Socjoterapia w specjalistycznych placówkach wsparcia dziennego i młodzieżowych ośrodkach socjoterapii

Abstract

The aim of this article is to describe how sociotherapy is conducted in Specialised Sociotherapy
Day Care Centres and Youth Sociotherapy Centres. These institutions are an important part of
the Polish assistance and support system, providing educational, upbringing and therapeutic
activities for children and young people. Sociotherapy Day Centres mainly target children and
young people from at-risk groups, while Youth Sociotherapy Centres provide support to young
people at risk of social maladjustment who require more intensive educational and therapeutic
interventions. In both types of facilities, sociotherapy is primarily implemented in the form of
social and educational activities, supplemented by individual forms of support and therapeutic
group work. However, an analysis of the literature on the subject indicates that the latter dimension
– sociotherapy understood as specialised therapeutic work with a group – is sometimes
underestimated in practice, which may limit the effectiveness of interventions in both types of
institutions. There is a need for scientific research to understand the specifics of sociotherapeutic
interventions in order to develop a catalogue of good practices in these institutions.