There Are More Influential Women in the Mental Health Field

                  As Women’s History Month nears an end I would like to share the stories of a few more women this week. As I have said, it is important that we recognize their contributions to the mental health field. Men get so much of the recognition, but many advancements would not have happened if it were not for women. There are many women studying psychology and related fields in colleges today. They need to learn about the women who came before them. This knowledge will serve as a motivator and a call to strive for further advancements. Men can also learn from the work of all these women I have written about this month. After you read about these women, share their stories with others, men and women. Let’s give these amazing women the credit they deserve.

 

Leta Stetter Hollingworth (1886-1939)

 

"I do not know. I was intellectually curious. I worked hard, was honest except for those minor chicaneries which are occasionally necessary when authority is stupid, disliked waste, and was never afraid to undertake an experiment or to change my mind."

 

                  Leta Stetter Hollingworth was the first female psychologist in New York City. She worked at Columbia University. Her worked challenged the belief that women had inferior intelligence to men. She studied under educational psychologist E.L. Thorndike. She demonstrated that differences in intelligence was a result of societal roles not being born male or female. 

                  Hollingworth’s dissertation focused on women’s intelligence during menstruation. At the time it was believed that women had a decrease in performance on mental tasks during menstruation. Hollingworth’s work proved that there was no empirical evidence for this.

                  She also worked in educational psychology and coined the term “gifted”. Her work focused on nurturing gifted children. At the time it was believed that gifted children could take of themselves, but Hollingworth showed that these children needed to be nurtured. She developed a curriculum for gifted children.

                  Hollingworth’s early work studied women and led to changes in how women’s intellectual abilities were acknowledged. Most of her work was in the school setting where she worked in educational psychology. She died at the age of 53 from abdominal cancer. At the time of her death, she had more work planned.

                                                                                                                                   

Anna Freud (1885-1982)

 

"The best way to understand children is to observe them when they're on their own, unobserved."

 

                  Anna Freud was the daughter of Sigmund Freud, but she was more than just his daughter. She was an influential psychologist in her own right. She is the founder of child psychoanalysis. Anna Freud’s work contributed to the understanding of child psychology. Interestingly, Erik Erikson, a male psychologist who many in the world of psychology can name easily, was strongly influenced by the work of Anna Freud. 

                  Anna Freud recognized that children had different symptoms than adults, noting that these were often related to developmental stages. Her work included how the ego played a role in managing anxiety. The work of Anna Freud is the basis of modern child therapy and developmental psychology.

She also made contributions in understanding how the mind uses defense mechanisms to protect itself. She demonstrated that everyone uses defense mechanisms, not just people with psychological disorders. 

 

Leta Stetter Hollingworth and Anna Freud both made significant contributions in the field of psychology that have impacted mental health. They are examples of women who dedicated their lives to understanding the mind. 

If you have missed the first four post in this series on influential women in the mental health field, I encourage you to read them. The series started on March 10 and includes posts on 3/13, 3/17, and 3/20. There will be one more post on Thursday. 

 

 

Even More Influential Women in the Mental Health Field

                   Today I continue sharing the stories of influential women in the mental health field. I believe it is important as woman, an individual with mental illness, and a mental health advocate for me to share the accomplishments of these women. That is why I have dedicated posts to their stories. I have been appalled by the current administration’s diminishing of women. I am also aware of their attempts to reduce mental health diagnoses and treatment. (More on that in a future post. I just need to spend some time researching first.). So, I will continue to post about women’s contributions to mental health. I am dedicating the month of March to talking about these amazing women. It is my hope that people will read and share these posts. I realize I have a small audience, but I can still do my part. If you are reading this, please help me by sharing with at least one person. Together we can make a difference.

                  

Martha E. Bernal (1931-2001)

“However critical I might be of this country, I have felt grateful for the opportunities of which I availed myself.”

 

                  Martha E. Bernal was the daughter of Mexican immigrants. She was the first Latina to receive a doctorate degree in psychology in the United States. She faced discrimination based on being female when she searched for a position after earning her PhD. That did not stop her. She made contributions in the area of learning theory and the methods of treatment and assessment of children with behavior problems.

                  She also helped advance multicultural psychology. Her work helped bring an understanding of the importance of diversity in training, recruitment, and research. In the 1970s she worked to ensure that students of color had the opportunity to receive graduate training. She drew attention to the lack of ethnic minority psychologists. She offered steps to improve this. 

                  Bernal helped establish the National Hispanic Psychological Association. She served as this group’s second president. 

                  The “Martha Bernal Scholarship Fund was established at Arizona State University to honor her commitment to advancing scholars of color. 

 

E. Kitch Childs (1937-1993)

“We must generate a systematic method for conflict resolution so as to lose none of the power of our anger in useless wheel spinning…By doing so we may amplify and augment sisterly cooperation, understanding and in the meantime enhance our self-empowerment.”

 

                  E. Kitch Childs was a clinical psychologist. Through her work she advocated for marginalized women, sex workers, and the LGBTQ+ community. She was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in human development from the University of Chicago. 
                  Childs was very aware of the lack of organized research into the psychology of women. A great deal of her work was focused on feminist therapy. She helped found Chicago’s Gay Liberation Front. Childs provided therapy for the LGBTQ+ community, especially those with AIDS.

                  E. Kitch Childs was recognized for her work to change the American Psychiatric Association’s position on homosexuality, which had listed it as a psychological disorder. 

                  She tailored her approach with clients to meet their specific needs. Often her approach went beyond traditional therapeutic practices. Her clients included the most marginalized and poorest people. She offered sliding scale fees and free services to those who needed it. Childs also offered group therapy that was focused on community-building. Childs used her professional expertise and her own experiences with discrimination to build up communities.

 

                  Bernal and Childs are examples of women who made a difference in not only the field of mental health, but also for people who are the most marginalized. Their work showed that all people matter. The mental health of all regardless of race, gender, and socio-economic status should be valued and cared for. The work of Bernal and Childs are examples of what we should be focusing on as nation.