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The Clinic is still badly in need of extra psychiatric and psychotherapeutic help
which, in spite of the enlarged school population has only marginally increased in 25
years. We are fortunate indeed in having the continued service of two psychotherapists
who together provide the minimum number of sessions necessary to cope with our present
waiting list, together with one full-time psychiatric social worker, one sessional psychiatric
social worker and the clerical assistance for the work of a busy Clinic.
It has now become a regular feature of the Clinic that we are included in the training
programme for mature post graduate students attending Courses in the Education
of Handicapped Children at London University Institute of Education and the Maria
Grey College, Isleworth. A limited amount of supervision is given to each student, as
time allows, and although we are not primarily educationalists this work has, nevertheless,
enabled us to provide some help and support for the increasing numbers of children being
referred with associated behaviour and learning problems.
With the larger number of pupils at the Oldfield Schools for Maladjusted Children
there has been a continued regular interchange of visits and case conferences aimed at a
better understanding of the problems of the children attending there and in dealing
with them.
Regular visits also continue to be made to Athelstan House Unit for Autistic Children
which continues to provide care and education for the most severely handicapped
children in the Borough.
Our psychiatric social workers continue to attend various Infant Welfare Clinics
for talks with mothers concerning problems with very young children. This is particularly
helpful since it is in the best interests of preventive medicine.