Introduction to Social Work: An Advocacy-Based Profession

by Lisa E. Cox, Carolyn J. Tice, Dennis D. Long

Overview

The best-selling Introduction to Social Work takes students on an exploration of what social work is, what it was historically, and how to practically and effectively be an advocate as a social worker moving forward. Built on a unique advocacy practice and policy model comprised of four components—economic and social justice, a supportive environment, human needs and rights, and political access—this book provides an crucial lens for viewing today’s social issues. 

Authors Lisa E. Cox, Carolyn J. Tice and Dennis D. Long emphasize advocacy throughout all of the sectors of social work, include a focus on environmental, international, and military social work, and stress the importance of interprofessionalism.  

Written with a person-first approach, this Fourth Edition closely aligns with the latest Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), references the Code of Ethics from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and includes profound discussion of societal impacts on areas of public health, policy, juvenile justice, race, inequality, social movements, self-care, etc.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071929155
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/06/2026
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook

About the Author

Lisa E. Cox, Lisa E. Cox, Ph D, LCSW, MSW, is professor of social work and gerontology and a former social work program chair at Stockton University. Prior to 1999, Dr. Cox held a joint faculty appointment at Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU's) School of Medicine (Richmond AIDS Consortium) and School of Social Work, where she taught MSW students and served as a pioneering AIDS clinical trial social worker with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease–funded Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS. Dr. Cox received BA degrees in History/Political Science and Spanish from Bridgewater College and her MSW and Ph D degrees from VCU. From 2007 to 2025, she served as a fellow, research scholar, advisory board member, and research chair for the Stockton Center on Successful Aging. Dr. Cox teaches undergraduate- and graduate-level classes in social work practice, gerontology, HIV/AIDS, research, psychopathology and cultural neuroscience, and clinical social work in health care. She has co-led study tours to Costa Rica and traveled throughout Europe, India, Nepal, Mexico, and Australia. She was a 2014 faculty scholar with the Geriatric Education Center Initiative and is a ten-year governor appointee to and vice chair for the New Jersey Board of Social Work Examiners. As a long-standing member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Dr. Cox has shared her vast practice experience by holding numerous leadership roles within NASW: National Advisory Board member to the Spectrum HIV/AIDS Project, chair of the Health Specialty Practice Section, Standards for Social Work Practice in Health Care Settings Task Force expert, long-term care liaison to the Joint Commission on Health Care, and unit chairperson. Dr. Cox has presented her scholarship nationally and internationally. As the coauthor of numerous books, Dr. Cox has also authored several book chapters and numerous journal articles focused on health social work, gerontology, international social work, social support, medication adherence, and social work licensure. In 2024, Dr. Cox was approved as a Fulbright Teaching Specialist; and, since 2022 Dr. Cox has been a PASWHA (Professional Association of Social Workers and HIV/AIDS) Board member and an Atlantic County Mental Health Advisory Board member. Dr. Cox relaxes by playing the piano, walking on the beach/boardwalk, watching baseball, and listening to music.

Carolyn J. Tice, DSW, ACSW, was professor and associate dean of the Baccalaureate Social Work Program, School of Social Work, University of Maryland, from July 2002 to August 2020. Her prior 9-year appointment was as chair of the Department of Social Work, Ohio University, where she introduced the Masters in Social Work (MSW) with a focus on rural policy and practice. Dr. Tice received her BSW from West Virginia University and an MSW from Temple University, and she completed her DSW at the University of Pennsylvania, where she worked with Hmong refugees. She holds a Certificate in Administration from the Wharton School. Dr. Tice is the coauthor of numerous books and peer-reviewed articles; her scholarship focuses primarily on the development of critical-thinking skills and social work practice and policy from a strengths and advocacy perspective. She is on the editorial board of the Journal of Teaching in Social Work and serves as a book prospectus reviewer for Wadsworth, SAGE, and Wiley. In 2008, she was named a Fulbright specialist and traveled to Mongolia to assist in the development of social work programs. Dr. Tice has worked with the Fulbright program for 9 years as an application reviewer. Her other international social work experiences include program development in Botswana, India, Portugal, Taiwan, Vietnam, and China. Dr. Tice is a member of the Council of Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers, and she is associated with the American Friends Service Committee and the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Dr. Tice is the proprietor of Olde Friends, a booth in an antique store located on the southern New Jersey coastline.

