professionals and look forward to the creativity, curiosity, and enthusiasm they will bring to our teams. Two broadcast studio interns will learn from and support daily interactive programming. As they help create and produce shows that invite patients to take part, express themselves, and connect with others, they contribute to the meaningful work of supporting coping and connection during a hospital stay. In addition, we recently welcomed a new group of pediatric volunteers. Whether providing companionship, supporting activities, or helping create moments of comfort and joy, our volunteers serve as important members of the care team and help enrich the patient and family experience in countless ways. As I look ahead to the year before us, I am energized by the opportunities to expand and strengthen our therapeutic programming. Together with our staff, interns, volunteers, advisory council members, patients, and families, we will continue to advance innovative, creative, and family-centered approaches that support coping, connection, self-expression, and healing.
Director, The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department
Summer Focus Groups Advance Family-Centered Care During the Family Advisory Council's (FAC) summer hiatus, family advisors continued to partner with staff on an ad hoc basis, remaining actively engaged throughout the season. Physicians and project leaders sought advisor input on several initiatives: Kangaroo Care in the NICU, a caregiver video to enhance the procedural consent process, an ICU Family Communication Workbook, and an Inpatient Flu Vaccination Initiative. To support these efforts, interested family advisors were invited to participate in focus groups. This small-group format created an environment where every voice could be heard and enabled project teams to gather thoughtful, detailed feedback from families with lived experience. Advisors shared personal perspectives, identified potential challenges, and highlighted successful practices related to each topic, providing valuable insights to inform project planning, design, and implementation. Family advisors brought a unique perspective to each discussion, helping teams better understand how proposed changes might be experienced by patients and families. Their feedback reinforced the value of involving families early in the development process and highlighted opportunities to strengthen communication, education, and the overall care experience. Project leaders expressed sincere appreciation for the advisors' willingness to participate, particularly given the time-sensitive nature of these initiatives and the demands of the summer season. Advisors responded with enthusiasm and flexibility, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to improving care and advancing family-centered practices across the organization. We extend our sincere gratitude to all FAC members who generously shared their time, expertise, and lived experiences throughout the summer. Their partnership remains an invaluable resource as we work together to enhance the patient and family experience and advance family-centered care. Mountsinai.org/childlife
Facebook.com/MSchildlife
Instagram: @MSchildlife
We’re preparing for the winter holidays! We transform our theater into a holiday gift shop where caregivers can choose gifts for their hospitalized child and siblings. On Christmas morning, volunteer Santas bring extra cheer with bedside visits. These celebrations are possible thanks to your generous support! Scan the QR code to visit our Amazon Wish List and choose an item to help make our holiday events special. Thank you for bringing moments of fun and joy to families as they navigate a hospital stay.
@KZTVlive
@mountsinai_pawsandplay
Drawing Connection: When Art Meets Technology at the Bedside What happens when a patient cannot move their body freely, but still has stories to tell, choices to make, and a desire to connect with the people beside them? Sophia Gutierrez Osuna, art therapist, in collaboration with Luis Borges, therapeutic gaming and technology specialist, began exploring an art therapy intervention that uses digital art and projection to bring creative expression into patient rooms. Initially developed for a patient who required intubation but remained deeply aware of his surroundings, the intervention transformed the ceiling and other surfaces of the room into a shared canvas. Using a custom built mobile cart equipped with a digital tablet, media creation app, and projector, the therapist or family member can create digital artwork that is cast onto a surface in the patient’s real-world environment, allowing the patient to visually follow, influence, and participate in the creative process. What began as a way to offer engagement has grown into something much more meaningful: a new language for connection. Working with Sophia, each family has found its own way to use the medium. A grandmother used the session to create a visual story for her grandson. A sibling was able to draw alongside a patient, following their gaze and allowing them to determine the direction of the artwork. In one particularly meaningful session, a patient who had experienced significant loss of mobility was able to reclaim a sense of control by guiding his sibling through the composition, narrative, and symbolism of the piece. Through his eyes, choices, and communication, he was once again directing the creative process. In these moments, the artwork becomes more than something to look at. It becomes a space where patients can make choices, communicate, play, tell stories, and participate alongside the people they love, even when illness or medical interventions limit how they can otherwise engage with the world. This intervention continues to evolve as we explore where art and technology can meet within the healing environment. We are discovering that sometimes connection does not require words or movement. Sometimes it can begin with a line, a color, a shared story, or simply the opportunity to say, “Follow me... I have something to show you.” At the bedside, art can become a bridge: between patient and family, between intention and expression, and between what the body can no longer do and what the person still has to say.
Digital artwork in patient environment uses art and technology with great outcomes.
