Social Action As Therapy in a Mental Hospital.

A social group worker whose previous experience had been with settlement houses was assigned to the patient government association of a California state hospital. Similarities noted in the experiences of patients and those of members of the community groups led to the thesis that patients can receive help by dealing with real problems in a controlled situation, the social action process has a therapeutic effect, and the group worker may transfer settlement house skills successfully to a psychiatric hospital setting. The values understood to exist in the use of the group have found increased application in the mental hospital. This paper, describing the patient government association in Camarillo State Hospital is an attempt to explain the help given through the social action process as applied by a group worker with a settlement house background. The author believes that social action has the effect of restoring personal and community equilibrium when democratic process is utilized, also, that the use of the group to help the individual express his opinions about social disorder and engage in efforts to improve society is similar in both hospital and settlement house.