An Orthopsychiatrically Oriented Program at Children’s Center, New York City: October 10, 1949 – July 31, 1956

Joan Lourdes Hall, Fordham University

Abstract

Background of the Study. The writer lived at Children's Center of the New York City Department of Welfare as a volunteer worker. Observation and participation in the program of the Center led to an interest that resulted in the present study. It was evident that certain characteristics of the institution and its program would lend themselves to research which would have particular meaning and interest to social workers. Since the writer has a special interest in the field of psychiatric social work, the program at the Center took an added meaning, since it represented an interesting application of psychiatric and social work techniques. Institutions for children have existed for many years, under different social and religious auspices, and the character of institutional living has been changing constantly. Because early institutions for children had to concern themselves with provisions for basic human needs, with a secondary or lesser attention to the personality of the children, psychiatric, psychological, and social work knowledge and techniques entered these institutions slowly. While there has been an awareness of the group as a dynamic entity, the specific elements of the group as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of individuals has been of recent origin both in psychiatry and social work.

Subject Area

Social work|Personality psychology|Mental health|Clinical psychology

Recommended Citation

Hall, Joan Lourdes, "An Orthopsychiatrically Oriented Program at Children’s Center, New York City: October 10, 1949 – July 31, 1956" (1957). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30725026.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30725026

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