William Healy, M.D., Father of the American Child Guidance Movement
Abstract
William Healy (1869-1963) has been considered a significant leader in the early organization of the American child guidance movement. this biographical study is centered on his development as a physician and psychiatrist, and the manner in which this related to the sociocultural milieu of his times. It examines the evidence for his centrality in a number of professional developments which were part of or related to the child guidance movement of 1909-1944. Healy's role as author, teacher, and practitioner in the fields of delinquency research, mental testing, use of the case study method, organization of child guidance clinics, and the training of child psychiatrists, child psychologists, and psychiatric social workers is evaluated. Healy's own books and articles, selected correspondence, books written about him, and an oral history recorded in 1960 are the major sources of information. The evidence strongly supports the thesis that Healy was the father of the American child guidance movement, itself the precursor of American child psychiatry.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA107972
Entities
People
- Grant H. Wagner
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology