The society first appeared in the
American Psychological Association as a section under the division of
clinical psychology (Division 12) in 1962. As research in
child development and
behavior analysis progressed, the need for specialized training for
clinical psychology students became more urgent. Conferences were held in the mid-1980s onward to discuss the material needed to treat children. By the next decade, Division 12 considered the possibility of clinical child psychology becoming its own division; and after a vote of the section members, the APA Council created the Division of Clinical Child Psychology (Division 53) in 1999. John Weisz became the first Division President the following year and the division went through a name change the year after that and maintains that title to the present day. ==Past Presidents==