Missed/Difficult Questions from test Flashcards
While meeting with the prospective adoptive parents of a 10-year-old girl, the social worker overhears the parents calling the child a “moron” and “dumb” for not understanding her homework. When the social worker asks the parents to not use these negative comments, the parents continue to do so, saying, “She knows we don’t really mean it.” The social worker should:
A. Refer the parents to a group for adoptive parents.
B. Educate the parents about the destructive impact of such language.
C. Contact Child Protective Services to report emotional abuse.
C
RATIONALE: C is correct because the parents’ statements are emotionally abusive and they must be reported by the social worker as a mandated reporter. While emotional abuse laws vary state to state, for the purposes of the exam (which is nationwide), you can consider emotional abuse reportable. If there is an answer option that says something like “report according to state guidelines” that would be an even better answer option since there is some variance state to state. Because we’ve already talked to them about this behavior and it has continued despite this, it needs to be reported.
A social worker at a family agency meets with a single mother and her three children who live next to a mining site. A teacher referred the family because the children were consistently tired and missing school due to illness. The mother reports that she has no medical insurance and works two jobs to support her family but still struggles to get by. The social worker’s short-term goal should be to:
A. Find more appropriate living arrangements away from the mine.
B. Work with the Department of Health to ensure the safety of the clients.
C. Arrange for the family to be seen by a doctor.
C
RATIONALE: C is correct, because the immediate needs, including family safety, need to be taken care of before other options can be explored. Even though they don’t have insurance, due to the consistent tiredness and illness, we need to help them find a way to see a doctor. This may be a free or low cost clinic, or getting the kids enrolled in free/low cost insurance, etc.). A and B can only be explored once C has been completed.
A mental health clinic has recently taken on several new cases. In determining caseload assignments for the social workers, the clinical director’s MOST important consideration should be the:
A. Social workers’ competence and training in relation to the cases.
B. Issue of whether the social worker is licensed or needs supervision.
C. Clients’ stated preferences.
A
RATIONALE: A is correct because the social workers’ competence needs to be taken into consideration when determining which cases are appropriate for each social worker to take on. While the other factors are also important, they are not the MOST important thing, which is the social worker’s competence.
When using the psychosocial model, which of the following techniques is central to the casework process?
A. Interpretation of transference
B. Advice giving
C. Sustaining procedures
D. Encouragement of catharsis
C
RATIONALE: This is a factual recall question regarding knowledge of casework processes.
Please note: There area few instances throughout each of the mock exams where you’ll come across a term/concept that hasn’t directly been covered in throughout the program. This is both to introduce the term/concept to you before the real exam and to see how you do answering questions you may be unfamiliar with, which is very likely to occur at some point during the actual exam.You can certainly do a brief search on any terms you are unfamiliar with, but extensive research is not necessary or recommended. The Psychosocial Approach looks at an individual’s psychological development in and interaction with their social environment. Sustaining procedures are just anything we do to facilitate the relationship between the social worker and the client. Examples: eye contact, reflective listening, validating, unconditional positive regard, etc.
Different from clinical work, case work doesn’t involve engaging in psychotherapy. When doing case work, a social worker will still engage with the client, gather history/assess, and identify (and prioritize) client needs. Then, rather than engaging in psychotherapy/clinical interventions, the work itself involves identifying resources in the community and getting the client connected to those resources to meet their identified needs.
What is the most effective treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder?
A. Anti-depressant medication
B. Light therapy
C. Cognitive therapy
D. Solution-focused therapy
B
RATIONALE: Light therapy (B), also known as phototherapy, has been shown to be the most effective treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder characterized by depression that occurs at the same time every year (often during the fall/winter months when less daylight occurs). Light therapy is a common, effective treatment for this specific type of depression (and is more effective than Cognitive therapy or antidepressants for this specific type of depression). In severe cases, both A and C could be used in conjunction with light therapy.
A social worker is struggling with a conflict regarding a current client that puts the social worker between two conflicting ethical choices. Upon further exploration, the social worker realizes that each ethical principle requires a different course of action. What is the BEST way for the social worker to resolve the dilemma?
