Introduction 1. The first year, 1963: initiating a therapeutic community in a closed system 2. The second year, 1964: problems of leadership and consensus 3. The third year, 1965: confrontation in high places 4. The fourth year, 1966: decentralization of the system begins 5. The fifth year, 1967: decentralization into three county units 6. The sixth year, 1968: pending centralization of the health services in Scotland leads to fear of bureaucratization 7. The seventh year, 1969: a leadership crisis and an exciting liaison with the local school system 8. Synthesis: what is social learning? 9. Epilogue: social learning, growth and creativity as a process-products of open systems
Biography
Maxwell Jones (1907–1990) was one of the greatest therapeutic pioneers of British post-war psychiatry. He is remembered mostly as the creator of the first and most famous ‘therapeutic community’ the Social Rehabilitation Unit at Belmont Hospital, Surrey (now the Henderson Hospital). However, he made many other contributions to the revolutionary changes in British institutional psychiatry in the early days of the National Health Service, which made British psychiatric hospitals for a brief period an example for all western psychiatry by virtue of their open doors, patient freedom and active rehabilitation.
Review of the first publication:
‘The book is a worthy addition to Maxwell Jones’ corpus of writings. It will be read avidly by people interested in therapeutic communities.’
— B. M. Mandelbrote, The British Journal of Psychiatry
