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in this article, we attempt to shed light on how, placed by the law in a situation of identity suspension that is "impossible to bear," unaccompanied minors (UAMs) can construct themselves, caught as they are between a unique personal identity that they know they must mourn in order to be able to stay in the territory, and a projected identity, also constructed by and within the fantasy of the Other. In this context, we consider the possible scope for a relationship between UAMs and social workers or volunteers, and how the understanding of the topology of the Borromean knot can be used in the training of social workers and volunteers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therapeutic gardening in corrections is a positive and rehabilitative intervention, yet research on its effects on well-being is lagging. We present findings from a pilot gardening program in a residential community corrections facility for women based on analyses of data including anonymously written reflections of participants, interviews with community partners, and ethnographic observations of the program. Data demonstrate that along with acquiring technical skills, women reported mental and physical benefits, such as therapeutic and de-stressing effects for better mental health, increased exercise, and improved understanding of the role of nutritious food in overall health. We also identified interactional effects that aid in building team culture, promoting client-staff interaction, and developing positive relationships and stronger social skills among participating women. We argue that gardening provides low-cost programming that contributes to better health outcomes, empowerment and holds the potential to create a space of agency; centering women's voices while creating an additional source of nutritional food in correctional facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is a review of the book "Assessing Social Science Research Ethics and Integrity: Case Studies and Essays" by Harry Perlstadt. The book explores research ethics in the social sciences, with a focus on the protection of human participants in social experiments. It includes two comprehensive essays and an analysis of six controversial studies, discussing the historical trajectory of research ethics in the United States and the ethical considerations governing research practices. The book is aimed at social scientists and scholars but is accessible to a wider readership interested in research ethics. [Extracted from the article]

The Community-Ideas Factory: The Life Skills Project (CIF-LSP) creatively tackles shortcomings in life skills programs offered by our nonprofit (NFP) partners assisting homeless and precariously housed individuals. Through sociological and community-engaged methodologies, our interdisciplinary team collaborated with 16 NFP organizations to develop a responsive, inclusive, online life skills intervention. Our research, grounded in clinical sociology and informed by equity, diversity, and inclusion principles, highlights the diverse nature of essential life skills, influenced by broader social, political, and economic contexts such as social inequities. Notably, we identify social justice as a critical life skill, emphasizing the intersectionality that shapes individuals' lives and advocating for its integration into life skills programming. Our approach diverges from traditional positivist research methods prevalent in life skills studies, facilitating this significant finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the significant contributions made by Wan Halim Othman to the advancement of clinical sociology in Malaysia. Wan Halim, introduced as the progenitor of clinical sociology in Malaysia, has played a pivotal role in social issue management, and his unique approaches have had a lasting social impact on the country. This article starts with the background of the country and the main figure, Wan Halim Othman, and then discusses the various innovative and impactful initiatives that he has spearheaded using the clinical sociology approach. Programs such as the Social Problem Management System (PINTAS) and social clinic exemplify the profound capacity of clinical sociology to address intricate societal issues. Wan Halim has effectively empowered marginalized communities and promoted social cohesion by implementing new strategies like community mediation and support groups specifically designed for single mothers. Although clinical sociology is gaining traction in Malaysia, much must be done to further recognize and institutionalize this discipline. The proposed next steps include the formalization of clinical sociology by implementing comprehensive curricula, hands-on training, and professional certification. The author emphasizes the significance of fostering collaboration among academia, government, and civil society to establish clinical sociology as an institutionalized field and effectively tackle urgent societal issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on psychotherapeutic theory and practice and its relationship with epistemology. An attempt will be made to establish the scientific status of psychotherapy as a producer of knowledge in the field of health and for this, the contributions of epistemology will be used as a science that provides the tools to analyze the ways of constructing scientific knowledge. To respond to these questions, a review of psychotherapy as a scientific practice will be carried out, establishing its definition, its scope of application, object of study, methodological aspects, and the most important problems. Finally, a reflection will be made on the relationship between neurobiology and psychotherapy and how this relationship influences contemporary psychotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents preliminary findings from two prison horticulture intervention projects. Our project sites are located in a women's community corrections facility in the U.S. Midwest and a women's maximum-security prison in the Southeastern United States. These garden projects illustrate the importance of sociological theory and clinical sociological practice in the development of programs that will benefit