Jarrett, Mary Cromwell (1877–1961)

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Jarrett, Mary Cromwell (1877–1961)

American medical social worker. Born Mary Cromwell Jarrett, June 21, 1877, in Baltimore, MD; died Aug 4, 1961, in New York, NY; dau. of Frank Asbury Jarrett and Caroline Watkins (Cromwell) Jarrett.

Worked at Boston Children's Aid Society, becoming head of casework department (1903–13); worked at Boston Psychopathic Hospital (1913–19), creating social work education program (1914), and developing social service section; applied social casework techniques to treatment of psychiatric patients, naming method "psychiatric social work" (1916); became director of 1st training program for psychiatric social workers to treat WWI soldiers, at Smith College (1918); helped found Smith College Training School for Social Work, and became associate director (1919–23); established Psychiatric Social Workers Club (1920), later known as American Association of Psychiatric Social Workers; worked for Research Bureau of Welfare Council of NYC (1927–43); became secretary of Committee on Chronic Illness (c. 1933–43); was director of Works Progress Administration project to teach home care for chronically ill (1935–40); began organization of Subcommittee on Arthritis (1939), later NY Rheumatism Association; was consultant on planning long-term health care (1943–49). Wrote Chronic Illness in New York City (1933) and (with E.E. Southard) Kingdom of Evils (1922).