Discover the 7th programme of the Foundation «Planet of Dreams»
How do I become a Giggle Doctor?
A training by the Theodora Foundation
The Theodora Foundation regularly recruits professional artists and trains them as Giggle Doctors. Once they have completed their training, the candidates officially qualify as Junior Giggle Doctors and are given a job at the Theodora Foundation. They go once a week into hospitals and specialist care centres that the Theodora Foundation partners with.
To bring laughter and joy to children in a professional manner
The aim of the training is for every Theodora Foundation Giggle Doctor to be able to provide joy, laughter and valuable support – be this to the children, their families or the staff – in the institutions that they visit and to do so extremely professionally and with a great deal of flair and tact.The qualification raises the artists’ awareness both of what goes on inside the hospital and of what the children and their families are going through in difficult circumstances.
This training course was a journey rich in encounters, with everyone contributing and sharing their experiences, skills and world, thus enabling us to develop our own path towards this incredible activity.
CAS GiD – The Certificate of Advanced Studies in the Art of Giggle Doctoring
The training is being given official recognition for the first time in 2024 via the internationally accredited Certificate of Advanced Studies in the Art of Giggle Doctoring (CAS GiD). The training is delivered in close partnership with the Accademia Dimitri and the La Source Institute and School of Nursing.
The certificate is worth 12 ECTS credits and acknowledges advanced studies in the field of performing arts in healthcare. The Theodora Foundation developed this CAS together with the Accademia Dimitri in Ticino specifically for new Giggle Doctors working for the Foundation. The chosen candidates will already have had thorough training in performance. The CAS gives them a specific grounding in the art of Giggle Doctoring, consolidates their knowledge in this field and teaches them to apply the transformative power of the performing arts in a healthcare setting.
The qualification covers the following topics:
- Performance techniques, improvisation, playing with the room
- Establishing a relationship with the audience, emotional humour, dealing with emotions
- Hygiene regulations, wards and processes in the institutions visited
- Child psychology and development; what works at what age?
- Psychology and development of children with disabilities
- Illnesses and how children cope with death and pain
- Working together with staff at the hospitals and specialist care centres
- Visits and playing solo, in pairs or in a small group
- The Theodora Foundation (values, philosophy, administration and cooperation with the various wards)
Dr X – The creation of a new Giggle Doctor
Creating the Giggle Doctor is a key stage in the training process, the aim being to define a role in which the performers recognize every aspect of themselves. Once they have completed this step, the learners will be able to finesse their own idea of what a Giggle Doctor should be and craft their own costume, which is based on the traditional white coat that doctors wear. This costume plays a big role in the interaction that goes on in a hospital environment and serves as a clear visual means of distinguishing the Giggle Doctors from care staff.
Participants from all over the Theodora world
Besides performers from Switzerland, the CAS also attracts participants from other countries where the Theodora Foundation works. Topics such as working in a hospital setting are covered in the respective countries; in Switzerland, this knowledge is taught in partnership with the La Source Institute and School of Nursing. The performance element is an international module based at the Accademia Dimitri, which is attended by all trainee Giggle Doctors.