Call for Papers — EJPAD Special Issue

"Reflections for a Contemporary Clinical Social Work: challenges, experiences and possibilities for intervention"

Submissions are welcome as research articles, academic essays, case analyses, and intervention analyses.

Introduction

The aim of this special issue is to promote reflection, the exchange of experiences, and the dissemination of knowledge on the contemporary challenges of Clinical Social Work, thereby contributing to the strengthening of a critical, relational, and evidence-based professional practice. Social workers, students, and academics are invited to submit contributions that critically examine intervention processes developed with individuals, families, groups, and communities from a clinical standpoint, fostering dialogue among research, professional practice, and disciplinary training. Manuscripts are expected to provide novel insights, lessons learned, and proposals for the advancement of Clinical Social Work across diverse social and institutional contexts.

Background

Contemporary social, cultural, and institutional transformations demand renewed approaches to understanding and addressing increasingly complex problems. Within this landscape, Clinical Social Work has consolidated as a field of practice that integrates the subjective, relational, familial, community, and structural dimensions of human experience, recognizing that well-being and suffering are shaped by the interplay between individuals and their social environments. From this perspective, clinical intervention transcends the mere application of techniques; it constitutes a reflexive, contextualized, and ethically grounded practice aimed at fostering processes of change, strengthening resources, and promoting biopsychosocial well-being and social justice.

In recent years, Clinical Social Work has experienced renewed development across Latin America, with expanding research on its theoretical foundations, intervention processes, and contributions to diverse areas of professional practice. Nevertheless, persistent challenges remain in consolidating its disciplinary development, strengthening knowledge production, and rendering visible those intervention experiences that advance reflective practice. This special issue seeks to address these challenges by providing a meeting ground for research, teaching, and professional practice, thereby facilitating the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and reflections aimed at strengthening Clinical Social Work across its various domains of action.

Submission types Research articles

Original manuscripts presenting results of qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, evaluative, or participatory research related to Clinical Social Work. Submissions must clearly state the research problem, methodology, results, discussion, and implications for professional practice.

Academic essays

Argumentative texts developing a theoretical or conceptual reflection on a relevant issue within Clinical Social Work. Essays must present a clear thesis, engage critically with the scientific literature, and outline implications for practice, training, research, or social policy.

Case analyses

Manuscripts examining a particular intervention situation. The case should enable analysis of professional decision-making, relational processes, ethical dilemmas, institutional tensions, and clinical learning outcomes, while strictly safeguarding confidentiality.

Analyses of Clinical Social Work interventions

Papers critically analyzing an intervention, program, device, or professional experience, considering its theoretical foundations, strategies, processes, therapeutic relationships, outcomes, tensions, and lessons learned.

Topics of interest

Contributions addressing the following topics, among others, are welcome:

Clinical intervention with individuals, families, couples, groups, and communities Therapeutic alliance and professional helping relationships Mental health, trauma, grief, and reparation processes Domestic and gender-based violence Childhood, adolescence, and protection systems Parenting practices and family diversity Gender, diversities, and interculturality Migration and displacement Care, dependency, and aging Justice, deprivation of liberty, and social reintegration Substance use disorders Relational, collaborative, and strengths-based approaches Ethics, power, and institutional tensions Use of professional self, reflexivity, and supervision Training and innovation in Clinical Social Work Evaluation of clinical intervention processes and outcomes Important dates

September 30, 2026
Manuscript submission deadline

Manuscripts must conform to the journal's editorial guidelines and be submitted through the OJS platform.

Final invitation

This special issue aspires to become a space for dialogue, reflection, and knowledge construction around Clinical Social Work. We invite students, practitioners, academics, and researchers to share research findings, intervention experiences, case analyses, and theoretical reflections that contribute to understanding how to intervene from a clinical approach in the face of contemporary professional challenges.

We hope that the gathered contributions will foster exchange between academia and the diverse settings of intervention, thereby strengthening a reflective clinical practice. Furthermore, we aspire for this issue to advance Clinical Social Work as a disciplinary field by promoting critical analysis of interventions, disseminating lessons derived from professional experience, and generating new knowledge that enriches training, research, and practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities.