Private Therapeutic Clown Practice
of Camilla Gryski
THERAPEUTIC CLOWN SERVICES
Therapeutic Clown Services is the private therapeutic clown practice of Camilla Gryski, M.L.S., M.Ed.Camilla Gryski and her clown Flora are presently contracted by the Palliative and Bereavement Care Service at Toronto's SickKids to provide specialized therapeutic clown services to children with life-limiting illnesses and/or their families, both in the hospital and in the community. Camilla teaches, trains and mentors in the fields of therapeutic clowning and pediatric hospice palliative care, and frequently presents at conferences.
Therapeutic Clowning in Pediatric Palliative Care
The therapeutic clown working in pediatric hospice palliative care contributes to the holistic approach to care of the patient and the family outlined in the document Pediatric Hospice Palliative Care: Guiding Principles and Norms of Practice, published by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. The therapeutic clown works to enhance the quality of life for children and their families. Moments of play, gentle humour and just plain fun shared with a trusted clown companion can help to normalize a situation that is extraordinary, to relieve a child's or sibling's - symptoms of distress, and contribute to psychosocial care. For the child and the family, therapeutic clown visits offer a time away from the concerns of illness and help to create lasting memories.
In her role as the therapeutic clown with the Palliative and Bereavement Care Service at SickKids,
Camilla is responsible for contacting families to make appointments for home or hospital visits.
She attends weekly rounds, sharing her insights about patients and their families. She also writes
progress notes for patient charts. She teaches in the Pediatric Hospice Palliative Care course offered
to health care professionals by the PBCS and interacts, both as Camilla and Flora, with medical and
nursing students doing placements with the team.
Contact
cgryski@eol.cawww.floraclown.ca