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IU School of Social Work Alumni Association

Alumni Profiles

Carol Metzger

Chances are, if it happened in Indianapolis and it had anything to do with social work, Carol Metzger was involved!

Carol was born and raised in Indianapolis. She is the oldest of four children born to her parents. Her father was a police officer and her mother was a housewife. She first became interested in social work in high school when she worked on a project with the children of migrant workers in Mt. Summitt, IN which alerted her to the need for children, in general, to be protected. She also was a volunteer at Central State Hospital where she became aware of the needs of the mentally ill. Carol told her high school biology teacher that she wanted to be a child psychiatrist but her teacher encouraged her to become a social worker, instead.

While attending Marian College in Indianapolis, Carol worked at Christamore House in their after school program for children and she also worked in their summer camp. The staff at Christamore encouraged her to go on to graduate school. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from Marian College in 1969 and, that same year, entered the Indiana University School of Social Work in Indianapolis where she majored in group work. Her first year field work placement was with the YWCA at Lockfield Gardens and her second year placement was at the Juvenile Court. In her spare time, Carol also worked on Social Work Licensure for Indiana in 1969. During her second year in school, Carol’s husband was in Viet Nam and she was at home protesting the war, wherein she began her efforts towards social justice. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Workin 1971.

Carol worked for the Marion County Juvenile Court from 1971-1974. During this time, she facilitated groups, trained staff, and participated in developing a volunteer program. From 1974-1977, she worked at the Marion County Child Guidance Clinic where she did intakes and added family and group components to their delivery system. Then from 1977-1984, she helped create and launch an employee assistance program agency. In 1984, she started a private practice in Indianapolis which she has continued to this day. Her private practice includes consulting with businesses and other groups, seeing a lot of individuals from various helping professions, seeing children, and seeing people for marital counseling.

In addition to her employment, Carol has also been involved in a number of other social work endeavors. She served as the President of the Central Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers in Indianapolis from 1974-1976. As such, she hired our first part-time executive director and also paved the way for Indiana to establish its’ first State Chapter in 1976. She served as the President of the State Chapter from 1980-1982. She was very involved in child welfare work such as advocating for children who had been sexually abused, contributing to changes in our juvenile code, and participating in three programs funded by the Lilly Endowment to train youth workers.
Carol worked on programs for battered women and helped to open the first shelter in Indianapolis. She was active in the Equal Rights Amendment movement. She served on the advisory board of Fairbanks Hospital regarding women and addictions. Starting in 1974, Carol has taught classes, given lectures and supervised students for the Indiana University School of Social Work. She considers herself to be a trainer and an advocate for children, women, and gays and lesbians.

Carol has been honored as a Kentucky Colonel and she has received the Sagamore of the Wabash Award. She was featured in the Indianapolis Monthly Magazine as one of the top thirty-seven therapists in Indianapolis. She has also served as the President of our Alumni Association.

In 1991, Carol had to put her professional life on hold for a while when she was
diagnosed with breast cancer. Thanks to good medical care and the love and support of her friends and family, she made it through this difficult period and she is doing well.

Carol’s husband is employed at Allisons. They have three children and have also raised a nephew.

I am happy to have Carol as a fellow professional and as a friend.