The Little Theatre Creates Center For Creative Therapy At Children's Government Hospital, Egmore

Currently in India, there is no centre/ hospital that treats patients with modern medicine (allopathy) and creative therapy (Creative therapy refers to a group of techniques that are expressive and creative in nature. The aim of creative therapies is to help clients find a form of expression beyond words or traditional therapy, such as cognitive or psychotherapy)

The Children's Government Hospital in Egmore - Asia's largest children's hospital in collaboration with The Little Theatre, Chennai - India's number one not for profit children's theatre Company, is all set to bring Arts and Healthcare under one roof. Bringing together the forward thinking vision of the Director of ICH Dr A T Arasar Seeralar and the brainchild of the Managing Trustee of The Little Theatre Mrs Aysha Rau: A Studio for Creative Therapy. An MoU was signed in October 2018 to build an in-house studio within the Hospital to provide Creative Therapy workshops for children from the palliative care ward and for children undergoing chemotherapy for cancer from the cancer ward.

The Little Theatre along with the Children's Government Hospital, Egmore, Chennai will open India's first cEnter for Creative Therapy and Hospital Clowning. This Studio is the first of its kind in India. Long stays in hospitals can lead to a number of negative emotions: stress, anxiety, loss of control, feelings of helplessness. This has a huge impact on the patient and the family who accompany them. With this Center, we hope to bring Arts and Healthcare under one roof. There are 42 Arts therapists all ready to come on board to support this project at ICH. Therapists in Dance / Music / Drama / Art to name a few to aid in the treatment and mental health of the patient and family.

It will be primarily focused on children undergoing cancer therapy as they spend a lot of time in the hospital. It will run as a workshop format initially with volunteers who will take sessions once or twice a week at the studio for small groups. We hope to hold regular sessions in the future and to involve as many patients and family members as possible.

Hospital Clowning is in its 4th year in Chennai with The Little Theatre Hospital Clowning project. This is the first Hospital Clowning Troupe with 13 certified Hospital Clowns. They visit the Government Children's Hospital once a week.

"Mental health has been neglected for far too long. It is wrong to think that being in a hospital is a normal way of life and has no effect on our mental health. Ground reality is with all the negative emotions, stress, anxiety, loss of control, helpless feelings involved, it has a huge impact on the patients and their family who accompany them. It augurs well for the patients if Hospital Clowns and Arts Therapists are able to take care of the mental health of patients without giving additional medication. This will have a huge positive impact during treatment. This is one way to help doctors and nurses who are already understaffed and overworked." Says Aysha Rau

"With this Studio we aim to develop new ways/ tools to better our practice by having training sessions with the core team. Hospital Clowning needs to integrate with the medical facility to see its true potential. (Assisting invasive procedures, sedation during imaging and more) We will also be holding certificate programs to train new Hospital Clowns to expand the troupe and benefit more children in hospitals." Says Dr Rohini Rau

The Health Minister of Tamil Nadu is all set to inaugurate the studio within the hospital premises on 31st May 2019 along with the ICH & Children's Hospital Director Dr A T Arasar Seeralar.

The studio has been built in record time. All civil and electrical work was efficiently done by the PWD department. All the extra facilities have been sponsored by corporates in kind through The Little Theatre.

Saint Gobain have built the partition wall and installed the mirrors and whiteboards.

Hitachi's Johnson Controls through their dealer Weather Controls sponsored the air-conditioning.

Nippon Paints sponsored the special paints which are specially made for hospitals. Bacteria fighting, non poisonous, no smell, safe, top class paints which are specially created for use in hospitals

Saravana Building Products sponsored Koemmerling German UPVC windows.

Maruthi Power Control Systems sponsored the CCTV Camera systems

A well-wisher underwrote 66% of the cost of German wooden floor tiles.

With the help of sponsors The Little Theatre was able to underwrite 16 lakhs of the cost towards building this world Class studio for the patients of the Children's Government Hospital in Egmore.

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