Sociogrid analysis of a child and adolescent psychiatric clinic

The diverse roles of medical health professionals working in a child psychiatry clinic were examined using sociogrid analysis allowing for idiographic and nomothetic analyses, the latter enabling assessment of larger numbers of individuals. Role repertory grid analysis was further used to explore the cognitive structure of the doctor and the nurse. As a result, insight was offered regarding the configuration of the clinic organisation, with detailed evaluation of occupational boundaries and interaction between roles. Central figures in the social network were those of the physician and the parents of the patient. The social worker and the psychologist appeared isolated from the rest of the treatment group and seemed to work independently with the parents, in contrast to the physician who did not relate to either the parent or the patient. Administrators occupied a unique pivotal position between these two core occupational clusters (parents, social worker, patient and psychologist; physician, nursing and care, occupational therapist and physiotherapist).