Social Clowning Therapy for the Treatment of Traumatized Children in Residential Care Facilities for At-Risk Youth
2Children's Home, Emunah Achuzat Sarah
3Medical Clowning, Dream Doctors
Social Clowning or Therapeutic Clown Care for traumatized children in residential care, is an original and previously never tried, therapy method aimed at easing symptoms of PTSD and helping the children to cope with their painful reality. This is a therapeutic startup, developed and introduced at the Emunah Children`s Center in Afula and the Emunah Achuzat Sarah Children`s Home in Bnei Brak, almost 3 years ago. The program is run in cooperation with Dream Doctors, the primary provider of medical clowning in Israeli hospitals. For the first time in Israel (and perhaps the world over) the skills of medical clowns are used to help traumatized children in residential care. In hospitals, clowns help patients overcome their fears, to undergo painful procedures, calm family members and generally make people smile and feel better. Over four years we have discovered that application of the same principles used by the clowns in the hospitals, are extremely effective in the treatment of traumatized, anxious and hurting children who have been placed in residential care by social services. The social clowns returning a smile to the children`s faces and help improve their daily functioning. Through a combination of fun, non-judgmental and non-threatening therapy sessions with the children, the clowns, professionally trained and less likely to generate suspicion or anxiety, are able at least initially, to reach the children and interact on a deeper level, than more traditional therapists. Often they prepare the way for the children to enter a more traditional long-term therapy process. Through the art of play and humor, therapeutic clowns help children traumatized through a life of uncertainly, abuse and anger, to reduce fear and anxiety while increasing their strength and motivation to cope with emotional distress.
This workshop will present and demonstrate the efficacy of this innovative and unique treatment method.