Menninger Foundation
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The Menninger Clinic was founded in 1925 in Topeka, Kansas, by Drs. C.F., Karl, and Will Menninger. It represented the first group psychiatry practice. "We had a vision," Dr. C.F. said, "of a better kind of medicine and a better kind of world."
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History
Treatment for children
Just a year after opening, The Menninger Clinic established the Southard School for children. The school fostered treatment programs for children and adolescents that were recognized worldwide.
During the 1930s, the Menningers expanded training programs for psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals. They formally established the Menninger School of Psychiatry in 1946. It quickly became the largest training center in the country, driven by the country's demand for psychiatrists to treat military veterans returning from World War II.
Revolution in psychiatric education
The School and the local Veterans Administration Hospital represented the center of a psychiatric education revolution. The Clinic and the School became the hub for training professionals in the bio-psycho-social approach. This approach integrated the foundations of medical, psychodynamic, developmental, and family systems to focus on the overall health of patients. For patients, this way of treatment attended to their physical, emotional, and social needs.
Staff at Menninger developed an intense commitment to delivering quality patient care and seeking innovative diagnostic tools and treatments. Dr. Will Menninger made a major contribution to the field of psychiatry when he developed a system of hospital treatment known as milieu therapy. This approach involved a patient's total environment in treatment.
Advocacy and growth
Dr. Karl Menninger's first book, The Human Mind (1930), became a bestseller and familiarized the American public with human behavior. Many Americans also read his subsequent books, including The Vital Balance, Man Against Himself and Love Against Hate.
Service in World War II
Dr. Will Menninger served as Chief of the Army Medical Corps' Psychiatric Division during World War II. Under his leadership, the Army reduced losses in personnel due to psychological impairment. In 1945, the Army promoted Dr. Will to brigadier general.
After the war, Dr. Will lead a national revolution to reform state sanitariums. Drs. Will and Karl were both talented at instructing laypersons about psychiatry and behavior. In 1948, Time magazine featured Dr. Will on its cover, lauding him as "psychiatry’s U.S. sales manager."
At The Clinic, staff proceeded to launch new treatment approaches and open specialty programs. Menninger gained a reputation for intensive, individualized treatment, particularly for patients with complex or long-standing symptoms. The treatment approach remained multidimensional, addressing a patient’s medical, psychological, and social needs. Numerous independent organizations recognized Menninger as a world leader in psychiatric and behavioral health treatment.
Relocation to Texas
In June 2003, Menninger relocated its clinical programs from Topeka to Houston. Menninger announced its affiliation with Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital in December 2002.
External links
- Menninger (http://www.menningerclinic.org)
- Topeka Capital Journal's on-going coverage of the Menninger move - index page (http://www.cjonline.com/menninger)