About Coastal Coping

Learn about how Coastal Coping came to be and about your Certified Child Life Specialist

How It All Started...

Coastal Coping, LLC was founded by two Certified Child Life Specialists who worked together in a small community hospital. For years, they were asked by families, "where do we go for outpatient child life services?" Sadly, there was nowhere to send these families. Outpatient child life services did not exist anywhere in the state of NJ.

So, they decided to change that.

Coastal Coping was born out of a love and passion for supporting children and families through life's biggest challenges. Amidst the chaos and fear of the Covid-19 pandemic, the two child life specialists decided there was no better time to bring child life into the community and launched Coastal Coping in 2021.

Coastal Coping is honored to have the privilege to continue to support children, families, child life students, and child life professionals; offering these vital support services beyond hospital walls.

About April

Hi! I'm April! I am the owner of Coastal Coping, LLC. I have been a Certified Child Life Specialist since 2010. I earned my B.S. in Psychology-Child Life from Utica College of Syracuse University, a Master's in Education Child Development from Ashford University and my MBA in healthcare administration from Southern New Hampshire University. I completed my child life practicum at Connecticut Children's Medical Center and my child life internship at Prisma Health Children's Hospital. In additional to being a Certified Child Life Specialist, I am also a Certified Pediatric Massage Therapist and a Certified Integrative Aromatherapy Practitioner.

For the last 16 years, I have provided child life services around the country and have gained experience with a large range of patient populations including the emergency department, general pediatrics, hematology/oncology and a community-based program serving children with both medical and social complexities. These experiences have lead me to have special interests in working with children who have chronic illnesses or who have experienced medical trauma.

I had the privilege develop and supervise a child life practicum and internship program. I created and taught the first child life undergraduate course in the state of NJ at Monmouth University. Supporting child life students and professionals is a passion of mine. I feel a strong commitment to helping new child life professionals be successful in the field.

Whether your are a parent looking for support for you child, a child life student just starting your journey into the profession, a new certified child life specialist seeking clinical supervision, or an organization seeking to consult on best practices for children's psychosocial care, I look forward to working with you!