For Sarah Pitman, a Pulmonology, Sleep Clinic and Transitional Care Unit (TCU) social worker, the role is defined by a commitment to long-term relationship building, acting as a steady presence for families navigating the often-overwhelming intersections of healthcare and systemic barriers.

While doctors treat the symptoms, Pitman and the Cook Children’s Social Services team treat the environment, ensuring that when a child like 6-year-old Sir Mack leaves the clinic, he has a safe, stable place to recover.

Cook Children’s Social Services

Cook Children’s social workers have specialized training to assist families in times of physical, emotional and financial stress and are well informed about available resources. There are social workers assigned to each inpatient floor, emergency department and the on-campus Specialty Clinics.

Examples of things social workers can help families with include:

• Meeting with a family and determine if there are resources available for them.
• Offering emotional support, counseling, and problem-solving strategies.
• Assisting with discharge planning, which includes coordinating the necessary support services for a child to safely return home.
• Helping the medical center, clinic and other community agencies work as a team with patient families.

More Than a Resource: A Partnership

The impact of this work is best seen through the lens of families like Chasity Nowlin’s.

When Nowlin brought Sir Mack in for a pulmonology appointment, the medical team recognized that his asthma triggers weren't just medical - they were environmental. A failing air conditioner in their apartment was compromising his health, and the paperwork to fix it was stalled in a bureaucratic loop.

That was the moment Pitman stepped in. By providing the support and professional advocacy Nowlin needed, Pitman helped move the needle on a housing situation that was rapidly spiraling toward homelessness.

“I didn’t know I needed a social worker and I’m so glad I decided to reach out,” Nowlin said. “Sarah always understands the seriousness of my situations and provides help however I need.”

The Impact of Everyday Support

In Social Services, success isn't always measured in grand gestures; often, it’s found in the timely resolution of a crisis that would otherwise derail a family's progress. For Nowlin, it’s a gas card and a the retail voucher that allowed her to replace a dead car battery just days before Christmas.

For Nowlin - who manages her own health challenges while caring for Sir Mack without a traditional family safety net – this everyday support is the difference between stability and chaos.

“I’m so thankful for Sarah,” Nowlin said. “Because of my health challenges, I haven’t been able to work since Sir Mack was born, and she has made such a difference in our lives. I don’t have parents or other family who are there for me and have been homeless before. To have Sarah at my side means the world to me.”

By empowering parents to advocate for their children, Pitman and her colleagues embody Cook Children’s commitment to every child in its care. They aren't just helpers; they are professional advocates who ensure that no family has to face the complexities of a medical journey alone.

Reaching Out for Help

If you or someone you know needs help stabilizing a family’s life during times of physical, emotional or financial stress, contact the clinic where you are currently receiving care or call Cook Children’s operator: 682-885-4000.

Before discussing the impact, Dr. Greenhaw explains that social media consists of internet-based platforms and applications that enable users to create personal profiles, post content, and interact with user-generated content, as well as to form and maintain online social networks and communities.

 Dr. Greenhaw emphasizes the importance of parental involvement.

“The platforms most used by children and adolescents in the United States are TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat, with Twitch, Discord, Pinterest, Reddit, and WhatsApp also playing significant roles in specific subgroups,” said Dr. Greenhaw.

 According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, children ages 8 to 18 in the United States spent an average of 7.5 hours a day using screens in 2025.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Roblox

Two areas not always categorized as social media include AI chatbots and Roblox.

Roblox: While primarily a video game, it features elements of social media, such as personal profiles, avatars and the ability to chat with strangers during gameplay.

The platform is incredibly popular and includes many red flags for potential harm, including its engagement-prolonging design, behavioral reinforcers and major concerns for privacy.

“It carries many of the same risks as social media,” said Dr. Greenhaw.

Artificial Intelligence: Web-based tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are creating "parasocial" interactions, where children and teenagers may begin to view AI chatbots as friends or confidantes.

“Given the difficulty of traditional measures to monitor children’s use of this technology, open communication is key for detecting problematic or potentially harmful use,” said Dr. Greenhaw.

Generally, parents want to be informed about their children’s internet use. Creating an open space for frequent communication increases awareness of how children are spending their time online. If a parent is not first aware, they cannot intervene.

"Social media use may lead to worsening mental health outcomes if it includes exposure to cyberbullying, harmful content, algorithmic feeds or engagement-prolonging design," said Dr. Greenhaw.

