Sociological Practice: Intervention and Social Change [Hardcover]

This second edition of a classic text in the field has been revisited by its authors and extensively reworked. It incorporates new case studies based on the authors experiences as well as one completely new chapter. The first edition of Clinical Sociology was published in 1996. Its goal was to explore various approaches to problem-solving at the micro, meso, and macro levels of social complexity.

Slightly more than a decade ago, our text, Clinical Sociology: An Agenda For Action, was published by Plenum Academic Publishers. Since that time (1996), the Clinical Sociology Association has changed its name to the Sociological Pr- tice Association and has merged with the Society for Applied Sociology. This new organization and its joint journal became effective in 2005. Therefore, as we began planning a second edition to our text, we decided it would be only app- priate to change its original title to Sociological Practice: Intervention and Social Change. Intervention to bring about beneficial social change is the theme of this new edition of our text. We have attempted to write a how to do it type of book for students who are interested in careers in sociological practice. We emphasize the importance of establishing a theoretical foundation for planning an intervention for each client, followed by an extensive assessment, fact-finding, and dialogue with the client in selecting an appropriate intervention(s), establishing an ethical practitioner-client relationship, and a timetable of expectations and financial costs detailed in a written contract. Every intervention also involves an evaluation in order to determine its effectiveness and feedback for improvement with future clients. We emphasize how critical it is for practitioners to be ethical in all of their interactions as these impact referrals and the reputations of both the practitioner and the profession.The Application of Sociology.- Approaches to Problem Solving.- Problem Solving at the Micl³+