Dennis D. Long, Ph D, ACSW, is an Emeritus Professor of Social Work at Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio). Dr. Long previously served as professor and chair of the Department of Social Work and as the associate dean and interim dean of the College of Professional Sciences at Xavier University. From 2006 to 2012, he was a professor and chair of the Department of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He received his BA in sociology and psychology from Ohio Northern University, his MSW from The Ohio State University, and his Ph D in sociology from the University of Cincinnati. The coauthor of numerous other books and articles, Dr. Long has focused his scholarship, leadership, and teaching in the areas of advocacy and macro social work, with special interests in community-based and international practice. He has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Teaching in Social Work and over many years was a long-standing member of the National Association of Social Workers and Council on Social Work Education. Dr. Long has provided leadership on numerous community and national boards, including the Butler County Mental Health Board, Oesterlen Services for Youth, Charlotte Family Housing, and the National Board of Examiners in Optometry.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Foreword
Part I: Understanding Social Work
Chapter 1: The Social Work Profession
The Social Work Profession: Purpose and Goals
Social Work and Human Diversity
Informing Practice
Social Work Education
Social Work Practice
Summary
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Key Terms
Chapter 2: The History of Social Work
Social Welfare
The Role of Social Welfare in Early America
The Progressive Era and World War I
The Great Depression and World War II
America’s War on Poverty: 1960 to 1967
Presidential Actions: 1981 to 2001
The Limitations of Social Welfare
Summary
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Key Terms
Chapter 3: Generalist Social Work Practice
Knowledge Base for Generalist Social Workers
Theoretical Foundations of Generalist Practice
Opportunities for Generalist Practice
The Change Process
Summary
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Key Terms
Chapter 4: Advocacy in Social Work
Advocacy
The Need for Professional Advocates
Social Workers and Social Change
A Model for Dynamic Advocacy
Tenets of the Advocacy Practice and Policy Model
Summary
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Key Terms
Part II: Responding to Need
Chapter 5: Poverty and Inequality
Poverty
The Face of Poverty
Social Service Programs for People With Low Incomes
Current Trends in Advocacy With People Living in Poverty
Summary
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Key Terms
Chapter 6: Family and Child Welfare
Today’s Diverse Families
Family Problems
Development of Child Welfare Services
Key Child and Family Services
Support for Child and Family Services
Social Work in Schools
Diversity and Family and Child Welfare
Advocacy on Behalf of Families and Children
Your Career in Family and Child Welfare
Summary
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Key Terms
Chapter 7: Social Work in Health Care
Health Challenges and the American Health Care System
Health Care Policies, Programs, and Services
Health Care Trends
Health Care and Social Work
Diversity Intersections in Health Care
Dynamic Advocacy With People Experiencing Health Care Challenges
Your Career in Health Care
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Chapter 8: Physical, Cognitive, and Developmental Challenges and Disabilities
Physical, Cognitive, and Developmental Challenges or Disabilities
Social Work With People Living With Physical, Cognitive, and Developmental Challenges or Disabilities
Diversity and Physical, Cognitive, and Developmental Challenges or Disabilities
Dynamic Advocacy on Behalf of People With Physical, Cognitive, and Developmental Challenges or Disabilities
Your Career Working With People Who Have Physical, Cognitive, and Developmental Challenges Or Disabilities
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Chapter 9: Mental Health
Mental Health and Mental Disorders
Evolution of the Mental Health System
Social Work Practice in Mental Health
Diversity and Mental Health Services
Dynamic Advocacy With People Who Have Mental Health Challenges or Disorders
Your Career in Mental Health Social Work
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Chapter 10: Substance Use and Addiction
Substance Use and Addiction
Addictive Substances and Behaviors
Policies Related to Substance Use
Social Work Practice in Substance Use and Addiction
Diversity and Substance Use
Dynamic Advocacy and Substance Use Disorder
Your Career in Substance Use and Addictions
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Chapter 11: Helping Older Adults
Aging and Older Adults
Gerontological Social Work Practice
Biological and Physiological Aspects of Aging
Cognitive and Psychological Aspects of Aging
Spiritual and Religious Aspects of Aging
Diversity and Aging
Dynamic Advocacy and Aging
Your Career in Gerontology
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Question
Exercises
Glossary
Chapter 12: Criminal Justice
Introduction to Social Work and Criminal Justice
Central Concepts in Criminal Justice and Crime
Conflicting Attitudes About Those Who Commit Crimes
Social Workers and the Criminal Justice System
Contemporary Criminal Justice Topics for Social Workers
Advantaged and Disadvantaged Groups in the Criminal Justice System
Dynamic Advocacy and Criminal Justice
Your Career in Criminal Justice
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Chapter 13: Veterans, Service Members, Their Families, and Military Social Work
Military Social Work
Military Culture
Issues Affecting Service Members, Veterans, and Their Family Members
Social Work With Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families
Diversity and Military Social Work
Dynamic Advocacy for Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families
Your Career in Military Social Work
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Part III: Working in Changing Contexts
Chapter 14: Communities at Risk and Housing
Central Concepts Regarding Communities and Housing
Types of Housing
Clients’ Housing Issues
Social Work with At-Risk Communities
Policy Issues Related to Communities and Housing
Diversity and Housing
Dynamic Advocacy and Housing
Your Career in Housing Services and Community Practice
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Chapter 15: The Changing Workplace
The History of Work in the United States
Social Work Practice in the Workforce
Social Welfare and the Changing Workplace
Diversity and the Changing Workplace
Dynamic Advocacy and the Changing Workplace
Your Career in the World of Work
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Chapter 16: Environmentalism
Environmentalism and Social Work
Environmental Issues
Diversity and Environmentalism
Dynamic Advocacy and Environmentalism
Your Career in Environmentalism
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Chapter 17: International Social Work
International Social Work Practice
Current Issues Facing International Social Workers
Diversity and International Practice
Dynamic Advocacy and International Social Work
Your Career in International Social Work
Summary
Key Concepts
Discussion Questions
Exercises
Glossary
Epilogue
Appendix A: Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers
Appendix B: Commonly Used Drugs Chart
Appendix C: Offense Analysis, United States, 2015-2019

