The Department of Clinical Psychology started with the work of Professor Durval Marcondes, who organized in 1938 the first children psychology care service in South America, in the Mental Hygiene Section at the Education Secretariat’s School Health Directors Board. This service consisted of child-oriented clinical facility. The service was located at Avenida Ipiranga, where Hilton Hotel is currently located. This Clinic provided a Psychiatric Visitation Service which was coordinated by Virginia Bicudo, graduated in Social Sciences.
In the fifties, the work developed by Durval Marcondes gained consistency in the sociocultural field. At that time, service technicians were being pressed to take a Philosophy Course at the Hygiene Service. Virginia Bicudo instructed professionals to take the Philosophy course as she believed a degree in Human Sciences offered better qualification for professionals to deal with the human mind. Durval Marcondes was invited by Annita Cabral, a Philosophy Professor, to organize with Aníbal Silveira and Cícero Christiano a Specialist Degree Program in Clinical Psychology at the University of São Paulo, which took place in 1958. At that time Dr. Durval Marcondes was hired to coordinate the Clinical Sector, which became an autonomous discipline, though it depended on funding from the Experimental and Social Psychology chair.
Annita Cabral, with the collaboration of Dr. Durval Marcondes, Virginia Bicudo, Lygia Alcantar do Amaral, Aníbal da Silveira, slowly conceived the Psychology Course. At first the course was organized with classes that were partly theoretical and partly practical. At that time, there was already a concern with the students performing therapeutic services.
The Psychology course was created by state law n. 3862 in 05/28/1957 as a Bachelors and License program. The regulamentation of the Psychology profession happened in 27/08/1962.
With Dr Durval Marcondes’ initiative, the Psychology Course Clinic was established, and was initially located on Rua Jaguaribe. The following professionals worked at this clinic: Dr. Durval Marcondes, Judith Andreucci, Virginia Bicudo, Aníbal Silveira, Laerte Moura Ferrão, Lydia Luciana Rocha and Lygia Alcântara. The work in this facility resulted in the inception of the Department of Clinical Psychology in August 19th, 1968 and was subsequently integrated into a Psychology Department. In 1970, the emergence of the Clinical Psychology Department took place.