A Clinical Sociologist’s Journey as Children’s Rights Advocate

Career decisions are not randomly made; they are the result of personal experiences that drive our motivations and interests. Many of these occur when we are children, which is defined by the United Nations as any time before age 18. This article considers the importance of the social construction of children’s lives and the importance of autobiographical memory in understanding our professional choices. It chronicles some of the journey and insights behind one scholar’s drive to promote the issue of children’s human rights and its relationship to clinical sociological policy and practice. The use of a clinical sociological approach could reduce harm and improve benefits to children, families, and society.