Editorial Reviews

"I wish we had had this text when I was in my undergraduate social work program. "

Marcia Shobe

A well-balanced, action-oriented social work book that speaks to advocacy as the heart of the profession.”

Halaevalu F.O. Vakalahi

I can imagine students who have no knowledge of social work reading this text as a part of class and getting excited about the possibilities for the kind of work they could do.”

Alice Gates

This is an incredibly readable text.”

John Q. Hodges

The breadth of coverage is very good, from the basic areas of practice (children, aging, etc.) to ‘newer’ areas like global/international issues and environmentalism. The book’s discussion of international issues makes them seem relevant to today’s social workers wherever they are practicing, and this is an important contribution.”

Carol Jabs

I have shared with others how grateful I am to have a textbook that is readable and relevant. The Introduction to Social Work book I have adopted for my social work course is engaging, dynamic and relevant. Students actually read the book and discuss what they have read. The book is thorough but not complicated just like an introductory book should be!

Survey Monkey Pre-Revision Review - Jill Gomez

"I think that Vantage [is] an ideal system that will promote engagement of students."

Linda Trautman

"I have used every other major digital platform that exists, and I can say that Vantage has no equal."

William Parent

"My learners really enjoyed the SAGE Vantage experience. Many of them said it forced them to read, which aided in their comprehension…The feedback I received is that they all really enjoyed the interactive nature of the program, as well as the [number] of activities..."

Daniel Amoruso

"With Vantage, I set up my course in under 10 minutes, which is unheard of...I love Vantage!"

Karin Machluf

"Student performance after implementing Vantage is incredible...this is a really tangible way to see that."

Karen Deeming

"This is the smoothest student onboarding process I have ever experienced. Everything is syncing and the students were able to figure things out with almost no help from me."

Echo Leaver

"...Really going to deepen students' understanding and...boost their comprehension."

Daniel Okamura

"Extremely valuable! Interactive, engaging and simple to use."

Alyssa Salazar

"It really helps you wrap your head around what you're learning and come to a complete understanding of the course material."

Aubrey Akins

"I am really excited to have tools that help motivate students to actually do the reading..."

Emily Hopkins