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This book is the result of a study of psychiatric social work undertaken under the auspices of the American Association of Psychiatric Social Workers aided by a grant from the Commonwealth Fund.
The study is comprehensive and a definite contribution to the field. The development of psychiatric social work as an integral part of the general mental hygiene program is traced from its forerunners and its first organized beginnings in a mental hospital (Boston Psychopathic Hospital) about 1912. The rôle played by the psychiatric social worker in the mental hospital and in the mental hygiene and child guidance clinics is discussed and there is a description of her activity extended to other areas, including the public health and educational agencies. The reader gets a clear picture of the underlying philosophy, methodology and the practical issues involved.
In formulating the trends in social treatment the author shows how the original concepts have inevitably led to the realization that modification of environment and the treatment of emotional problems are essentially inseparable and that the relationship between the social worker and client is the core of successful or unsuccessful treatment. The development of case work techniques to clarify and deal with this relationship and the influence of psychoanalysis in this connection are fully elaborated. As one reads the discussion of 'relationship therapy', 'passive technique' and 'attitude therapy' one cannot help wondering whether the social worker is still functioning within her field in engaging in such intensive types of personal therapy (some might even call it modified lay analysis). However,