COPING
CONNECTION, LLC
CHILD LIFE SERVICES AND CONSULTATION
RAYE PIETRUSZKA, MA, CCLS
Founder and Owner
Published Children's Book Author
Certified Child Life Specialist since 1996
MA in Expressive Therapies
BA in Human Growth and Development: Child Life
Raye has been a certified child life specialist for over 25 years supporting children and families through healthcare and life's challenges. Her work began in the surgery and procedure departments at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a leading hospital in children's oncology and later to adult hospital with specialized children's services and a community based clinic. She has extensive experience working with children in various clinical areas, including adult units, and was fortunate to work within pain management, sedation and redesign teams.
Her family moved abroad to Saudi Arabia in 2011, where she took a break to raise her young children. In 2016, Raye initiated services at a community based clinic amongst a population representing over 100 nationalities. The child life profession was fairly unheard of amongst the staff and community. Here, she led a committee to develop and provide mandatory staff training on pediatric pain management. Other staff trainings included topics such as communication, preparation, alternative focus, and comfort positions. She implemented community outreach programs such as Dentist for a Day, Super Siblings, and parent workshops on pain management. Her involvement in community programming was the spark for Coping Connection.
As an author, Raye is contributing to children's literature to change the landscape for how information is delivered to children and how children cope with healthcare, illness, trauma, and life changing events. Through educational resources and children's literature, Raye hopes to instil honesty, acceptance, trust, engagement, mindfulness, and empowerment to support lifelong coping skills and positive healthcare relationships.
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When she is not wearing her professional hat, she is with her family helping her children climb the highest mountains while reaching with great courage and resilience. In many ways, she sees her profession as a way of life.
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