Most of the therapeutic art programs upon which we model our work invest in research and ongoing training as essential elements in providing a professional service. We want to ensure that we provide artists that are qualified in both their artistic and relational approaches.

Professionalism

Our effectiveness depends greatly on how closely we work with health-care staff.  However, our research has shown that hospital staff usually perceive the clowns as volunteers or amateurs.  In light of the challenges faced by health-care workers, and their own ongoing training, levels of professionalism are constantly being reassessed, especially in the case of complementary services such as ours. For the sake of the patients who benefit from our services, we must ensure that our artists can meet those expectations. Thus, research and ongoing training are highly significant elements in maintaining high-quality, professional services.

Artistic training

All of our artists receive training from our artistic director, Francine Côté, a clowning trainer of international repute.  She works with the artists to develop the strength of their clown character, rhythm, teamwork with their partner, improvisation, and scripting, all within the framework of hospital visits.  She observes the artists in action on a regular basis so that she can guide them in the different work environments that they have to deal with.  Francine gives regular training sessions for professional and amateur artists.  For further information on the subject, please download PDF.

Psychosocial training

Our psychosocial director, Florence Vinit, PhD, is a social psychologist, and is in charge of the psychosocial training for our artists.  All artists are introduced to the particular aspects of work in the health-care environment, including hygiene, confidentiality, and respect for patients, as well as the various characteristics of the many departments that we visit.  Florence helps to build a relationship between the artists and the health-care staff.

Support and ongoing training

Every month, our artists continue their training in artistic and interpersonal skills.  This helps them to vary the elements of their visits so that patients who receive our services on a regular, long-term basis, and the staff who look after them, don’t get bored with the program.  It also ensures that our methods are appropriate for the very varied clientele that we visit (babies, children, teenagers, adults, seniors, the psychologically disturbed, etc.).  To help us in this respect, we sometimes ask resource people to put us in touch with appropriate clientele.

Our artists also receive monthly sessions of personal and group support to protect their own emotional balance and foster their interpersonal skills.

Regular meetings with peers help us to stay informed about their work and about recent developments in the field.  (See associations and conferences and lectures.)

For further information: psychosocial@drclown.ca

conferences <   top   > research