Mezzo, Micro and Macro Social Work: Learn the Levels of Social Work With an MSW Degree Online
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From hospitals and housing resource shelters to nonprofit organizations and the halls of Congress, social workers can be found working to forge change for vulnerable individuals. Pursuing a social work career opens the door to a variety of career opportunities, ranging from advocating for policies at the state and federal levels to crafting plans for individual clients seeking social services.
The University of Kentucky’s online Master of Social Work (MSW) degree introduces graduates to all three levels of social work — macro, mezzo and micro — and prepares them for the full spectrum of responsibilities they will encounter in their professional roles. Whether providing direct clinical mental health services, coordinating programming for families experiencing poverty or championing health policy improvements, graduates are trained to meet the evolving demands of the profession.
What Are the Levels of Social Work?
As the National Association of Social Workers highlights, social workers are present in every sector of community life. Schools, hospitals, clinics, private practices, prisons, military branches, corporations and elected offices employ social workers to improve people’s lives. The difference between these positions lies in where social workers focus their attention and how they fit within the three levels of social work.
All three levels are based on the “person-in-environment” (PIE) theory, which explores how individuals are influenced by their surrounding environments, according to EBSCO. The micro level involves the individual’s most basic physical and psychological needs, including their relationships with their family and their own beliefs. The mezzo level encompasses how various small groups — such as families, workplaces and neighborhoods — impact the individual. At the macro level, social work addresses systemic issues that affect individuals, including government, healthcare and policy.
In practice, micro social workers are tasked with working with clients on an individual basis, helping them understand their emotions, learn coping skills and determine how to resolve the challenges they face, according to the National Association of Social Workers. Mezzo social workers carry out similar duties, but on a larger scale. Their focus is on multiple clients or “client systems,” helping to address issues within families, communities, faith groups and schools. Their goals will involve individuals but also include other people and groups that support the individual. Macro social workers have a different audience in mind: the systems that shape the individual’s experience. They aim to advocate for people on a local or global basis by influencing policy.
What Kinds of Jobs Can I Get in Different Types of Social Work?
The skills and certifications obtained through UK’s online MSW program lend themselves to career paths that span micro, mezzo and macro social work. Students can also choose to earn a specialized certificate in Clinical Social Work, Child Welfare, Military Behavioral Health, School Social Work, Trauma-Responsive Practice, Substance Use Disorder and Rural Health and Wellbeing. From there, they can decide how they want to apply that specialized knowledge in the field.
For instance, Social Work to Wealth highlights the various roles social workers can play in the healthcare sector. At the micro level, a clinical social worker may assess why a client is struggling to access mental health care and recommend options for gaining access to the care they need. A mezzo social worker will examine how a family or group of people is struggling to navigate a medical system and recommend internal changes that their institution can make to reduce those challenges. Macro social workers, often acting as community organizers, researchers or lobbyists, can assess the structural issues and failures that have led entire populations to lose access to care.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to job options for social workers, from working on the micro level as community service managers and mental health case workers to guiding families or faith communities as a mezzo social worker. Regardless of which path graduates choose, all three types of social work carry the same underlying principle, according to a research article in Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. They value advocating for people who are facing difficult circumstances and empowering them to navigate the world around them.
Pursue Social Work Career Paths With an MSW From the University of Kentucky
Through UK’s online MSW program, aspiring social workers learn a variety of ways to help vulnerable people gain access to resources and improve their quality of life. It takes engaged, resourceful individuals to facilitate support structures.
With the help of Student Advisors, and a full practicum team, students secure internships that provide them with real-world experience and professional skills that translate directly into their post-graduate careers. Through coursework, research and applied learning, graduates become agents of change who are fluent in micro, mezzo, and macro social work practice.
Learn more about the University of Kentucky’s online Master of Social Work program.