Welcome, New Staff and Interns Ellie Weresh, child life assistant
Coco Pollard, child life intern
Jihae Park, music therapy intern
Samantha Rosenberg, art therapy intern
Huiran Li, music therapy intern
Joey Driussi, art therapy intern
Emily Pilz KZTV studio intern
Abigail Archey KZTV studio intern
Reflections: A Magazine for Young Voices Enters a New Era The Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department is proud to present the first ever annual edition of REFLECTIONS, our largest edition to date. Launched in 2011, REFLECTIONS is a space for teens and young adults in the community to share their creative work. Created by guest teen editor, Maggie Tung, this year's theme, Growth and Change, celebrates both the artists and their artwork.
Scan the QR code below to see the lateste issue!
For many young people, especially those facing hospitalization, change is something that happens to them: a new diagnosis, an unexpected surgery, or even a graduation. These moments bring up emotions that are hard to put into words. This magazine was born from those responses. A poem for a lost loved one, a painting of joyful resilience, or a song with a message that couldn’t be said any other way. Look for the magazine this fall. We can't wait to share it with you. To submit to REFLECTIONS, please email: reflections@mountsinai.org. Mountsinai.org/childlife
Facebook.com/MSchildlife
Instagram: @MSchildlife
@KZTVlive
@mountsinai_pawsandplay
Fashion, Fun and Four Fabulous Facility Dogs
The Paws & Play team gathered in the KZTV studio for a fashion show for New York Fashion Week.
Who says New York Fashion Week is just for people? This year our fabulous facility dogs, Summer, Icee, Muffin and Doreen, all took to the runway for a very special KZTV fashion show that brought smiles, laughter, and plenty of tail wags to the hospital. Each of our dogs took their turn on the runway in both casual and fancy outfits with their handlers; Bethany Pincus (Summer), Kaleigh Bieling (Icee), Robin O’Hare (Muffin) and Catherine Rodgers (Doreen). From runway-ready styles to playful poses, our pups proved that fashion can be a wonderful way to explore identity, creativity, and self-expression.
Summer shined as the bell of the ball, while Icee warmed everyone’s hearts as the MVP of cozy. Muffin stood her ground as New York’s most dapper dog and Queen Doreen prevailed as fashion week’s favorite Lab. This fashion show had more to offer than adorable outfits. Each dog also highlighted a cause that is important to them, giving the event a meaningful purpose and an opportunity to shine a light on issues close to their hearts and paws. Fashion gave our canine models a chance to celebrate who they are, while reminding all of us that expressing ourselves can be joyful, creative, and empowering. And, of course, our patients and families got to play fashion critics! Viewers voted in four categories: Best Casual Outfit, Best Fancy Outfit, Best Walk, and Best Photo. Every dog brought their own special style to the runway, making the show as entertaining as it was heartwarming. The event was a celebration of individuality, confidence, and the simple joy our facility dogs bring to the hospital every day. Whether dressed up for the runway or doing what they do best, supporting our patients, families and staff, these four furry friends reminded us that sometimes a little fashion, a lot of personality, and a wagging tail can make an ordinary day extraordinary.
Arts in Medicine Program: A Visit from The Jewish Museum The Arts in Medicine Program is an initiative housed within the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department at Mt. Sinai, and it aims to bring artists, musicians, and other institutions to Kravis Children’s Hospital to connect patients and families to the community at large while receiving medical care at Mount Sinai. Through this program, patients and caregivers can engage creatively through connections with visiting artists and musicians. This September, Babs Peisch, a teaching artist from The Jewish Museum, presented an interactive program about textiles and patterns on KidZone TV, based on current exhibits and artwork at the museum. Patients had the opportunity to create their own felt banners inspired in part by the colors and patterns of textile pieces created by artists of the Weimar Werkstätte, a collective of artists in early 1900s Austria. “When facilitating KidZone TV programs, it is so meaningful when kids are excited to share their thoughts about art from the Jewish Museum or the artwork they’ve made inspired by it,” said Babs. “It’s those moments when the texts are coming in one right after another. The Arts in Medicine program allows us to meet kids where they are, which is so important to this work of connecting children to museums and art.” If you have any referrals for interested artists or community partners, please email Arts in Medicine coordinator and music therapist, Joseph Cooper, at joseph.cooper@mountsinai.org.
Babs and Joseph partner to host the Jewish Museum Arts in Medicine Show in the KZTV Studio
Staff Accomplishments Ali Spikestein, Bethany Pincus, and Sophia Gutierrez Osuna represented our Paws & Play facility dog program at the Sit. Stay. Heal. Facility Dog Conference in Colorado. Bethany and Sophia presented on integrating animal-assisted therapy into their creative arts therapy work. Ali presented on her published study examining the impact of a child life specialist and facility dog working together to address pediatric pain during needle-stick procedures. Their presentations highlighted how facility dogs can support children through both creative therapeutic work and stressful medical procedures. Mountsinai.org/childlife
Facebook.com/MSchildlife
Instagram: @MSchildlife
@KZTVlive
@mountsinai_pawsandplay