Certified Child Life Specialist Miwa Sasaki was featured in the Japanese documentary series The Professionals in the episode "Making Little Wishes Heard: Sasaki Miwa, Child Life Specialist." The episode follows Sasaki as they support children in the medical setting and bring joy to patients:

"This pediatric ward has a curiously gentle atmosphere. Here, child life specialist Sasaki Miwa (41) supports the hearts of children in challenging medical environments. With only around 50 such specialists in Japan, Sasaki is a pioneer who has accompanied over 1000 children. She stands between doctor and patient, providing support so that children can take an active role in their treatment. Guided by the children's smiles, she finds ways to restore a bit of everyday life to the restrictive hospital environment." (NHK Japan)


The episode will air in English on NHK World Japan on August 30-31, 2024 and can be watched here. Times on the website reflect your local time. Sasaki reflected on the experience, saying:

"I was interviewed for about one month last spring, during the beautiful cherry blossom season. I am very honored and grateful that many children participated in the interview together. You will see not only the Child Life job but also children's various expressions and resilience."

Notably, Sasaki has previously brought child life to the mainstream in their 2015 Tedx Talk "The Power of Acceptance" which discusses their child life journey and their experiences with acceptance as a mindset in child life. You can watch the talk here.