A. Use a solution tree.
B. Determine the relative impact of each course of action.
C. Follow the course of action that least compromises the social worker’s values.
D. Choose the course of action that is most truthful.
B
RATIONALE: In order to resolve the ethical dilemma, it’s important to explore the impact that each course of action has (B). A, C, and D are not specific enough steps to resolve the dilemma and are not the BEST way to resolve the dilemma.
While working on a crisis hotline, a social worker receives an anonymous call from someone who believes her friend’s substance use is leading her to unsafe choices. She is concerned for her friend’s life. During the call, the social worker realizes the friend in question is her client and that the client has never personally shared this information about substance use. The social worker should:
A. Collect as much information as possible about the client without revealing the nature of the relationship.
B. Terminate the call immediately to avoid a conflict of interest.
C. Use the information at the next session.
Should have chosen
D. Suggest ways that the caller can engage the client directly regarding the concerns.
D
RATIONALE: D is the best answer, because it is the only ethical answer-one that maintains client confidentiality while also providing support to the caller. There are a few things we need to keep in mind in a situation like this. First and foremost, we have to maintain client confidentiality. Second, we want to provide help to the caller like we would any other caller. Some people call on behalf of concern for friends/family, and we want to give them tools and resources to be supportive. And lastly, we don’t want to exploit this situation in any way (so we don’t want to treat the caller any different than any other caller, including using them to get more information about the client for future use). So C is out, because it would be breaking the confidentiality of the caller and would be an inappropriate use of information gathered on the call. B is wrong because we still need to provide support to the caller (if answer option B said “transfer the call to another qualified hotline worker” that would be an okay answer option). And A is out because it is inappropriately using the relationship with the caller to learn more about the client than you need-there is no reason to “collect as much information as possible about the client” as this wouldn’t be protocol for a crisis hotline.
A social worker who was a victim of sexual abuse as a child meets with a 25-year-old client who also experienced childhood sexual abuse. The social worker is concerned about working effectively with this client due to her similar experience. The social worker should FIRST:
A. Seek consultation.
B. Refer the client to someone who specializes in sexual abuse.
C. Contact Child Protective Services.
D. Monitor any countertransference during session.
A
RATIONALE: A is the best answer because the social worker needs to seek consultation to address any countertransference issues that may come up in working with someone who has a similar abuse history. B would be important if the social worker did not feel knowledgeable enough to work with the client. C is unnecessary because the client is now an adult–no longer underage. Therefore, the abuse is not reportable at this time. D would be important to do after the social worker has consulted with a supervisor or colleague.
A social worker meets with a 23-year-old girl who recently found out she is pregnant. The client reports that she is considering having an abortion but wants to weigh her options. The social worker is against abortion. The social worker’s BEST course of action is to:
A. Use the countertransference to inform the therapy.
B. Disclose the conflict of interest and let the client decide if she wishes to continue therapy.
C. Refer the client to a therapist whose values are more in line with the client’s.
D. Help the client without bias.
D
RATIONALE: D is the best answer, because the social worker should not let her values interfere with her work with the client. A is not the best course of action as using countertransference in therapy is inappropriate. B would also be inappropriate to do, as we should not be sharing our values with our clients. C is unnecessary, because it shouldn’t matter if a client and social worker’s values are the same for therapy to be effective.
When assessing a client whose husband recently died, the social worker understands that the following is part of normal bereavement:
A. Rumination
B. Dissociation C. Loss of appetite D. Sublimation
C
RATIONALE: This is a factual recall question that requires knowledge of the normal reactions to bereavement.
A social worker at a mental health clinic meets with a single mother who recently moved back in with her mom and stepdad after losing her job. She reports that her stepdad has been threatening to kick her out of the house if she does not contribute more to the household needs. The client says that she is afraid to be around him. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Discuss alternate housing possibilities to empower the client.
B. Encourage the client to call the police. C. Ask the client why she is afraid. D. Develop a safety plan and monitor the client's safety.
C
RATIONALE: The best answer is C because the social worker needs to assess why the client is afraid of her stepdad and whether there is any abuse occurring. A, B, and D would all be steps to take if it was determined that abuse is occurring.
