Evening star., 1960-05-20
Counselor
5OYeurs

BY RUTH DEAN
Star Stan Writer

work next month.
But unofficially this
sprightly 73-year-old expects
to continue her life'S calling
with "a little volunteer work
If I feel up to it." That, and
collecting old books" she
says.
Yesterday, Miss Smiths
fellow workers in the adult
clinic at the Washington In
stitute of Mental Hygiene
feted her at a reception in
honor of her approaching re-
tirement which becomes ef-
fective June 80.
Miss Smith has. spent 30
of those so years here in
Washington counseling peo-
pie on their emotional prob
lens. first as director Of the
old Washington Life Adjust
ment Center which later be-
came the adult clinic of the
Mental Health Institute.
Her work, according to DR..
William L. Granatir, presi-
dent of the institutes board
of managers, has earned the
respect and devotion Of thou
sands of lay and professional
people in the community"
The warmth, understand
ing and patience with which
Miss Smith has helped so
many persons through the
years is evident, even when
she's on the other end Of an
interview.
Says Problems Change
Most of the problems she
has dealt with include emo
tional difficulties and ankle
ties, not the more violent
types of mental illness "be-
cause we do not have the
staff or time to handle what
are designated as hospital
cases."
Looking back over the 80
years, Miss Smith thinks
some of the problems she has
handled have been related to
the times. First it was the
depression, with extra people
living in homes. Then, 1t
was World War II when so
many young people came to
Washington who had never
been away from home before.
Then it was the Mccarthy
era when we had so many
people come to us who had
lost their jobs but even more
who came with their worries
about losing their jobs" she
recalled.
Of the latter era she COM
mented, that was no f1gment
of the imagination. The
people who came to us said
they felt they had to lie
about seeking psychiatric
help or else they'd lose their
jobs. 1t was a very difficult
time for us. Thank good
ness it's over"
Sees Results of Her Work
For Miss Smith, the most
rewarding aspect of her 80
years here in Washington has
been that she has been able
to see the results Of her work
even years afterward, eSpe-
cially when an old patient has
called to refer a new one to
her.
A University of Wisconsin
graduate. Miss Smith entered
psychiatric social work in the
days when it was really a pio-
neer field In fact it was not
known as that until after
World War I. Psychiatric
problems often masqueraded
as family problems unde-
tected even by the family
doctor. Miss Smiths interest
in this speciality was inspired
when she took a job in
Grand Rapids, Mich, in
1912 with a family aid
association. She lived in the
home of a psychiatrist and it
was from him that she sought
advice on some of the cases
that were brought to her at
tention.
Miss Smiths fascinating
career included two years in
the Hawaiian Islands where
she was executive secretary
of the Family Service Associ-
alton of Honolulu. 1t was dur
ing World War I and during
the time some of the first
cured lepers were being re-
turned from Molakei.
After the war, Miss Smith
returned to the States and
answered the Red Cross ap-
peal for badly needed psy-
chiatric social workers in vet
erans' hospitals. So from 1921
to 1880 when she came to
Washington, Miss Smi t h
worked in veterans hospitals,
state mental hospitals where
veterans we're patients and in
regional offices of the Vet
erans' Administration.
When she looks back on it
all for perhaps the key which
unlocked the door to such a
d. rewarding career, Miss Smith
smiles as she recalls the kind
of man her father was. A
florist in a little town ir
northern Wisconsin. she saic
''he was the kind of person
people went to when they
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