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For example, a woman who, as a child, always felt her younger
brother was preferred to herself, may have difficulty when adult
in bringing up her own son, because though unaware of it, her
attitude to him is coloured by her early resentment of her
favoured sibling. As she becomes aware of this in the course of
her contact with the worker, she is able to see herself as a
person more clearly, and her handling of him will change. The
workers rule is to help the client to see for herself. If, in
this situation, advice was given, it would be easy for the
client to see the worker as just like her own mother, putting
the boy s interests first, so that her feelings of resentment
would be increased rather than diminished, rendering it impossible
for her to carry out the advice in the right spirit, if at
all.
The growing insight into the need for preventive mental
health has been clearly recognised by the medical profession
and psychiatric social workers, including ourselves, have started
to help other workers in the field to gain greater insight
into what we call family relationships. One of our contributions
has been the work with Health Visitors in regular groups where
actual cases which present definite mental health problems are
discussed. These group meetings are of an informal kind and not
only individual cases but general problems, to which Health
Visitors have even greater access in the community at large than
we do. are discussed. This kind of group work is extending
everywhere because it is now understood and accepted, that in all
field's of social work, to succeed in helping people it is essential
to be aware of underlying personality problems which may
affect their ability to accept and profit by the help offered.
The group discussions are a means by which workers in different
fields can discuss basic factors and gain deeper insight and
understanding of them.
One other contribution in this field is the two talks I have
been asked to give every year for the past few years at the
Dagenham training course for Health Visitors, where it is my
policy to let the students know in which way we work and how cooperation
between Health Visitors and Child Guidance clinic can
be achieved and maintained.
I am of course, still supervising and training students who
are doing their practical work in the Child Guidance Clinic, and
all seem to enjoy their work with us greatly. All have been
successful in gaining the Certificate. Perhaps I should add that
all students who are accepted for the Mental Health Course are
fully qualified Social Workers, who must have had several years
experience of social work in various fields.