Care, Compassion, & Controversy: Supporting Children in a Covid-19 Vaccine Pod through Music Therapy & Child Life

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a trajectory punctuated by controversy, from understanding the virus itself to the development of therapeutics and a vaccine. The offering of vaccination  to children through a destination Covid-19 vaccine pod foregrounded the need for procedural support within a psychosocial reality of children and families navigating the pandemic. Children receiving the Covid-19 vaccine benefitted from a synthesis of music therapy and child life services into a comprehensive approach that proved essential for not only the child, but for personal caregivers, and very often the nursing staff administering the vaccine itself. This article presents the praxis of psychoeducational interventions, psychotherapeutic support, and procedural support including both pre- and post-procedural interventions to support children receiving the Covid-19 vaccine,