Doris Twitchell Allen

Doris Twitchell Allen (1901 – 2002) was a noted psychologist and the founder of Children's International Summer Villages (now CISV International). She specialized in development and psychodrama.

After receiving degrees in Chemistry (AB in 1923) and Biology (MA in 1926) at the University of Maine, she was granted a PhD in Psychology at the University of Michigan, and completed her post-graduate study at the Psychological Institute, University of Berlin, in 1932.

Her career as a psychologist began as Director of the Field Laboratory at the Child Education Foundation in New York City (1932–1935).

From 1962 until her retirement, she was Professor of Psychology at the University of Cincinnati and Professor of Psychology (Psychodrama) at the University of Maine.

She developed several valued tools in the fields of psychology and education. Among them the Social Learning in the Schools Through Psychodrama project and the Twitchell-Allen Three-dimensional Personality Test for use in CISV research and clinical practice to portray personality dynamics, irrespective of age or culture.

In addition to founding CISV in 1951, Doris Allen served as International President (1951–1956), Trustee (1956–1965), Research Chairman (1951–1967), and Honorary Counsellor (1965–2002), and simultaneously served as President (1956–1965), Research Chair / Co-Chair (1956–1969) and Life Trustee (1970–2002) of CISV USA. From its inception in 1988, Doris Allen had also served as Trustee / Honorary Trustee of the CISV International Peace Fund Trust.

The Doris Twitchell Allen Village (DTAV) student accommodation blocks at the University of Maine were named after her.

She was married to Erastus S. Allen, a lawyer for Procter & Gamble.