Macro-Level Social Work

The concept of social work covers a wide variety of practice, ranging from clinical practice to political activism. The focus of social work has fluctuated over time, with a current emphasis on micro-level practice. Often, it feels that micro and macro social work are pitted against one another, instead of working together to achieve a shared goal. According to many social workers, “it is the predominance of the therapeutic modality that has put the profession out of step with its own mission and on the margins of social change efforts ((Jacobson, 2001). Macro-level and micro-level social work both originated at the turn of the century but stemmed from completely different sources. Macro-level social work grew from the settlement house movement

Macro practice concentrates its efforts on the big picture, battling larger social problems. Micro practice, on the other hand, assists individuals in finding ways to improve the lives of them and their families. Changes in the political climate can also influence the focus of social work. In times of destabilization, repression or social unrest, the door is opened for social reform and macro-level movement increases. In times of prosperity, micro-practice and individual therapy comes to the forefront as complacency overcomes the population, content with the status quo (Abramovitz,

Activism has been on the rise due to recent economic recession and the latest U.S. presidential election (Thomas, 2017). This renewed interest in social issues is an opportunity to promote progressive change. Interventions at a community level can be achieved through social planning, community development and community organizing (Thomas, 2017). Organization developers, social work administrators and program developers have an opportunity to promote positive change in their environment. Social policy advocates and progressive politicians can take advantage of political unrest to push for policy change that wouldn’t be possible in more contented