Oral history interview with George De Leon, 2014

Biographical Note

George De Leon was a psychologist and academic who conducted all of the early Phoenix House studies researching the mechanisms engaged in the therapeutic community. He obtained his PhD from Columbia University and at the time of the inteview he was Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at New York University Langone Medical Center. He researched at Phoenix House for 20 years (1967-1987), becoming intensely involved in the day to day of the organization. He wrote the textbook The Therapeutic Community.

Scope and Contents

De Leon discusses his work in clinical psychology at the Veterans Hospital as both his introduction to therapeutic communities and to Mitchell Rosenthal. He discusses the international and national growth of therapeutic communities as well as the policies and research that have made them what they are today. De Leon also examines different training and rehabilitation techniques popular in Phoenix House, and the future uses he sees for therapeutic communities

Subjects

• Clinical psychology.
• De Leon, George--Interviews.
• Drug abuse--Treatment--United States.
• Interviews.
• Murphy, Kristin L., interviewer.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Phoenix House (Organization)
• Psychologists--Interviews.
• Rosenthal, Mitchell S., 1935-
• Substance abuse--Treatment.
• Therapeutic communities.
• United States. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Veterans--Mental health services--United States.

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2014