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Deborah B. Vilas

Supervised Fieldwork Advisor, Course Instructor

Academic Interests

Child development Child life Clinical supervision Emotionally responsive Parents and play Play therapy Teaching

Some of the Values that Shape My Work

Transparency
Empathy
Joy
Play
Loose Parts
Unconditional positive regard
Collaboration
Learning new things
Emotional Responsiveness
Investment in people and learning
The developmental interaction approach
Learning through doing
Critical Feedback
Trusting the process

Work with Families, Children, Schools, and Communities

Child Life Specialist Bellevue Hospital Center;  Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center               
Support Group Facilitator, Big Apple Circus, Clown Care Unit
Play Therapist, Northside Center for Child Development                   
Social Worker, Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services
Teacher, Karen Horney Clinic                                      
Sunday School Teacher, Unitarian Church Of All Souls

Selected Professional Development Work

Staff inservices at museums, and public and independent schools about child development; illness, loss and death; emotionally responsive teaching and play in early childhood classrooms. Presentations to the Child Life Council, Child Life of Greater New York and New York Association for Play Therapy on therapeutic play and compassion fatigue.

Educational Background

  • MSW, Shirley M. Ehrenkranz School of Social Work, New York University
  • M.S., Bank Street College of Education
  • B.A., Georgetown University

Selected Publications

  • Vilas, D. (2009). Child life practice in hospitals. In N. Boyd Webb (Ed.),  Helping children and adolescents with chronic and serious medical conditions: A strengths-based approach   (pp. 73-88).  New York:  John Wiley & Sons.

  • Livingstone, M. & Vilas, D. (2008).  Private practice. In M. Hicks (Ed.), Child life beyond the hospital  (pp. 193-211.  Rockville, MD:  Child Life Council.

  • Vilas, D., (2006).  Learning how to play: The development of a course on play techniques for child life specialists.  Play Therapy, 1(1) 32-35.

  • Vilas, D. (2004). Wings of a butterfly. In R. Carman (Ed.), Helping kids heal: 75 activities to help children recover from trauma and loss. Wilkes Barre, PA: The Bureau for At-Risk Youth.

  • Vilas, D. (2001). Drawing for children. In H. Kaduson & C. Schaefer (Eds.), 101 more favorite play therapy techniques. (pp. 83-87).  Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson.  

  • Vilas, D. (2000). Playing doctor: Mastery through play & preparation. APT Newsletter, 19 (4),   13-15.

  • Vilas, D. (1994), Ichthyosis: A teacher’s manual (1st ed.). Raleigh, NC: FIRST.

Read my blog:

Child Life Community Forum

Contact me:

(212) 875-4653 dvilas@bankstreet.edu
610 W 112Th St # 611
New York, NY 10025-1898