American Orthopsychiatric Association records

The American Orthopsychiatric Association (AOA) was established in Chicago in 1924 as the Association of American Orthopsychiatrists. The Association was initially founded to organize annual conferences of psychiatrists across the United States. In 1925, the Association began including other professionals such as social workers, educators and sociologists. In 1930, the Association began to publish the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Throughout the 1930s, the Association’s involvement in national issues expanded, including the establishment of a committee to review juvenile courts and clinics in order to produce a standard manual.

In 1944, the Association participated in developing postwar mental health plans. In 1954 the Association began issuing its Newsletter. In 1956, the AOA resolved in favor of school desegregation and established a committee on school integration. In the 1960s, the AOA continued its involvement in social issues by studying the obstacles facing Black postgraduate students in the field of mental health. In the 1970s, the AOA joined lawsuits involving adequacy of services and civil rights for people with mental illness. By 1976, the Association had a membership of 4600, including a wide range of professionals associated with psychiatry and mental health. Initiatives in the 1980s and 1990s included a focus homelessness and on family functioning and strengthening families. In 2016, the Association changed its name to the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice.

The information in this note comes from the following sources:

Romanofsky, Peter. “The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Institutions - Social Service Organizations.” Westport, Conn. Greenwood Press, 1978.