A History of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology

Abstract

Abstract The roots of the broader field of clinical child psychology date to the founding of the first psychology clinic by Lightner Witmer at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896. The first professional society dedicated to this discipline, the Section on Clinical Child Psychology, was founded in 1962 by Alan Ross. It became a member of the Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12) of the American Psychological Association (APA). In 1998, clinical child psychology was recognized as a specialty by the APA. The Section on Clinical Child Psychology evolved into the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (Division 53, APA), and the American Board of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology was founded. The emphasis of this field is on evidence-based assessment and treatment of children as individuals, family members, and students in school. The evidence includes controlled randomized trials of clinical procedures, which are increasingly made available to the public.