Hampstead Child Therapy Course and Clinic

For material regarding his research on the effect on the child of observing parental nudity see PP/ROS/E/3.

In 1940, two years after fleeing Vienna with her father Sigmund, Anna Freud set up a the Hampstead War Nurseries, a centre for children affected by the war. By 1947 the activities of the Nurseries had expanded to include research on psychotherapeutic treatments for children, and it was renamed the Hampstead Child Therapy Training Course and Clinic.

Anna Freud remained involved with the Clinic for the rest of her life, serving as Director from 1952 until her death in 1982. Two years later the Clinic was renamed the Anna Freud Centre in her honour. Since her death the Centre has continued to treat children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural difficulties, as well as conducting pioneering research in a variety of areas, including neuroscience, attachment research, and social and emotional relatedness.

The Anna Freud Centre has strong academic links with a number of universities such as University College London and Yale University, both of whom offer joint degrees with the Centre, as well as undertaking collaborative research.

More information can be found on the Anna Freud Centre website