Rüdiger Grimm, is secretary to the Curative and Social Therapy Conference of the Medical Section of the School of Spiritual Science at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, and curative education professor at the Alanus College for Art and Society in Alfter, near Bonn, Germany. He has published “A Compendium of Anthroposophical Curative Education”, Ernst Reinhardt Press, Munich.

Anthroposophically inspired curative education and social therapy has existed for over 80 years. The first activities and institutions appeared in the 1920s. Belonging to the many fruits of Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual scientific research, there are now over 650 institutions in 45 countries.

The movement had very modest beginnings: a small living community near Iena (Therigen), a special class in the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart and a group of children at Dr Ita Wegman’s clinic, which became the well-known Sonnenhof at Arlesheim, near Basel.

Anthroposophical curative education and social therapy have an international network, representatives of which from all over the world work together in many fields. Through exchanges of experience between different professional groups, through meetings and international conferences on specialised themes, and through trainings and research, they contribute to the development of practical concepts and methods. This exchange of knowledge and experience plays a very important role.

The institutions are official organisations addressing people with special needs. They are in dialogue with public professions and society at large. Integrated in the social system, they benefit from the support of public funds. They are open to all, independent of origin, worldview or religion.