incarcerated women who remain underserved and disenfranchised in U.S. society. We apply Bourdieu's theories of capital to understand incarcerated women's lived experiences. We find that clinical sociological prison gardens foster women's rehabilitation and increase food security within incarcerated settings. They also are an important site of capital and skill-building for participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research aimed to check if the construction of narrative identity by adolescents at risk of maladjustment contributes to their adaptive social functioning. It also aimed to identify factors related to identity on which the adjustment of adolescents at risk of social maladjustment depends. A natural experiment was conducted in Poland among youths from sociotherapy centres (n = 60, aged 18-20 years, 33 women and 27 men). A group of graduates at these centres (n = 31, aged 21-24 years, 17 women and 14 men) was included in the exploratory study and compared with the group of students in terms of maladjustment, ego-resiliency, and identity. The experiment shows that the construction of a narrative identity through a life story interview contributes to better social adaptation, which means a lower risk of maladjustment. The diffuse-avoidant identity style predisposes to maladjustment, whereas ego-resiliency is associated with a higher level of adjustment. Thus the narrative interview method can find application in the therapy of adolescents at risk of maladjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article attempts to answer the question of whether sociotherapy can be considered in the category of a preventive dimension in working with young people at risk of social maladjustment. For this purpose, a detailed analysis will be made of basic concepts such as sociotherapy, prophylaxis, social maladjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present implications for the prevention and therapy of children and adolescents based on knowledge from developmental psychopathology and findings from the hierarchical dimensional model of psychopathology. Due to the emergence of a general psychopathology factor in early childhood, the potential for using early preventive interventions to prevent the development of a wide range of mental and behavioural disorders later in development is highlighted. The approach discussed here focuses first on general risk factors but then cascades to emerging psychopathology at later developmental stages. The article proposes a development-matched intervention model. In the beginning, interventions target the general factor of psychopathology (health promotion and universal prevention programs for the general population). Then they target externalizing/internalizing (selective and indicated prevention programs for at-risk groups). They are followed by interventions targeting anxiety, distress, antisocial behaviour (sociotherapy for individuals with psychosocial problems of unfixed pathomechanism) up to psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy (for individuals with illnesses and disorders). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on mixed racial and ethnic identities has developed rapidly over the past decades, increasing in theoretical scope and depth, and exploring mixedness across a growing range of national and social contexts. Recent research has highlighted the huge variations and shifts in conceptions of mixedness around the world, and the different pathways to understanding what it means to be mixed through migration, development, postcolonialism and different forms of nation-building. This paper seeks to connect theory to practice, approaching mixedness through the lens of clinical sociology, applying sociological theory on the ground and exploring the utility of critical mixed race studies in everyday life. Clinical sociology as a practice is first outlined, juxtaposed against the development in theorizing around mixed racial and ethnic identities on an international level. The paper then looks at some possibilities for practical impact: by acknowledging the complexity of mixedness and everyday life, research on mixed identities can go beyond the development of theory and case description, with applied and clinical impacts ranging from the level of the individual to the level of the state. Research on mixedness worldwide illustrates the diversity inherent within ideas of mixing, and the micro, meso and macro applications and potential outcomes of such theories. This paper draws on new and shifting conceptions of mixedness, emphasizing that the sociology of mixedness can have considerable value in effecting positive social change: positioning the (mixed) individual within the (mixed) society and allowing sociology to become action. The development and use of theories around mixedness emphasize the importance of clinical sociology as a practice: a reason for theory, connecting the abstract to the everyday. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology (AACS) was formed in 2005 by the merger of the Society for Applied Sociology and the Sociological Practice Association giving name recognition to both applied and clinical sociology, and a professional home for all sociological practitioners. In an effort to provide greater benefit and value to members, and to better meet the needs of its members, the AACS conducted a membership survey. On October 9, 2020, a membership survey was sent to AACS members to gather data. While the current survey results could have benefited from a greater response rate, the data gathered provides some degree of insight to members' characteristics and attitudes toward the AACS. It is recommended that the AACS consider conducting future membership studies periodically to determine how to better meet member needs, and to estimate the value of AACS to its members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 2018 President Address provided by Gary David, he discusses the need for new approaches to how applied and clinical sociology is branded. He explores business approaches to how we can leverage our passion for sociology with the unique skills we have with clear messaging around what it is we do and why we do it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]