Art therapist in pediatric intensive care - 30%

Within the pediatric intensive care unit, you accompany hospitalized children and their loved ones through artistic mediations adapted to their clinical state and their specific needs.

In collaboration with the interdisciplinary team, you contribute to the global care of the child, notably in the management of anxiety and pain, emotional expression, prevention of medical trauma, as well as supporting end-of-life situations.

Individual care takes place at the patient's bedside or in an isolation room, requiring constant adaptation to the constraints of the intensive care environment (hygiene, asepsis, and infection prevention).

Based on your clinical assessment, you identify the needs of the child and their family, define individualized therapeutic objectives, and ensure the traceability of interventions in the patient file.

Using various means such as drawing, modeling, storytelling, music, puppets, or collage, you promote emotional expression, the development of the child's resources, and support for their hospitalization experience.

You accompany male and female patients, from infants to adolescents, facing anxiety, pain, invasive care, or the consequences of medical trauma, including when communication abilities are limited or absent.

With parents and siblings, you provide them with adapted support throughout the care pathway, particularly in palliative care, end-of-life, or bereavement contexts.

As part of interdisciplinary meetings and clinical handovers, you share your observations and contribute to the development of coordinated therapeutic responses.

You participate in the development of service projects related to the well-being of the hospitalized child, developmental care, and pediatric palliative care.

Management of materials and monitoring of the budget allocated to the activity are also part of your responsibilities.

With the healthcare teams, you promote the contribution of art therapy, share your expertise, and contribute to the development of this practice within the institution.

You participate in evaluation processes and research projects aimed at enriching knowledge and practices in hospital art therapy.

You hold a Bachelor HES in art therapy or a title deemed equivalent and recognized in Switzerland.

You also hold the Federal Diploma of art therapist or an equivalent title recognized in Switzerland, which represents an asset.

You have a minimum of five years of clinical practice in a hospital setting, ideally in pediatrics or acute care, with children, adolescents, and their families.

You demonstrate autonomy, creativity, and adaptability in the face of unforeseen events.

In compliance with professional secrecy, you know how to maintain the confidentiality of the information entrusted to you.

You possess very good emotional stability, demonstrate flexibility in your organization, and manage stress effectively.

• Start date: as soon as possible, no later than 01.01.2027
• Number of positions: 1
• Activity rate: 30%
• Job class: 15, 16 if federal diploma in addition
• Contract: 12-month fixed-term contract, renewable
• Application deadline: 19.11.2026
• Request for information: M. C. Clerc, Deputy HR, cedric.clerc@hug.ch (mailto:cedric.clerc@hug.ch)

Your application file must include a letter demonstrating your motivation, your curriculum vitae, copies of the diplomas and certificates required for the position, and the last 2 work certificates.

This announcement is addressed to women and men alike.

Wishing to commit to the fight against unemployment, the HUG encourage applications coming from the Office cantonal de l'emploi.

Only applications submitted via the recruitment platform will be considered. Paper and email applications will not be processed.

With more than 13,000 employees representing 160 professions, the Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève are a reference institution at national and international levels. To learn more about our institution, take a few minutes to consult our 2025 retrospective by clicking here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8kVMJchPR0).

The position is attached to the Département de la femme, de l'enfant et de l'adolescent (https://www.hug.ch/departement-femme-enfant-ado) whose mission is to offer quality care adapted to the needs of women at each stage of their lives, and to the health problems faced by newborns, children, and female and male adolescents from birth until the age of 16. It works on the development of cutting-edge services and specialized competence centers.

The pediatric and neonatal intensive care service takes charge of every newborn, infant, or child whose vital functions are threatened and who requires monitoring or a therapeutic procedure involving intensive medicine.