There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a child life therapist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $24.41 an hour? That's $50,768 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 22% and produce 54,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Child Life Therapist Do

There are certain skills that many child life therapists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed detail oriented, dexterity and interpersonal skills.

How To Become a Child Life Therapist

If you're interested in becoming a child life therapist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 57.1% of child life therapists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 12.9% of child life therapists have master's degrees. Even though most child life therapists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Child Life Therapist

Child Life Therapist Career Paths

Average Salary for a Child Life Therapist

Child Life Therapists in America make an average salary of $50,768 per year or $24 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $69,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $37,000 per year.
Average Child Life Therapist Salary
$50,768 Yearly
$24.41 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Child Life Therapist

There are several types of child life therapist, including:

Therapist

Role:

A therapist is the keeper of secrets. Neither therapist nor client is likely to advertise what is going on during sessions. You might have pinned down therapists as doctors of psychology who try to help the weak and crazy among us.

Well, the truth is contrary: it is a humble and courageous gesture to seek the help of a professional, not only in moments of crisis, trying to deal with harmful mental patterns or toxic core beliefs, which cause suffering to the patient and his/her or her environment alike, but also on a preventive basis.

So, just as much as it is the job of therapists to diagnose mental health problems and propose and conduct treatments, it is also their responsibility to make sure a diagnosis will never be necessary.
  • Average Salary: $55,943
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Physical Therapist

Role:

Being active is the name of the game. At least for Physical Therapists. Since most of their day is spent with helping patients improve movement and manage pain, Physical Therapists spend a lot of their time on their feet.

Typically, you can find them working in private offices and clinics, but some work in hospitals, patients' homes and even nursing homes. If you're excited about helping people get their pain under control, then all you need is a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree and a license to practice.
  • Average Salary: $73,070
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Student Physical Therapist

Role:

Student physical therapists help patients with injuries and chronic health conditions recover from injuries, manage their pain, and increase their quality of life. To do this, you will educate patients about keeping fit and preventing advanced injuries. Your job responsibilities include advising patients to learn about their physical condition and symptoms, assisting patients with the use of equipment such as wheelchairs, and reviewing and maintaining patient records, and keeping track of their progress. You will be required to help the patients ease their pains using exercises, stretching, hands-on therapy, and equipment. Also, you are to outline goals for patients and expected results.

A bachelor's degree in science-related is required for this job. As a student physical therapist, you must have compassion, be resourceful, and possess interpersonal communication skills. You should also be able to pay rapt attention to details and manage time. Your salary will be an average of $86,026 at the end of the year.

  • Average Salary: $73,003
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Child Life Therapist Jobs

Number Of Child Life Therapist Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California4,465$61,590
2Texas2,938$49,814
3Illinois1,805$45,320
4Georgia1,618$43,797
5Pennsylvania1,494$51,041
6New York1,482$47,708
7Virginia1,201$43,392
8Ohio1,192$45,549
9Florida1,136$42,563
10North Carolina1,133$44,148
11Washington1,096$63,498
12Indiana1,092$49,775
13New Jersey1,034$58,154
14Colorado900$52,299
15Missouri881$43,090
16Michigan871$41,869
17Maryland816$49,582
18Wisconsin809$46,842
19Tennessee726$35,512
20Massachusetts718$67,724
21South Carolina651$44,205
22Minnesota583$52,112
23Alabama575$42,107
24Iowa546$38,159
25Kansas529$44,890
26Arizona484$41,956
27Oregon478$50,010
28Oklahoma478$37,495
29Kentucky475$42,236
30Arkansas362$41,192
31Nebraska353$47,685
32Utah282$48,772
33Connecticut275$60,275
34Idaho269$48,380
35Louisiana262$40,797
36Nevada243$44,938
37Maine194$47,247
38Montana193$43,198
39Mississippi181$42,083
40West Virginia169$43,766
41North Dakota168$47,448
42New Hampshire165$54,322
43Delaware163$53,891
44Hawaii150$49,638
45Rhode Island145$55,892
46New Mexico137$56,320
47Vermont111$45,298
48South Dakota90$43,508
49Alaska83$52,368
50Wyoming55$50,055

Child Life Therapist Education

Child Life Therapist Majors

Child Life Therapist Degrees

Bachelors

57.1 %

Associate

14.3 %

Masters

12.9 %

Top Colleges for Child Life Therapists

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Nursing
Psychology
Rehabilitation Science

2. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Nursing
Business
Psychology
Social Work

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Nursing
Social Work
Psychology

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology
Rehabilitation Science

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Social Work
Nursing
Rehabilitation Science
Health Care Administration

6. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Psychology
Kinesiology
Social Work
Business
Criminal Justice

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Social Work
Communication
Rehabilitation Science
Accounting

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Kinesiology
Communication
Social Work

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Accounting
Psychology
Nursing
Business

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Accounting
Psychology
Kinesiology
Criminal Justice
Health Care Administration

Top Skills For a Child Life Therapist

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 25.4% of child life therapists listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as detail oriented and dexterity are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Child Life Therapist Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Child Life Therapist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Child Life Therapist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Child Life Therapist Resume
Child Life Therapist Resume
Child Life Therapist Resume
Child Life Therapist Resume
Child Life Therapist Resume
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Child Life Therapist Resume
Child Life Therapist Resume
Child Life Therapist Resume

Child Life Therapist Demographics

Child Life Therapist Gender Distribution

Female
Female
65%
Male
Male
35%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among child life therapists, 65.0% of them are women, while 35.0% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among child life therapists is White, which makes up 72.5% of all child life therapists.

  • The most common foreign language among child life therapists is Spanish at 27.3%.

Online Courses For Child Life Therapist That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  

1. Essentials of Palliative Care

coursera

This course starts you on your journey of integrating primary palliative care into your daily lives. You will learn what palliative care is, how to communicate with patients, show empathy, and practice difficult conversations. You will learn how to screen for distress and provide psychosocial support. You will learn about goals of care and advance care planning and how to improve your success with having these conversations with patients. Finally, you will explore important cultural...

See More on Coursera

2. Life Coach Certification: Self-Care and Boundary Setting

udemy
4.5
(319)

Empower Your Life Coach Your Clients to Develop Self-Care, Self-Love, Boundary Setting and How to Say "No"...

See More on Udemy

3. CBT Cognitive Behavior Therapy Life Coaching Certification

udemy
4.7
(2,252)

Cognitive Behavioral CBT Life Coach REBT Psychology: 2022 Accredited 16 CPD/CE Therapeutic Credit Hours...

See More on Udemy
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Top Child Life Therapist Employers

Most Common Employers For Child Life Therapist

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1East Tennessee Children's Hospital$66,710$32.071
2Miller Children's Hospital$58,910$28.321
3Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital$57,212$27.511
4Shriners Hospitals for Children$55,372$26.621
5Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center$54,008$25.971
6Denver Health$53,563$25.751
7CHKD Thrift Store$52,150$25.071
8Carle Foundation$51,617$24.821
9Bridgeport Hospital$51,116$24.571
10INOVA Federal$50,880$24.463