Sociotherapy
Encyclopedia
Sociotherapy is a social science and form of social work
, and sociology
that involves the study of groups of people, its constituent individuals and their behavior, using learned information in case and care management towards holistic life enrichment or improvement of social and life conditions.
The professional practitioner of the field, who may be called a sociotherapist or life enrichment therapist, sometimes called a clinical sociologist, is usually concurrently a member of another relevant profession: medical doctor, psychiatrist
, psychologist
, nurse, social worker, sociologist, criminologist, activity and recreational professionals, among others. Clinical sociotherapy usually targets groups of children, youth
s or elderly, employed in various settings such as treatment facilities or lifecare communities like nursing home
s and are directly involved in case management and care planning
.
The Sociotherapy Association in the United States describes sociotherapy as "the practice of promoting healthy growth and living by facilitating therapeutic communities, personal relationships and positive peer culture," and states that the field is best known as "relationship therapy." The Society for the Furtherance of Sociotherapy says: "Sociotherapy operates through a holistic vision of mankind. That is to say that the human being is seen as a somatic, psychic, social and spiritual unity, which is unique because of his own history of growth."
Definition of sociotherapy as a social science and profession is also based on regional dicta. For example, the public health insurance system of Germany
offered a uniquely German definition in order to subsidize treatment by sociotherapeutic professionals. It said that sociotherapy "designates non-medical, social, and work-related components of the care process." At other times, it is defined according to the specific population targeted. A criminal justice
addiction services firm offered its definition, "Sociological counseling or sociotherapy is the practice of positive social change methods or modalities for treatment of ineffective human behavior." There are others that share that definition but would rather not focus on "ineffective human behavior" but rather all behavior.
Sociotherapy has been used in the treatment and education of adolescents at Kanner Academy and Community Schools in Sarasota Florida USA. In These settings the working definition of sociotherapy is the practice of promoting healthy growth and living by facilitating therapeutic communities, personal relationships and positive peer culture. It is better known as the "relationship therapy."
, sociotherapists or life enrichment therapists are required to have at least a bachelor's degree
in the social sciences and have work experience studying individuals; most are credentialed beyond this minimum requirement. In other parts of the world, especially in Europe
, sociotherapists are board certified by professional bodies and hold college and university professional degrees beyond the master's degree
.
. In this example, the sociotherapist would also use activities like games and exercises to monitor an individual's mental health
and use interaction with other residents as a tool to improve that mental health.
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
, and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
that involves the study of groups of people, its constituent individuals and their behavior, using learned information in case and care management towards holistic life enrichment or improvement of social and life conditions.
The professional practitioner of the field, who may be called a sociotherapist or life enrichment therapist, sometimes called a clinical sociologist, is usually concurrently a member of another relevant profession: medical doctor, psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, nurse, social worker, sociologist, criminologist, activity and recreational professionals, among others. Clinical sociotherapy usually targets groups of children, youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
s or elderly, employed in various settings such as treatment facilities or lifecare communities like nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
s and are directly involved in case management and care planning
Nursing care plan
A nursing care plan outlines the nursing care to be provided to an individual/family/community. It is a set of actions the nurse will implement to resolve/support nursing diagnoses identified by nursing assessment. The creation of the plan is an intermediate stage of the nursing process...
.
Professional definition
Still in its infancy as a social science and profession, sociotherapy is ill-defined and thus takes many forms, according to the respective definitions created by the individual therapists, firms and institutions that employ sociotherapists and life enrichment therapists. The Society for the Furtherance of Sociotherapy defines sociotherapy as "the methodical management of the living environment of a group of clients, directed towards reaching the treatment targets of this group—and conceived as a means of achieving the treatment targets of the individual client—within a functional unit, usually in a clinical treatment setting." This definition is most accepted especially in lifecare communities such as nursing homes.The Sociotherapy Association in the United States describes sociotherapy as "the practice of promoting healthy growth and living by facilitating therapeutic communities, personal relationships and positive peer culture," and states that the field is best known as "relationship therapy." The Society for the Furtherance of Sociotherapy says: "Sociotherapy operates through a holistic vision of mankind. That is to say that the human being is seen as a somatic, psychic, social and spiritual unity, which is unique because of his own history of growth."
Definition of sociotherapy as a social science and profession is also based on regional dicta. For example, the public health insurance system of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
offered a uniquely German definition in order to subsidize treatment by sociotherapeutic professionals. It said that sociotherapy "designates non-medical, social, and work-related components of the care process." At other times, it is defined according to the specific population targeted. A criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
addiction services firm offered its definition, "Sociological counseling or sociotherapy is the practice of positive social change methods or modalities for treatment of ineffective human behavior." There are others that share that definition but would rather not focus on "ineffective human behavior" but rather all behavior.
Sociotherapy has been used in the treatment and education of adolescents at Kanner Academy and Community Schools in Sarasota Florida USA. In These settings the working definition of sociotherapy is the practice of promoting healthy growth and living by facilitating therapeutic communities, personal relationships and positive peer culture. It is better known as the "relationship therapy."
Credentialing professionals
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, sociotherapists or life enrichment therapists are required to have at least a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in the social sciences and have work experience studying individuals; most are credentialed beyond this minimum requirement. In other parts of the world, especially in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, sociotherapists are board certified by professional bodies and hold college and university professional degrees beyond the master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
.
Developing methods and theories
Sociotherapists are constantly involved in creating and refining theories in group and socialization dynamics. For example, a sociotherapist in a nursing home may experiment on the various methods one might employ to lure an introverted resident to activities and thus reduce the resident's risk of social isolation, which may be linked to the continued progression of that resident's dementiaDementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
. In this example, the sociotherapist would also use activities like games and exercises to monitor an individual's mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
and use interaction with other residents as a tool to improve that mental health.