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Citation |
Levine M, Levine A. J. Soc. Iss. 1970; 26(3): 19-34. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 1970, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Publisher John Wiley and Sons) |
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DOI |
unavailable |
PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
The privately supported, community child guidance clinic originated in 1921 as part of a program to prevent delinquency. Then as now, juvenile delinquency was viewed as a problem among the poor. The child guidance clinic was meant to encourage and assist other child welfare agencies and institutions to develop a mental hygiene outlook toward their charges, thereby improving their services and eliminating a cause of delinquency. Within ten years, the clinics focused on in-clinic, psychoanalytically oriented therapeutic treatment, almost exclusively. There was a concomitant shift from lower class to middle class clientele, and from difficult problems to easier problems. The social forces making for the change in purpose and orientation include the conservative political milieu of the 1920s, changing social class backgrounds of social workers, and the professionalization of social work. Based on the historical study, comments on the future direction of changes in services are offered. |