Karen Ford & Leigh Tesch - One The Journey: Encounters with Clown Doctors and Impacts for Children's Families & Staff

On the journey - encounters with clown doctors and impacts for

children, familiesand staffKaren Ford Leigh Tesch

Helen Courtney-Pratt

Ethics Approval Number H11658

Child: I like the clowns because whenever they come they make me laugh because they’re funny

K: How did you feel today… Before the clowns came?

Child: Ahh, a little bit sore, and bored. And they came K: How did you feel when they came?

Child: Happy

The encounter – moments of fun, magic & transformation

We had fun (with) Dr ..... (child)

cheer me up…made me happier than what I was (child)

the visit ‘perked up’, ‘sparked up’ and ‘light up’ the children (parents and staff )

The encounter - moments of fun, magic & transformation

The encounter - moments of fun, magic & transformation

When you see your child smile that makes you smile as well (parent)

...you can never be too old for them. We all laugh as much as the children (parent)

The encounter – moments of fun, magic & transformation

… you’re really just engaging in a magical world… I mean, they’re in hospital, they want just something that’s going to take them away from their circumstances rather than in any way address it… (clown doctor)

Well, last time they were here Dr ......, he danced with the curtain. He didn’t think it was a curtain...He thought it was a ballerina (child)

The encounter – the child is centre stage

She thought I was famous! (child)

He [the child] was so playing the top dog… making me subservient (clown doctor)

Child: They got a little bit of paper. Put some water in it. Tipped it on me. ....

Dad: It was an accident. It was a bag, and it had drops of water .....

K: Oh no. What did you think?Child: Good. .....It was funny

The encounter

Making mistakes is one of the essences of clowning… you create a problem, make a mistake, and quite often that’s the funny thing for the kid (clown doctor)

Observation of the clown doctors ineptly donning gown and gloves in their interaction with a young child in protective isolation

The encounter – transforming the hospital environment

The encounter – matching the play/sensitivity

…people think you’ve got to have that sort of uproarious laughter and response, which is not necessarily what you’re trying to do (clown doctor)

... to go in and just make a little connection. .. … just ten seconds of magic in the room… just this moment I want to share, just a quiet thing, we can just watch them[the bubbles] fall down (clown doctor)

The encounter – matching the play/sensitivity

…there was a teenage burns victim…in theory we don’t address it but he was really happy and out there, and we started singing “burning ring of fire”, and I was jumping out of the flames with the nurse. So, in a sense sometimes you address it full on (clown doctor)

If she can hear…we can sing to her, we can be naughty, we can be silly (clown doctor)

The encounter – matching the play/sensitivity

Sometimes they’re dangerous! (child)

I really love those risks in the work. I think that the greatest joy and magic comes from the risks. And it is a matter of trusting each other to go with the offer and support the kids through that journey (clown doctor)

...just laying back and watching TV …. But she heard them playing the guitars down the corridor and was very excited (parent)

You see kids hanging out their room…anticipating (staff)

Beyond the encounter - anticipation

Beyond the encounter - ongoing effects

... it’s easy to think it’s all about when you’re there. But a lot of it’s about when you’ve left. If the atmosphere in the room has changed, it makes a big difference…it’s fantastic. And the families can start reacting differently and …the nursing staff. If she’s [a nurse] more relaxed then it flows through the whole place (clown doctor)

There lots of gorgeous photos of kids with the clown doctors. And the smiley mouths on the stick.. So they can use that you know when they're feeling down. They’re great. .... They really treasure those, the kids , they pin them up on the walls (nurse)

Beyond the encounter - ongoing effects

Beyond the encounter – ongoing effects

K: How are you feeling now?Child : I’ve got the gigglesK: You’ve got the giggles? Because why?Child: Because of the doctors, the clown doctorsK: Are you thinking about what they did?Child: Yeah

Beyond the encounter

....it can create a topic of conversation with parents, if they're anxious or stressed and your finding it difficult to communicate with them ....so I think it can create some kind of talking point where its not about the child, its not about the illness. Its about something positive (staff)

Beyond the encounter

Child: I’m not saying anythingK: That’s alright

Child: that’s me in the middle. [looking at photograph]...and they was joining up with me and ......And can I? [child runs out and back into room and does star jump]

..I have also actually had them help me get rapport with a kid. A kid I've been struggling with all day......they brought me in with the joke and the rapport with that kid was actually better after that (nurse)

it helped me...learn how to engage with children, because I’d never had anything to do with children (nurse)

Beyond the encounter – staff modelling

Beyond the encounter – staff modelling

I’ve seen one child that’s curled up and doesn't want anything to do with anybody. They’re able to engage the child and ... the child is smiling. ..... It’s just like... ‘Oh yes, I forgot about the child!’ .... They’ve reminded you that you can do it in a different way. Draw them out ... And its not so bad for them (staff)

Beyond the encounter – clown doctors

it’s been really good for us, to just reflect a bit more deeply... it makes one just think about things a bit more, in a slightly different way (clown doctor)

Thank Youto the children and families who participated in the

research and the children who provided the drawings.

Clown Doctors™ is the core program of The Humour FoundationPhotographs of the Hobart clown doctors in Hospitals are by Matt Thompson.