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Full medical inspection is carried out once a year, by one of the School
Medical Officers, also a survey visit is made quarterly.
Child Guidance Clinic.—The Child Guidance Clinic was opened on
3rd January, 1949, at Loxford Hall, Loxford Lane, Ilford.
Dr. H. M. S. Davidson, the Consultant Psychiatrist, reports as follows:—
"This year has again seen many changes of staff. Mrs. Guttsman
left to take up an appointment nearer her home, and Miss Moffatt
took her place as Psychiatric Social Worker in April. Miss Reed
(Mrs. Allen) left at the end of July as her husband had a year's
appointment in New York, and we had a long gap when Miss Wicks
has been the only psychologist in the Clinic, but Miss Gascoigne has
been appointed and will come to us in February.
When our Child Psycho-Therapy sessions were increased to 11
sessions a week Miss Harries was appointed to take on the additional
sessions and came to us in February, and when Mrs. Henschel left
at the end of October Miss Bergen took her place, so that we now
have 2 highly trained Lay Psycho-Therapists to undertake most of the
treatment of children in the Clinic. There have been some changes
in the Psychiatric sessions: as owing to pressure of other work I had
to give up 2 sessions, and Dr. Vincenzi gave up 1, but Dr. Altschulova
took on 3 more so that the total number remained the same.
Our waiting list has again increased, partly because of a larger
number of referrals, especially in the last quarter, and partly because
of the smaller number of cases diagnosed, though more treatment has
been carried out. The smaller number diagnosed has depended on
several factors: Dr. Mtschulova was ill for several weeks in the Spring,
the long period with only one Psychologist, and some increase in the
number of cases who failed to turn up to complete the diagnostic
survey, and thereby waste a considerable amount of time. I would
like to stress here how important it is to make certain that the mother
is really willing to co-operate before the case is referred. Since the
majority of cases diagnosed will need weekly treatment it is necessary
to strike a balance between the number seen for diagnosis, and the
number we are capable of absorbing into treatment, since long delay
between the initial interview and the beginning of treatment has a
deleterious effect, so this again may at times influence the number of
whom we give diagnostic interviews.
We are still very short of room, but we hope to have the Annexe
adapted so as to provide a large room for groups. The monthly
Conference with the Barking Health Visitors, the Medical Officer of
Health, and the School Medical Officer of the child whose case we
discuss have continued throughout the year, and has again proved of
great value to all of us."
No. of cases referred to Clinic 201
No. of cases diagnosed at Clinic 122
Psychiatrists.
Diagnostic interviews 122
Cases taken on for treatment 113
Treatment interviews 688
Other interviews 50
No. of Psychiatric Sessions per week 9
Psychologists.
Clinic cases tested 109
Cases given remedial education 11
Treatment interviews (remedial education) 178
School visits on behalf of Clinic cases 95
Other interviews 25