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Early Clinical Psychology: Lightner Witmer, The Father of Modern Clinical Psychology

Lightner Witmer opened the first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896, coining the term 'clinical psychology' and defining it as promoting change through observation and experimentation. By 1914, 26 similar clinics had opened in the US. Clinical psychology grew through assessing military recruits during World War I and continued making inroads into mental health, though that remained dominated by psychiatry. Early professional organizations included the American Association of Clinical Psychology founding in 1917 and the American Psychological Association developing a clinical psychology section in 1919.

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150 views2 pages

Early Clinical Psychology: Lightner Witmer, The Father of Modern Clinical Psychology

Lightner Witmer opened the first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896, coining the term 'clinical psychology' and defining it as promoting change through observation and experimentation. By 1914, 26 similar clinics had opened in the US. Clinical psychology grew through assessing military recruits during World War I and continued making inroads into mental health, though that remained dominated by psychiatry. Early professional organizations included the American Association of Clinical Psychology founding in 1917 and the American Psychological Association developing a clinical psychology section in 1919.

Uploaded by

Dr.Seethalakshmy A
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Early clinical psychology

Lightner Witmer, the father of modern clinical psychology


By the second half of the 1800s, the scientific study of
psychology was becoming well-established in university
laboratories. Although there were a few scattered voices
calling for an applied psychology, the general field looked
down upon this idea and insisted on "pure" science as the
only respectable practice.[1] This changed when Lightner
Witmer (1867–1956), a past student of Wundt and head of
the psychology department at the University of
Pennsylvania, agreed to treat a young boy who had trouble
with spelling. His successful treatment was soon to lead to
Witmer's opening of the first psychological clinic at Penn in
1896, dedicated to helping children with learning
disabilities.[6] Ten years later in 1907, Witmer was to found
the first journal of this new field, The Psychological Clinic,
where he coined the term "clinical psychology," which he
defined as "the study of individuals, by observation or
experimentation, with the intention of promoting
change." The field was slow to follow Witmer's example,
[7]

but by 1914, there were 26 similar clinics in the US.[8]

Even as clinical psychology was growing, working with


issues of serious mental distress remained the domain
of psychiatrists and neurologists. However, clinical
psychologists continued to make inroads into this area due
to their increasing skill at psychological assessment.
Psychologists' reputation as assessment experts grew
during World War I with the development of two
intelligence tests, Army Alpha and Army Beta (testing
verbal and nonverbal skills, respectively), which could be
used to screen large groups of military recruits. [5][6] Due in
large part to the success of these tests, assessment
became the core function of clinical psychology for the next
quarter century, when another war would propel the field
into treatment

Early professional organizations


The field began to organize under the name "clinical
psychology" in 1917, when J. E. Wallace Wallin led the
founding of the American Association of Clinical Psychology.
This only lasted until 1919, after which the American
Psychological Association (founded by G. Stanley Hall in
1892) developed a section on Clinical Psychology, which
offered certification until 1927.[8] Growth in the field was
slow for the next few years when various unconnected
psychological organizations came together as the American
Association of Applied Psychology in 1930, which would act
as the primary forum for psychologists until after World War
II when the APA reorganized.[10] In 1945, the APA created
what is now called The Society of Clinical Psychology
(Division 12), which remains a leading organization in the
field. Psychological societies and associations in other
English-speaking countries developed similar divisions,
including in Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

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