 For Younger Children

• Emotional Regulation: Children can develop a stunted ability to manage their emotions if they rely too heavily on digital platforms for stimulation or distraction.

 For Adolescents

• Mental Health: Teens with higher baseline depressive symptoms may increase social media use over time, which can lead to negative social comparisons.
• Body Image: Appearance-focused platforms like Instagram and TikTok have a significant impact on how adolescents view their bodies.

 Healthy Digital Habits

• Create a Family Media Plan: Establish screen-free times for the entire family and set clear boundaries.
• Select High-Quality Content: Prioritize content that models social-emotional skills or tailored learning goals, such as math or reading.
• Set Intentional Limits: Be deliberate about when your child receives their first personal device.
• Protect Sleep: Ensure devices are put away well before bedtime to prevent interference with rest.

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We know these familiar names from Sesame Street like they are family members. Maybe, because they all had a hand in raising most of us.

But now a new character has brought excitement from families of children with disabilities and health care professionals alike.

Julia is an orange-haired girl with autism, who is a friend of Elmo’s. The new character will help children get a glimpse of the life of a child with autism and explain why she gets upset over loud noises or memorizes the words to so many songs.

“I think this is really great,” said Barbi Beard-Wolfe, the Parents as Partners coordinator at Cook Children’s. “Introducing Julia to kids at an early age teaches children different approaches to ways of life, interaction with others and that people with disabilities are more alike than different. People who have autism or other challenges have value and can have a meaningful life like typically developing people.”

Beard-Wolfe believes by including Julia as a character, Sesame Street is teaching children how to have social interaction with others and hopefully prevent stereotypes.

“Hopefully, by kids growing up with this character, they will think a child with autism or another disability is OK instead of weird and they will learn to enjoy and see the value in their differences.”

Beard-Wolfe has a child with Down syndrome and is happy that kids may learn "more alike than different approach.”

Denise Coover , a clinical social worker with the Psychology department at Cook Children’s, believes Sesame Street may help not only children, but adults learn more about children who have been diagnosed with a Autism Spectrum Disorder.

“Sesame Street has done a spectacular job celebrating children who have this diagnosis as special, unique and wanting the same things as children who are developing in a typical manner. I read that Sesame Street chose Julia to be a girl, rather than a boy to bring to light that although the disorder occurs more frequently in boys, girls can also have the disorder,” Coover said. “Showing other children how to have empathy and to recognize that children on the spectrum see the world in the most amazing way. They will teach you to find joy in things in ways you would have never imagined. One of my favorite things about children on the spectrum is that they really are present in the moment, not in the past and not in the future – they live right in the here and now. “

Coover believes Sesame Street could help children to recognize all the unique and fun experiences they will have when they befriend a child on the spectrum, as well as offer insight into hand flapping and other behaviors that may be difficult for children to decipher and note that we all have things we do that make us stand out.

Some children jump when excited, some run in circles and some flap their hands. Who is to say that there is one acceptable way of showing excitement? Sesame Street offers different videos to watch, including an e-book. Coover says it would be beneficial to view for children in many settings, like day cares, mother day out programs, preschools, etc. It also offers support to parents on interacting with other parents who have children with an autism diagnosis, as some parents are uncertain about how to support another parent.

“A unique offering is the view of the sibling who happens to have a family member who has autism,” Coover said. “It offers a perspective that I think is sometimes overlooked. Siblings play such an important role in any family, but when a child is diagnosed with Autism, the sibling is put into a position that can feel very lonely and full of adult responsibilities and worry. Sesame Street has offered normalization to a sibling experience that is both encouraging and supportive.”

*Images courtesy of Sesame Workshop

We have all read books on taking care of ourselves but if you are like me you think that the person who wrote these have no idea what your life is like. Well, I have read some of the latest and greatest coping mechanisms on how to get through this busy season and I can tell you some are pretty farfetched. But one of the most important things I read asked me to look at the holidays through the eyes of a child. Imagine when you were young and the excitement that you felt during this time of year. I wanted to share some of my thoughts on how to accomplish this.

1. Be realistic. Not everything has to be perfect. The memories we want our children to remember are the fun times, not that everything had to be perfect because relatives/friends were coming over. I remember when my parents were coming to visit I cleaned my house from top to bottom. I spent several days making sure everything was spotless and stressed out if things got out of place before they arrived. To tell you the truth my house was never really dirty…it was my issue not theirs. Now that I am older and wiser I would have done things differently.

