Stephanie Barta, MA, CCLS (she/her) is a Certified Child Life Specialist with over 15 years of experience supporting children and families in high-acuity healthcare settings. She currently serves as the Desensitization Program Coordinator at Children’s Hospital Colorado, where she leads the development and implementation of interventions to increase coping, reduce distress, and improve access to care for children with complex medical, developmental, and behavioral needs.

Her clinical background includes pediatric outpatient care, including dental settings, where she provided psychosocial support to children and adolescents and educated pediatric dental residents and interdisciplinary teams on child development, coping, and behavior guidance. Stephanie also has experience in pediatric palliative care and international pediatric pain management initiatives, collaborating with global healthcare teams to advance procedural pain management and coping support for children. Her work focuses on improving healthcare experiences and expanding access to developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed care for children with medically complex needs.

She earned her Master of Arts in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Missouri and her Bachelor of Science in Child Life from the University of Iowa.