Caterpillar
Child Life
Helping transgender and gender-expansive children grow and shine as they explore gender. Adrianna Ortega is a certified Child Life Specialist who supports families by providing parent coaching, parent support groups, children’s therapeutic play groups, quarterly family socials, and by sharing community, national, and personal resources.
Meet Adrianna
Certified Child Life Specialist
Hello! I have been a Child Life Specialist since January 2007. As a child life specialist it has been my job to help children and families cope with challenging life situations. My work began at Dell Children's Medical Center supporting children in the dialysis unit and emergency department. I then began working at Wonders & Worries supporting children whose parents have a chronic or serious illness such as cancer. Through my experiences at DCMC and Wonders & Worries I have learned so much from my colleagues and the children and families that I have served. With every passing year, and every unique family, my passion for supporting children through difficult life situations continues growing and I feel so fortunate to have a career that I truly love.
I also have two children that have influenced me over the years. Today I know that one of my children is cisgender and one is transgender. As a parent of a transgender child, I have walked through many challenging situations and searched endlessly for resources to support my child and family. My hope is that I can share some of my experiences and knowledge with other parents, other professionals, and young children who are trying to discover their own gender identities.
In addition to my passion for supporting children and families, I also love nature, yoga, and creating art. My family loves exploring, hiking, and camping, and we dream of one day starting a summer camp for transgender and gender expansive children.
Welcome to Caterpillar Child Life!
What I Specialize In
Educating families about gender identity and coping skills
Providing a safe space for children to explore their gender identity with their peers
Coaching Parents as they support their transgender and gender-creative children
Connecting families to personal, local, and national resources
Connecting Child Life Specialists and other Professionals to resources
Parent Testimonials
"Caterpillar Child Life's monthly playgroup has been a great place for my 8 year old to meet other kids that are going through the same challenges. I have no doubt that it has helped her cope and the friendships that she has created in the group are priceless."
-Mother of a transgender child
"Caterpillar Child Life has provided our child with a safe and therapeutic venue to navigate their gender identity. The Peer-led Parent Support Group has been an immense help for my spouse and I to discuss successes, struggles, and parent resources. This group has helped to normalize our family's experience, and is a constant reminder of how strong and resilient our children are."
-Father of a transgender child
“I like that we do cool activities and fun games. The playgroup makes me feel happy because I get to do fun stuff with my friends like painting Pride rocks.”
- 9 Year old transgender girl