Dream Doctors Project

The Dream Doctors are artists and actors with experience in theatre, clowning, pantomime, dance, and music. Through a year-long training program, they receive mentoring in issues involving the arts, medicine, and psychology. As expressive therapists and paraprofessional caregivers, the Dream Doctors use edutainment strategies to transform patients' and families' hospitalisation experience into something less traumatic and more pleasant. Dream Doctors' activity is designed to support and assist children's medical care, rehabilitation, and recovery processes through complete cooperation with the medical team.

To that end, Dream Doctors are integrated into the multidisciplinary medical staff of hospital wards. Reportedly, families, caretakers, medical staff, and administration cooperate fully with project. Through this symbiosis, an approach to patient care is developing at participating hospitals such that medical clowning is construed as an integral part of the treatment scheme. Each hospital deploys its set staff of Dream Doctors in wards and units according to its needs and priorities.

The Dream Doctors' work is documented daily on the project's website to promote cooperation, transparency, and professional knowledge. Hospitals make use of this information for review and evaluation purposes. Academic and clinical research on the Dream Doctors' work is encouraged so as to empirically evaluate benefits to patients. Also, organisers have created a BA programme in Clowning Therapy at Haifa University that is currently expanding into a Master of Arts (MA) programme.

Health, Children.