A New Tool for Social Work Education
The Mezzo-Informed Ethical Decision-Making Model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/28829Keywords:
ethics, ethical decision-making model, culture, social work educationAbstract
Traditional ethical decision-making models largely address dilemmas through the lens of the individual social worker and client. These models do not consistently examine privilege and other cultural factors, mezzo and macro contexts, and the larger team in the work setting. While nearly all existing decision-making models focus on the one-on-one relationship between clients and social workers, the Mezzo-Informed Ethical Decision-Making Model is a new 10-step tool that builds on existing work and adds organizational considerations, as well as the provider’s social privileges and biases, cultural responsiveness, and impacts on the community and agency. The model, designed for teaching students and early-career providers, is presented step-by-step with an illustrative case study. The Mezzo-Informed Model fills a gap in current approaches by accounting for the mezzo system of an agency where others are involved in the process, knowing that the individual provider is frequently not the sole decision-maker. Behavioral health educators are encouraged to use this model paired with a case study to support students in developing ethical critical thinking skills.
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