2. Remember, things don’t have to be the same every year. If in the past few years you spent three days baking because this is “what your mother did,” or because everyone likes your cookies, it’s time to make a change. Think about what cookies people like the most and focus on only one of two different kinds. This is easier than making 10 different batches, and spending days in the kitchen. I was never a baker but I did try every year to bake sugar cookies. This was a fun time for me and my boys. I remember rolling out the dough and them cutting out shapes to put on the cookie sheet. I got smart later and bought store bought dough and icing. We still had as much fun making our cookies as we did making them by scratch.

3. Then there’s holiday shopping. If the thought of fighting traffic and standing in long lines stress you out, remember that the longer you put this off the worse the situation is going to get in the stores. Try to shop early next year, if you can, and maybe go late at night or early in the morning. Most stores have extended hours, but please be careful if you are going out by yourself. Also for next year, some stores now have layaway so even if you can’t afford to purchase all the gifts, you can put them on layaway and get them out closer to Christmas Day. I would put the kids to bed; kiss my husband good bye and head to the store with my good friend. We had so much fun out late at night by ourselves and didn’t have to fight the weekend shopping rush.

4. Please enjoy the season. When you are working at home, play a holiday CD and sing along with it. I remember as a young child my mom playing “I saw mama kissing Santa Clause” and her singing along with it. To this day if I hear this song those childhood memories come flooding back.

5. Decorating our homes can also cause us added stress. Think about what is important to the family, what has always been the family tradition and pick one day and get it done. I always tried to make this a fun time for my family when my boys were young and I hope they have good memories of us putting up the tree. Our tree was never perfect, but it was decorated with love each year.

6. One of the most important things to remember is to take some time for you. We are generally so rushed during the month of December we tend to forget about ourselves and spend all our time and energy focusing on everyone else. One of my favorite things to do during this time of year is to read a Christmas romance novel. These generally are less than 100 pages long and are just “feel good” books. I love to grab a blanket, my book, and a hot cup of coco and lose myself for a few hours. I love a good Christmas romance novel. Just makes me feel good.

7. Now, all that grocery shopping. I am not one who generally makes a list, but this time a year I try to do this. I hate to forget something and have to go back. This takes some planning and thinking ahead. Again, most stores have extended hours and this may be a good time to hit the grocery stores. Preparing for our holiday dinners has always been a stressful time for me. I don’t like to grocery shop, and I get disturbed at the prices of some items. I am a very frugal person so I don’t mind buying the store brand. Most of the times these products work well and nine times out of 10 no one know’s the difference.

8. Now what about holiday cards? This is one area that I am not very good at. I love to get cards from family and friends, but generally find myself writing my cards and not mailing them, or putting it off to the last minute and then it’s too late to get them in the mail. My sisters all write Christmas letters. I generally can’t remember what I did yesterday let alone for the past year. One suggestion that I read is to purchase the cards as soon as they show up in the stores…for me this would be when I need to purchase stamps too. Start by attaching your return address sticker to the cards, and place stamps on them. Now when you have a few minutes address and sign a few cards at a time. You might not want to seal the cards until later. This way you can go back and jot a note if you want to. If you run out of time you just seal the cards and get them in the mail.

9. Now for the hard stuff. Don’t let the holidays become an excuse for you to overeat. I know that when I overdo it I tend to be unhappy with myself, and find that this habit only adds to my stress. Try to remember to get plenty of exercise and drink plenty of water. If you know you are going to a holiday party, try to eat a healthy snack before you arrive, this way you won’t overeat after you get to the party.

10. My final suggestion is to just have fun. Remember our kids are only young once and the memories we are making today will stay with them always. Please take time and enjoy your family and the holiday activities. Don’t let the outside demands take away your holiday spirit. Readjusting our thinking and taking time for ourselves and families can help you have a less stressful holiday season.

About the author

Allyn Cary is the manager of Social Work. The social worker’s focus is on the family. They work with doctors, nurses and other hospital staff to make sure the patient's and family’s needs and concerns are addressed so that the child’s ongoing health care needs are met. Social Workers have specialized training to assist families in times of physical, emotional, and financial stress. They are well informed about available resources in the community so they can support families in need.