Clifford Beers Guidance Clinic

Our History Want a good read? Download A Mind That Found Itself (1908) by Clifford Whittingham Beers. A Mind That Found Itself is Beers' autobiography in which he chronicles his suicide attempt and subsequent confinement to a Connecticut insane asylum. It is a gripping tale and ends with Beers making the case for outpatient care: those who are suffering will be better served by remaining in their homes with those who love them while simultaneously getting periodic care/therapy in a nearby community setting grounded in compassion. Clifford W. Beers became an advocate for outpatient care, and his advocacy did bear results. In 1913, Beers successfully secured space for outpatient care -- two rooms were set aside for two hours every Thursday afternoon at the New Haven Dispensary (now known as Yale-New Haven Hospital). Almost instantly, demand far exceeded supply. Just over a century later, Beers' idea is the global norm.