You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
An interesting retrospective of the child guidance movement in America is found in this book which contains the major papers of the late Dr. Allen, student of Adolf Meyer and founder of the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic and for thirty years its director. The papers published from 1929 to 1963 are divided into five sections: Historical Aspects in Child Psychiatry, Basic Principles, Clinical Application of Principles, Training, and The Relation of Child Psychiatry to Allied Fields.
The old problem of the roles of members of the guidance clinic team is discussed in papers written over many years. Dr. Allen points out that proper functioning of the psychologist, social worker, and psychiatrist in the clinic involves a differentiation of function rather than a blurring of these differences. Unfortunately, he does not clarify the differing roles in guidance clinic practice. The idea that the child is central and therefore 'in therapy' whereas the parent receives 'casework' is unconvincing. He states that social workers can be and are therapists, but only when they receive training beyond that in social work.
This volume is worth while for those interested in a historical account of a child guidance clinic and in the thoughts and concerns of a distinguished teacher and writer in child psychiatry.