Beginning in the 1920s, Freudian psychoanalytic theory had a deep impact on social work practice and education and helped to professionalize clinical social work. Not as well-known was the role that Freud's patient and colleague Sándor Ferenczi played in this evolution. Through a review of the relevant literature and primary sources-some presented here for the first time-I will explore the ways in which Ferenczi's work directly impacted the development of clinical social work.
Keywords: Otto Rank; Sigmund Freud; Sándor Ferenczi; clinical social work; psychoanalysis.