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(;') Child Guidance Centre.—The Senior Psychiatrist, Dr.
Helen Gillespie, reports as follows :—
Staffing.—During 1951 the average number of psychiatric
sessions worked was 7½ per week. Dr. Haffner resigned from the
Clinic in October, and since then only six sessions have been worked
each week.
There has also been a reduction in the number of sessions worked
by the Play Therapist from 5 to 4 per week, but we hope to increase
this to six during the next year.
Miss Russell, Psychiatric Social Worker, was badly missed during
the last three months of the year. We welcome her return and
are glad that she has made a good recovery from her illness.
Comments.—It will be seen from Table I that there has been
some increase in the number of cases referred. There has also been
a very striking increase in the number of cases closed during the
year—216 as against 127. This increased figure reflects the greater
amount of psychiatric time available as compared with last year.
With an increase of cases closed it has been possible to devote more
time to the diagnosis and treatment of new cases, which should bear
fruit in 1952.
Prophylactic work with pre-school children.—An important new
departure during the year has been the setting up of a clinic for
under-fives in connection with the Maternity and Child Welfare
Centre at West Avenue. This was made possible by the very
enlightened and co-operative attitude of Dr. H. K. Cowan (County
Medical Officer of Health) and Dr. A. T. W. Powell, who were keen
to see the far-reaching possibility in work of this kind for the
prevention of future emotional troubles in children and of the education
of young parents in their handling, which often has a good
effect also on the children of a family about whom we have not
been consulted. This is an aspect of child guidance work whose
importance is becoming increasingly recognised, and it is gratifying
that Walthamstow should be in the forefront of this very promising
new development.
The fact that one is able to deal with these problems on the
spot at the Maternity and Child Welfare Centre is very re-assuring
to the parents, who might feel disconcerted and discouraged if it
were suggested that their problems were of such magnitude as to
require reference to a Child Guidance Clinic. A considerable proportion
are, in fact, relatively simple cases which can be dealt with in
two or three interviews by suitable discussion with the mothers, who
are often ignorant of what is to be expected at the normal stages of
development. Beside these, however, there are also a number of
difficulties and severe problems not only in children but in the
mothers, some of which require intensive and prolonged treatment.