CHILD GUIDANCE AND MENTAL HEALTH

Date: November 2, 2019Author: ACCREDITED FELLOW - PSYCHOTHERAPIST LONDON UK 1 Comment

Child guidance clinics were based on the idea that psychological problems began in childhood and intervening as early as possible was a good way to prevent future occurrence of mental illness. Because of this the child guidance movement was very influential in history of family therapy. Child guidance clinics initially treated children and parents separately, as the family was viewed simply as an extension of the child. However, it soon became clear that simply treating the child did not make the family’s problems go away. John Bowlby, a child guidance worker and renowned researcher in psychology, found that the child’s symptoms usually indicated the emotional distress within the family. Bowlby facilitated communication between parents and children within family therapy. Bowlby carried out research into maternal attachment. He found that children who had been separated from their mother early on in their life were more likely to experience emotional difficulties, such as, psychopathy, intellectual retardation and so on.