ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses clinical sociology, a type of sociological practice, and its relation to the human rights paradigm. The clinical sociology specialization is often traced to the fourteenth-century work of Arab scholar and statesperson Abd-al-Rahman Ibn Khaldun. The American clinical sociologists focused on publication, emphasized intervention, designed a certification process, and helped establish a commission that accredits clinical as well as applied and engaged public sociology programs. Billson showcases the creative ways focus groups can be used "to harness the collective understanding of the complexities of human interaction and help uncover layers of and types of information". The participation of clinical sociologists in human rights groups within the International Sociological Association and national and specialty groups such as the American Sociological Association and the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology will give increasing opportunities for human rights specialists and clinical sociologists to engage in joint analyses of situations.
