Dr. Allan G. Barclay made significant contributions to the field of clinical child psychology, including serving as an early President of the Section on Clinical Child Psychology (Section 1) of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division of Clinical Psychology from 1969 to 1970. Dr. BarclayFootnote1 was born on December 22, 1930, in Masonville, Iowa. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Tulsa (1955) and earned his doctorate degree in psychology from Washington University (1960) in St. Louis, Missouri. He held numerous academic positions over his career, spending almost 20 years at Saint Louis University (1960–1979) before becoming the Charter Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Barclay eventually returned to Saint Louis University, serving as Professor of Psychology (1990–2006) until his passing on February 2, 2006.
Dr. Barclay’s professional interests were notably diverse, dedicating his time to research, education, administration, and advocacy through state and federal policy. He was active in research on children with intellectual disabilities and psychological assessment (e.g., Barclay, Citation1969; Barclay & Yater, Citation1969), contributing to the field’s early understanding of learning differences in children at-risk for educational difficulties. At the national level, he was involved in numerous advocacy campaigns and served as a consultant to various federal departments and organizations throughout his career, including the U.S. Social Security Administration, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, U.S. Children’s Bureau, and the U.S. Air Force. He was also heavily engaged in state-level legislative efforts and was fundamental to the establishment of licensing laws for psychologists in Missouri (and in recognition of his advocacy was granted the first psychology license in the state in 1977). Dr. Barclay’s dedication to the discipline and profession of psychology is evident through his extensive involvement with the APA throughout his career. He served as President of Divisions 12, 13, and 33 (i.e., Clinical Psychology, Consulting Psychology, and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, respectively) and as a member of numerous APA boards and committees (e.g., Board of Professional Affairs, Policy and Planning Board). He was interested in professional issues facing clinical psychologists during that time and served as editor for Professional Psychology: Research and Practice from 1977 to 1982. His service and dedication earned him numerous awards including the Distinguished Professional Contributions Award (2000), the Karl F. Heiser Presidential Award for Advocacy (1994), and the Distinguished Contributions to Clinical Psychology Award from the Division of Clinical Psychology (1995).
Critical Societal Issues Facing the Field in the Late 1960s and Early 1970s
There was a significant shift in public attention to children’s mental health concerns in the United States during the period in which Dr. Barclay began his professional career and served as President to Section 1. This shift began following the end of the Second World War and was catalyzed by President John F. Kennedy’s (1963) address to the United States Congress advocating for federal support of mental health services for those with developmental disabilities and mental health concerns (National Institute of Health [NIH], Citation2024). Dr. Barclay was involved in these efforts, serving as a consultant to President Kennedy’s Committee on Intellectual Disabilities. In 1966, the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) began to establish separate centers dedicated to the research, training, and services for specific issues, including substance use, suicide, and child mental health (NIH, Citation2024). To address the increasing need and quickly expanding role of the clinical psychologist, individuals within APA’s Division of Clinical Psychology set forth efforts to define and legitimize the field, as well as clinical child psychology as a distinct specialization.
During this period, the White House Conference on Children and Youth was a national conference occurring every 10 years that aimed to focus the priorities of the nation for the next decade. The leading concerns of individuals at that time included “comprehensive child development programs that include health services; day care and early childhood education; programs that eliminate ‘the racism which cripples all children;’ and a ‘reordering of the nation’s priorities beginning with a guaranteed basic family income adequate for the needs of children’” (Chandler, Citation1971, p. 198). Members of Section 1 were involved in the 1970 conference and at the APA Executive Committee Meeting in the Fall of 1969 expressed desires to expand advocacy efforts and relationships with federal programs to support and promote the mental health of the nation’s children (“Highlights of the Executive Committee Meeting,” Citation1969).
Early Contributions and Presidential Term of Section 1
Dr. Barclay served as President of Section 1 for the 1969–1970 term. However, his professional involvement with the Section began much earlier. In fact, he was appointed the first editor of the flagship publication created by the section, the Clinical Child Psychology Newsletter (1962–1965) and served as the Section’s Secretary-Treasurer for two terms (1963–1965) (Routh, Citation1994). At the start of Dr. Barclay’s 1969–1970 presidential term, there were over 600 members of Section 1, and a new category dedicated to student members was being considered. Consistent with similar efforts within the broader Clinical division, the Section was working to understand the current practices and further define the scope of practice for clinical child psychologists.
One critical issue facing the Section during this period was deciding how clinical child psychologists should be trained. Section 1’s Committee on Standards and Professional Practice (chaired by Dr. Paul Dingman) was tasked with proposing standards of training for the practice of clinical child psychology. Although there were differing perspectives, the prevailing view of the committee, as reported in The Clinical Psychologist newsletter (Williams, Citation1969, p. 113), was: “This specialist must be a most effective generalist!” Dr. Barclay’s own views matched these. When writing on the training of clinical child psychologists with an emphasis on intellectual disabilities, Dr. Barclay noted “the need for solid grounding in child psychology, developmental psychology, the psychology of exceptional children, developmental psychopathology, and cognate areas in medicine and education, as well as the need for actual contact with, and appreciation of, children as human beings and not as abstractions” (Barclay, Citation1973, p. 32). This passion and commitment to the training of future clinical child psychologist persisted throughout his career. In fact, he served as a consultant to Dr. June Tuma on the original proposal for the National Conference on the Training of Clinical Child Psychologists in 1985 and was a co-chairperson tasked with recruiting individuals who would prepare the final proposal for the conference (Tuma, Citation1982).
Lessons Learned for Trainees and Rising Professionals in the Field
Dr. Barclay’s professional accomplishments and the impact he made on our field continue to offer lessons for those in the early stages of their careers as clinical child psychologists. His commitment to interprofessional collaboration, advocacy across federal and local programs, and the training of future clinical child psychologists is evident throughout his legacy. Dr. Barclay observed, when discussing the future of psychology, “program evaluation and social accountability have become and will be a continuing emphasis” (Wertheimer et al., Citation1978, p. 634). Although there is pressure to specialize during training (seemingly felt even decades ago), I believe that he would continue to advocate for a form of generalist training of clinical child psychologists. Indeed, many of the profession-wide core competencies that are delineated in current standards of accreditation (e.g., ethical and legal standards, individual and cultural diversity, consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills) were recognized as important to some of our early leaders, including Dr. Barclay.
It may be dismaying to recognize that many issues of concern from 50 to 60 years ago, including access to quality education and systemic racism and inequalities, remain relevant today. However, these persistent challenges may reflect the ongoing nature of advocacy rather than signs of failure. Those working with children will always be engaged in advocacy, given children’s status as a vulnerable population with limited power in our society. The early leaders in this field, including Dr. Barclay, were advocates in this regard, ensuring that clear goals were established for these efforts. Overall, I believe that Dr. Barclay would look at the progress made by psychologists thus far and feel optimistic about the potential that lies ahead for the field. Reflecting on this, Dr. Barclay closed his first editorial for Professional Psychology: Research and Practice with a hopeful quote from Thomas Jefferson: “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past’” (Barclay, Citation1977, p. 1).
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Drs. Michael C. Roberts and Matthew A. Hagler for their support and guidance in the development of this editorial. I am grateful for their thoughtful edits throughout the writing process. I would also like to thank Dr. Honore Hughes for her helpful communication regarding Dr. Barclay and his commitment to students and training during his time at Saint Louis University.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
