Individuals, Groups & Families
Individuals, Groups and Families Practice (IGFP) prepares students to improve the well-being of clients as they empower themselves personally and politically; restore and enhance their social well-being; and resolve challenging life situations.
Through the professional relationship, clients are supported to:
- Strengthen and reach their personal potential
- Understand and cope with specific situations and stressors
- Develop effective forms of self-expression and communication
- Develop positive interpersonal relationships
- Influence their physical and social environments to better meet their needs
- Understand and secure their rights and entitlements
- Utilize personal, interpersonal, and environmental resources
IGFP can be an ideal choice for individuals who are passionate about using their strengths to help others build healthy relationships and create positive change; undergraduates in disciplines such as psychology and human development and family sciences; and working adults who have experience working in social service agencies or as teachers.
IGF social workers may serve in a range of practice settings, public and private, in both urban and rural environments. They may also work to improve access to social services and enhance their quality.
Our alumni find career opportunities in:
- Child welfare agencies
- Family service agencies
- Schools and school districts
- Mental health clinics
- Health care settings
- Youth and children's services
- Community and neighborhood centers
- Criminal justice settings
- Senior centers
- Counseling and therapy practices
"I chose the IGFP concentration because I was confident that it would prepare me to be a well-informed, culturally humble clinician. The courses combined with my field placement where I provide one-on-one and group therapy, have allowed me to gain invaluable experiences and knowledge in behavioral health."
Kelly Sanchez
MSW Student
Community Organizing
Community Organizing (CORG) is one of three specialized concentrations that Master of Social Work (MSW) students can choose as their focus in the degree program. It combines direct service with advocacy, education, and social action to empower individuals to create change in their communities.
Community organizing activities include:
- Building equitable relationships and partnerships with community members
- Shifting power relationships to benefit the community
- Supporting community leaders and leadership development
- Centering individual and community problems within systems that require social change efforts
- Collaborating with communities on needs assessments and identifying solutions
- Increasing access to programs and services
- Identifying strategies to create policy change
- Engaging in outreach and community involvement
- Organizing public meetings and other public actions
- Coordinating and engaging in direct action for social change
- Writing grant proposals and administering programs that serve communities
Community Organizing social workers are people-centered and effective at building relationships to foster change in communities, organizations, and systems. Our alumni serve in a diverse range of settings:
- Community and neighborhood centers
- Nonprofit and advocacy organizations
- Social change coalitions
- Government agencies
- Universities
- Labor unions
- Congressional offices
- Human rights organizations
- International organizations
- Veterans Administration
“UConn School of Social Work was instrumental in my education and development as an organizer. Strong placements, strong classmates and strong connections with faculty are helping build the resources we need to have a stronger more equitable state.”
Gina DeVivo Brassaw, ’02 MSW
Policy Practice
Policy Practice (POPR) concentration prepares students to advocate in organizations and government to improve laws, regulations, and policies that affect vulnerable populations.
This method of social work practice leads to change in public and private institutions and systems to increase equity and improve people's lives. Policy practice activities include:
- Analyzing existing policies and crafting policy proposals
- Administering social programs
- Conducting needs and community assessments
- Using research and data in policymaking
- Writing grant proposals
- Implementing political strategies
- Write legislative policy briefs
Undergraduates in disciplines such as political science, public policy, sociology, urban studies, women's and gender studies, human rights, human development and family sciences, or cultural studies should consider an MSW with a Policy Practice concentration.
Policy Practice students receive a strong foundation in social work and preparation for a professional degree, in addition to skills that promote change in policy and political spaces.
Policy Practice social workers engage in strategies that ensure the political participation of diverse and marginalized people, leading to social change in public and private institutions, organizations and systems.
Our alumni find career opportunities in:
- Public and private not-for-profit agencies
- Connecticut state agencies
- Juvenile and criminal legal settings
- Government and legislative offices
- School districts
- United Nations and international NGOs
- Reproductive and gender rights organizations
- Political seats and staff
- Higher education
- Veterans Administration
“The Policy Practice concentration transcends common narratives about social work. As a policy practitioner, I make an impact and implement change on a large scale. I chose the UConn MSW program because of the faculty’s range of specializations that ensure a diverse learning experience.”
Rebecca Washington
MSW Policy Practice Student