Abstract

This chapter argues the need of a broader understanding of social work practice for Latin American countries, that, including the traditional goal of pursuing social change, acknowledges the relevance of attending to subjective wellbeing and social unrest, especially in vulnerable populations. To do that, social workers need a formal training in clinical social work. We focus on Chile as a case of study, to describe the difficulties and opportunities the profession has faced to meet that need. We will claim that the contributions clinical social work can make to reach social justice in Latin America, specifically in Chile, would need a specialised professional training in clinical social work which acknowledges critical social work perspective, to avoid reductionism in understanding social problems