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84
CHILD GUIDANCE CLINIC.
1. No. of sessions attended by Dr. H. Bevan Jones during 1950 96
2. No. of sessions attended by Dr„ W„ H. Cralke during 1950 34
3. No. of cases under treatment on 1/1/50. 80
4. No. of cases referred for treatment during 1950. 136
5. Total number of new cases who received treatment in 1950. 133
6. No. of cases discharged or not requiring treatment, removals
etc. during the year 85
7. No. of cases under treatment on 31/12/50. 128
8. Total attendance of C. G. cases at sessions attended by
Psychiatrist 756
9. No. of cases seen by Psychologist 133
Attendances 551
10. No. of visits to schools by Psychologist 93
11. No. of sessions attended by Playtherapist 90
Attendances 298
The Child Guidance Clinic opened in 1950 with a full team, having
a Psychiatric. Social Worker on the staff for the first time since its transfer
from the Memorial Hospital. The full team therefore comprise Dr. Bevan
Jones (Psychiatrist - 2 sessions a week) Dr. Cralke (Psychiatrist - one
session a week) Mrs. Barker (Play-Therapist - 2 sessions a week) Miss Van
Gorder (Psychiatric Social Worker) and Mr. Wright (Educational Psychologist).
The work during the first half of the year reflected the usefulness
of the full team. The Psychiatric Social Worker made a valuable contribution
in diagnostic work, by support and help to parents, and by home visits,
particularly with cases tending to fail appointments and also those needing
follow-up work prior to closing. Unfortunately for the Clinic Miss Van
Gorder, married at midsummer and left to take up an appointment near her
husband's work in Oxford. The staff was further reduced when Dr. Cralke
resigned in October and a promising year finished with only two full
Psychiatric sessions weekly. The loss of the Psychiatric Social Worker
was severely felt, the more so as the value of the full team had begun to
make itself very evident.
In spite of these later handicaps the team were able to see as many
new cases as referrals. However discharges lagged behind referral rate so
that, the number of cases under treatment rose from 80 at the beginning of
the year to 128 at the end, thus diminishing the prospects for treatment of
new cases in 1951. This however, it was hoped, would be offset by the
appointment of a successor to Dr. Cralke.
The trend towards early referral continued during the year. In
this connection the clinic welcomed the visits of student Health Visitors
and the opportunity to tell them something about the work undertaken. Health
Visitors very obviously have a most Important function in the early
referral, and prevention, having access to the homes of pre-school children
and being In a position to assess the development of unfavourable attitudes
at a time when they are most easily adjusted and when such adjustments are
likely to have great effect. The Clinic looks forward to a future of close
co-operation with Health Visitors for In this co-operation lies the foundation
of much valuable preventative work.
Co-operation with the Speech Therapist has continued to be a
valued aspect of our work - the informal discussions made possible by the
sharing of the same premises were particularly useful.