Timberlawn Mental Hlth Syst

History

TIMBERLAWN HISTORY
Timberlawn was founded in 1917 by Dr James Terrill He recognized the need for residential care for the chronic mentally ill patients with whom he worked At that time there was a national reform movement revolutionizing care of the mentally ill Patients were being moved out of the citys general hospitals and jails and into rural residential centers

Dr Terrill found a stately white farm house in the fields about a half days buggy ride from the bustling city of Dallas He called the new facility Timberlawn in recognition of the grassy forest which surrounded the house It was the first such treatment center west of the Mississippi River As many as fifteen patients lived in the upper story of the house while Dr Terrill and his family lived downstairs Patients came from around the region as Dr Terrills reputation for making progress with difficult cases grew

As Dallas prospered and expanded so did Timberlawn By the end of World War II Timberlawn had gained national recognition for working with traumatized veterans The pharmaceutical revolution in medicine brought new hope for the mentally ill For the first time effective treatment was possible for some of the most disabling psychiatric illnesses Under the leadership of Dr Perry Talkington former chief psychiatrist of Pattons Third Army Timberlawn became a national referral center

By the 1980s Timberlawn had become an established national center for treatment research and medical education The psychiatric residency program offered in conjunction with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has trained many of the psychiatrists in Texas Timberlawn developed a reputation for innovation in the development of family therapy and special programs and this tradition continues today