Social Sociological Care to Improve the Quality of Life

Essentially, professional practice is characterised by a practical orientation towards working not on research alone, but on finding solutions for people and groups in situations of difficulty. It is a question of doing research and finding solutions that are not simply resources in themselves, but which represent relationships with others that induce confidence. And transmitting this trust builds social capital which sustains growth, change, and the strength to overcome critical situations. The consequence of all this is the achievement of a new well-being paradigm and the reformulation of the meaning of quality of life in the context of the needs of the "disadvantaged". Therefore, in our capacity as clinical sociologists, it is not a question of problem-solving and translating our ability to read social situations to the application of problem-solving skills; rather, we strive to frame the context within the confines of a social project – going beyond the restrictive reference to the model of a functional human organism, as usually applies to the work of psychologists – which is an expression of a scenario of forces, wherein the sociology operator and disadvantaged individuals or groups are engaged together and towards which they offer their respective contributions. Thus, the former support change or aid in solving the problem, the latter commit their efforts to overcoming a situation of crisis and achieving a redefinition of themselves as resources for their reference communities. This contribution will seek to illustrate how sociological counselling can be interpreted as an enabling approach which enhances the resources and project-handling capabilities of people, groups and organisations in order to achieve new well-being or an acceptable quality of life. In particular, we will consider two elements crucial to the sociological work here intended: that of creative adaptation and of contact experience.