When candidates choose to pursue the field of social work, they have the option of choosing from different areas, and mezzo social work is a popular choice. With society as it is today, social workers are being called upon more than ever to work with individuals, schools and even large organizations. Social work is generally broken down into different levels: micro, macro and mezzo. How do they differ from each other and what exactly is mezzo social work? Learn more about mezzo social work as well as who and where it can help the most.
What is Mezzo Social Work?
In a practical setting, mezzo social work is one of three levels of social work. Social workers working at the micro level deal with one person or one family while macro social workers work with a large city or community. Mezzo social workers fall somewhere in between those two areas. Mezzo social workers work with smaller groups or institutions. They work with small-to-medium-size groups of people such as a school, small neighborhood or a local group. Rather than working with individual clients, mezzo social work might involve managing a social work organization, organizing a community or instituting a culture change in a group of people.
Who Will a Mezzo Social Worker Work With?
A mezzo social worker will work with a small-to-medium-sized local organization, a school, a business, a neighbor or even a small group of people. Rather than focus on getting one person to change, the mezzo social worker focuses on promoting change within a whole group. These three levels of social work often overlap each other. Mezzo social workers generally have experience in both micro and macro social work and use this experience to help them face the challenges needed to promote change in a group.
A mezzo social worker must be experienced in community involvement and interpersonal relations. Examples of projects that could require mezzo social workers include initiating local workshops for unemployed individuals; starting a free clinic for low-income people in the community or establishing a city health program to help new parents learn about good nutrition.
How to Become a Mezzo Social Worker
Individuals interested in becoming a mezzo social worker must complete a training program and are usually required to have at least a bachelor’s degree in psychology or social work. The student may be required to be part of a mezzo level intervention as part of the degree requirement. Once the bachelor’s degree is earned, the candidate should enroll in a master’s degree program with a specialization in mezzo social work.
Most states require social workers to be either certified or licensed. Licensure requirements vary from state to state but most require completing the education requirements, completing an internship and passing a licensing exam. The Association of Social Work Boards offers licensing information on different states. Mezzo social workers must have good communication, interpersonal, problem-solving, organizational and emotional skills.
Related Resource: Top 10 Affordable Master of Social Work Online (MSW) Degrees
Social workers are in demand and can expect to see an employment growth of 11% during the 2018-2028 decade according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Social workers who specialize in a certain area of social work, such as mezzo social work, may see even better career opportunities while being able to help many people in many areas of their lives.