Do You Know the Difference Between Micro-,

Mezzo- and Macro-Level Social Work?

February 27, 2018

 Practice

Social work doesn’t just help individual people. Instead, it works across three scales — micro,
mezzo and macro — to create change.

What does a social worker do? If you believe the mainstream media, which generally portrays
social workers engaging in one-on-one sessions with individuals or perhaps with families, you
might perceive the position as one that functions on a relatively small scale.

In reality, this is only one type of work that social workers do. The practice is typically
categorized into three interrelated scales: micro, mezzo and macro. For those considering a
career in social work, an understanding of the vast opportunities available at each level is
imperative.

1) Micro-Level

When people imagine the day-to-day activities of social workers, they’re usually thinking about
the micro level. This is the most common type of social work, and involves direct interaction
with clients to address individual problems.

Common examples of micro-level work include helping people find housing, health care and
social services. Individual and family counseling also fall under this category, as do certain kinds
of mental health and substance abuse treatment. Micro-level social work can be offered by
agencies and nonprofits, as well as in schools, police departments or even the military.

Since micro-level social work involves sensitive interactions with individuals, undergraduate
degrees in fields like psychology or sociology can be especially helpful for students hoping to
work in this field.

2) Mezzo-Level

While micro social work happens on an individual level, mezzo-level social work zooms out to
look at groups instead of individuals. Of course, the smallest “group” is the family unit, but
mezzo social work extends far beyond that. Many practitioners use micro and mezzo social work
simultaneously to solve problems in businesses, schools, organizations and communities.

Since mezzo-level social work addresses group issues, it is a valuable tool for creating small-
scale institutional, social and cultural change. Undergraduate degrees in psychology (with an
emphasis on group psychology) or sociology help build a solid foundation for this kind of work.

3) Macro-Level

Macro-level social work involves interventions and advocacy on a large scale, affecting entire
communities, states or even countries. It helps clients by intervening in large systems that may
seem beyond the reach of individuals.

For many people unfamiliar with the field, macro-level work may not even be recognizable as
social work. Macro social workers may be involved in crafting laws or petitioning local, state or
even federal governments for funds to help communities. They may also organize state- or
nation-wide activist campaigns.

Since macro social work often involves governmental assistance or interventions, an

undergraduate background in a macro-level discipline like political science will prepare students
well for this career path.

Working Across the Scales

While certain social workers specialize in one aspect of the micro-to-macro scale, most social
workers interact with all three levels. As such, social workers must understand the entire
spectrum and how the scales interact.

Think of a school counselor, for example, who is tasked with helping a child who is facing
difficulties at school and acting out. While the initial interaction between counselor and student
represents social work on the micro-level, the counselor may discover that the child is reacting to
negative situations at home. At this point, the social worker may move into the mezzo level to
address the family conflicts at the root of the student’s behavior. This can easily scale up to the
macro level: if familial instability is caused by adverse economic conditions, the social worker
could, in turn, begin to advocate for better job training within the community.
Without an understanding of every stage from micro to macro, social workers will struggle to
enact individual, group or society-wide change. Success in social work depends on the ability to
seamlessly navigate and combine all levels of social work to deliver successful outcomes for
clients and communities.