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CHILD GUIDANCE SERVICE.
The Directors of the Child Guidance Clinics, Dr. Robin Higgins, M.A., M.B.,
B.Chir., D.P.M., and Dr. Agnes Main, M.B., B.S., report as follows: —
Dr. Robin Higgins —
The main brunt of the work in the Child Guidance Clinic at Richmond has
followed the familiar pattern: namely the detection, assessment and where possible
resolution, of the more acute and overt tensions affecting primarily school-age children.
In this sense we have continued to function as a psychological first-aid post, analysing
where possible personal and habitual ploys that have strained a family or individual to
breaking point, and advising on more immediate moves which can sometimes be taken
to forestall such breakdowns or to minimise their effects when they have occurred.
In addition, we are seeking to lay increasing emphasis on ways of building up
psychological resilience among a wider section of the child population. Painting and
play groups made up of a mixture of children with very varying degrees of disturbance
represent one mode of this preventive work. Here under supervision children are given
opportunities of discovering for themselves perspectives, talents and achievements they
never believed they were capable of. We are at present exploring ways of combining
groups with more orthodox individual treatment and already the results are promising.
When the time permits we propose to extend these opportunities suitably adjusted to
the pre-school child and the adolescent.
Dr. Agnes Main —
From the medical point of view the work of the Twickenham Child Guidance
Clinic has continued more-or-less unchanged within the new London Borough of Richmond
upon Thames. However, we have noticed an increase in the number of referrals
in more recent months and we have been aware for some time that the severity of
disturbance in some children seems to be of a higher degree than in the past.
During the year we have been trying to extend the work of the Clinic to provide
a service for disturbed infants and toddlers by way of regular visits on the part of one
psychiatric social worker to the Maternity and Child Welfare Clinic at Whitton with
visits of the psychiatrist from time to time. We would very much like to be able to
extend this work still further, believing that if we are to provide a service in preventive
medicine, this is where the work of the Child Guidance Clinic should start but owing
to the shortage of sessions available to the psychiatric social workers, psychotherapist,
and psychiatrist, it is almost impossible at the present time to contemplate working along
these lines.
Oldfield House Day School for Maladjusted Children is of enormous help and
benefit to those children who both require this form of special education and are lucky
enough to have had it provided for them by the Borough. Co-operation between the
School staff and the Clinic is high and is maintained by monthly conferences and regular
visits of the psychiatrist to the school.
Since April last we have been fortunate in opening a small Unit for severely disturbed
children at Athelstan House, Hampton where we hope, not only to be able to
help these children but to learn something from them which will contribute to the
wider field of work with these so severely handicapped pupils. Weekly visits are made
to the Unit by the psychiatrist and regular contact with the parents of these children
is maintained.
We have had visits from paediatricians undertaking the D.C.H. Course and from
overseas psychiatrists: Dr. Issroff from the Psychiatric Department of West Middlesex
Hospital has also frequently attended our weekly Case Conference.
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