Where comfort, healing, and play come together

Whether a child is navigating illness, hospitalization, loss or a disruption to their daily routine, they need more than medical care; they need safety, understanding, and a space where their feelings are heard and honored.

Heart of Gold Child Life provides personalized emotional and developmental support to children and families during some of life’s most difficult moments. Through therapeutic play, education, and gentle guidance, we help children build confidence, reduce fear, and develop healthy coping skills, while helping parents feel supported, informed, and never alone.

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A Thoughtful, Individualized Approach to Care

Founded by Child Life Specialist Zahava Ginsberg, MS, CLS, Heart of Gold Child Life offers in-home, and virtual, emotional care, designed around your child’s unique needs.

Whether your child is preparing for a medical procedure, adjusting to a diagnosis, experiencing grief, or struggling with big emotions, our work centers on comfort, trust, and resilience, all through developmentally appropriate, play-based support.

Services

A serene consultation room designed for pediatric emotional support, with a round white table as the central focus. On the table rests a smooth wooden box labeled with a small gold heart icon, its lid partially open to reveal neatly arranged coping tools: stress balls, textured fabric swatches, and calming visual cards. Surrounding the table are two small, upholstered chairs in muted teal and mustard, and shelving with carefully placed non-branded board games and craft kits. Soft overhead lighting blends with gentle window light from the side, creating an evenly lit, photographic scene. Shot at eye level with subtle depth of field to keep details crisp. The mood is professional, calm, and nurturing, emphasizing a structured yet welcoming space for healing conversations and therapeutic play.

Procedural Preparation & Support

Helping children understand what to expect before medical procedures so they feel calm, confident, and empowered.

Diagnosis Education

Explaining new or complex medical information in developmentally appropriate ways that reduce fear and confusion.

Coping Plans & Therapeutic Play

Teaching children healthy ways to manage stress, fear, and overwhelming emotions through play-based coping strategies.

Grief & Bereavement Support

Providing consistent emotional care in the environments where your child feels most comfortable.

A warmly lit pediatric hospital playroom corner, centered on a plush golden heart-shaped pillow resting against a cozy, soft-textured gray armchair. Around it, neatly organized wooden shelves hold colorful, non-branded toys, picture books, and art supplies, all carefully arranged to suggest comfort and healing without clutter. Gentle afternoon sunlight filters through a large window with sheer white curtains, casting soft highlights on the pillow’s velvety surface and creating subtle shadows on the pale wood floor. Photographic realism at eye level, with a shallow depth of field that softly blurs the background. The mood is calm, reassuring, and professional, ideal for conveying a safe, child-friendly healing environment without showing any people.

Parent & Caregiver Guidance

Walking alongside families through loss with compassion, structure, and healing-centered care.

Sibling Support

Helping brothers and sisters understand what’s happening when a sibling is hospitalized or ill – and giving them space to process their own feelings.

Care & Support Options

Book A Free 10 Min Consult

Initial Session

Intake + Assessment

$175

Follow-Up Sessions

60 Minutes Each

$150

Meet Zahava

Zahava Ginsberg, MS, CLS is an experienced Child Life Specialist with a deep passion for supporting children and families through illness, trauma, grief, and major life transitions.

With several years of professional experience in hospital-based settings, including pediatrics, intensive care units, neonatal care, and bereavement support, Zahava has provided compassionate, developmentally appropriate care to children and families during some of life’s most challenging moments.

Through her work in medical environments, Zahava recognized a growing need for accessible emotional support within the community. Many families continue to face the emotional impact of medical experiences, loss, new diagnoses, and everyday stressors, yet often lack specialized guidance outside of traditional healthcare settings.

Motivated to help fill this gap, Zahava founded Heart of Gold Child Life, a community-based private practice designed to offer individualized therapeutic support in a warm and nurturing environment. Through therapeutic play, emotional education, and personalized coping strategies, Zahava helps children safely express their feelings, build resilience, and develop healthy ways to manage life’s challenges. She also partners closely with parents, providing practical tools, reassurance, and guidance to support their child’s emotional well-being.

With a strong clinical background and a heart for healing, Zahava is committed to bringing high-quality Child Life services beyond hospital walls, supporting children and families where they live, learn, and grow.

Listen To Zahava

You Don’t Have to Walk This Alone

Whether your child is facing a medical challenge, emotional transition, or loss – support can make all the difference – for your child and for you.

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