Since 1980, clinical psychologists and other professionals have gathered in Merseyside each year for the "Annual Merseyside Course in Clinical Psychology". The aim of this annual event is to offer post­ qualification training and a forum for discussion in areas of current clinical interest. Over the years, the course has attracted national and international speakers and attenders of the highest calibre, plus up-to-the-minute reports on current research. In August 1984, the course was held, for the first time, in the beautiful old city of Chester. As always, the papers were presented by leading clinicians and researchers in their respective fields; once again, this included several contributions from Merseyside psychologists. Since 1981, the proceedings of this conference have been published as "Current Issues in Clinical Psychology". The present volume - Volume 4 - covers four major areas of current interest: The Child and Therapy; Rehabilitation Across the Specialties; New Directions for Psychology and the Law; and Addictive Behaviors. Each of these areas must be relevant to the work of almost all clinical psychologists, at various times. The volume closely reflects the order and content of papers presented at the 1984 conference, although it also includes one paper (by Guliz Elal-Lawrence) written specially for this publication. The 1984 conference was widely acknowledged to be another succes- both academically and socially - and I hope that this volume fully conveys the interesting and stimulating ideas and information enjoyed by those who attended.