The Habit Clinics: Behavioral Social Work and Prevention in the 1920s

Abstract

This paper describes the early development of a group of social agencies during the 1920s, the Massachusetts Habit Clinics, in which social workers utilized behavioral treatment methods to alleviate behavioral problems of preschool children. In addition, Habit Clinic social workers were intimately and vigorously involved in both secondary and primary efforts toward the prevention of such childhood behavioral problems. The paper discusses the use of behavioral methods and the prevention efforts of Habit Clinic social workers, and the development and general characteristics of the clinics.