History

The Developmental Therapy Institute was founded by Dr. Mary M. Wood, professor of special education at the University of Georgia, and incorporated in 1978 by the State of Georgia for training, research, development, and outreach in Developmental Therapy-Teaching (DTT) for troubled children and youth.

The earliest foundations for the Developmental Therapy-Teaching model came from the work of Dr. Wood when she developed the first special education teacher preparation program for severely emotionally disturbed children and youth in Georgia. In 1969, she established and directed the Clarke County Public Mental Health Clinic for Children in Athens, Georgia. Funded for research, development, and training by the US Department of Education, the Georgia Department of Education, and the University of Georgia, the next four decades were spent in expansion and refinement for this new and comprehensive approach for helping educate children with severe mental health issues.

The first priority in the 1970s was setting up an effective demonstration program that combined mental health and special education as a service delivery prototype. From this program, the Rutland Psychoeducational Program and the Developmental Therapy method emerged and became the prototype for the Georgia Network of Educational and Therapeutic Supports (GNETS).

The success of the program soon outgrew the boundaries of the University’s mission, and the need for an Institute became evident. During the 1980s, the Institute established standards for documenting the effectiveness of Developmental Therapy practices and began a multi-state expansion. The program and practices spread rapidly throughout the states and led to its international debut during the 1990s.

The Focus Now

Currently, the institute’s focus is technical assistance and professional development worldwide to provide self-directed and distance learning for educators and parents to use Developmental Therapy-Teaching practices successfully. The institute continues to partner with professionals and paraprofessionals in public and private schools, state education and community service agencies, technical colleges, and higher education to establish priorities for professional development to expand social-emotional learning priorities. Whether in families, neighborhood settings, early childhood programs, general and special education, mental heath or foster care services, the goal continues to be healthy social and emotional development for all children, everywhere!