A social worker is completing a psychosocial assessment with a 45-year-old woman. While asking about the client’s current stressors, the social worker learns that the client has been out of work for the past year and recently moved from another state with her husband so she has no social or family supports. The client also reports that she has been emotionally and physically abused by her spouse. The social worker should FIRST help the woman to:
A. Stay safe by developing a plan of action should the abuse escalate.
B. Collaborate on ways to manage the husband’s anger.
C. Process her sadness and sense of isolation.
D. Re-establish her sense of self-worth and independence by finding employment.
A
RATIONALE: This is all about what comes FIRST. The social worker needs to FIRST help the client establish a safety plan before other steps can be taken. B would not help the client stay safe and is not appropriate to do when DV is present. C and D may need to be done, but only after a safety plan has been created.
A 14-year-old girl discloses to a social worker that she has been in a physical relationship with another girl at school. The girl states that she does not want her parents to know about it because they will not understand due to their religious views. The social worker should FIRST:
A. Refer the girl to an LGBT youth group.
B. Explore her concerns regarding telling her parents.
C. Remind the girl that, because she is a minor engaged in sexual activity, the parents must be informed.
D. Suggest the parents come into session to tell them together.
B
RATIONALE: It’s important to FIRST explore why the girl is afraid to tell her parents and what her feelings are around this (B). A and D may be helpful for the student at a later point, once her fears have been addressed. C may also be appropriate later depending on local statutory laws, but understanding why she is concerned to tell them based on what their religious views are is where we should start.
A social worker has been meeting with a client who lost her husband a year ago. The client has had trouble maintaining her finances, since her husband was the one who took care of the bills when he was alive. The client is now two months behind in the payment of fees and has no ability to pay soon. Professional ethics allow the social worker to:
A. Suggest the client find a more appropriate therapist who can accommodate a lower fee.
B. Terminate therapy if it is clear that the client is not a danger to self or others.
C. Inform the client that she can come back to therapy once the bill is paid.
B
RATIONALE: This question asks what “professional ethics allow” (not what we could or should do-just what our code allows us to do). As long as the client is not a danger to herself or others, the Code of Ethics states that a social worker can terminate with a client if the client is no longer able to pay for therapy (B). We would want to make sure to document both the lack of payment and that they are not currently in crisis, and should provide referrals to low/no cost services if we choose to terminate in this type of situation.
A 41-year-old mother of two reports that she is overwhelmed with her children and their constant fighting. During a session, she admits that she sometimes hits her children and locks them in their room without dinner. The client reports that she feels bad doing this and wants help controlling her temper. The social worker’s first responsibility is to:
A. Contact Child Protective Services (CPS).
B. Understand how severely she is hitting her children.
C. Work with the client on managing her overwhelming feelings to keep the children safe.
D. Discuss safe ways in which she can discipline her children without using force.
A
RATIONALE: A is the first responsibility, since social workers are mandated reporters. B is incorrect because regardless of the severity of her hitting her children, she is locking them in their rooms without dinner, which warrants a report. If it didn’t specify that this was occurring, we could determine the type and severity of physical punishment; physical punishment is reportable if it is done with anything other than an open hand OR if it leaves any mark.. C and D would be helpful steps to take only after the social worker has reported the client to CPS.
A community program is being created by a social worker to address substance abuse problems in youth. What should the social worker do FIRST to reach the greatest number of at-risk youth?
A. Develop a youth outpatient treatment program.
B. Establish an outreach group for delinquent youth.
C. Create a prevention program for a specific population.
D. Start a family therapy group for substance-using youth and their families.
C
RATIONALE: Creating a prevention program for a specific population would help reach the greatest amount of at-risk youth. The question specifically states that the program is being created to reach at-risk youth. C is the only answer option in which the youth are still at-risk. If they are in treatment (A) or using substances (B and D), they are no longer ‘at-risk.’
A social worker who has previously worked with families of incarcerated parents is contacted by a school counselor who is concerned about several students who have family members that are incarcerated. What is the social worker’s BEST response?
A. Offer to create a support group for the students.
B. Provide information about community programs for families of the incarcerated. C. Offer to provide family therapy for the students and their non-incarcerated immediate family. D. Provide psychoeducation for the school staff on the impact of incarcerated parents on children
A
RATIONALE: The BEST response here is to create a support group for the students since the social worker has the skills to provide support for those students. The other options may be helpful, but the most helpful response for the students is A.
A lesbian client who is a cashier at a local grocery store reports that she has been receiving negative and discriminatory comments from another cashier. What is the best course of action for the social worker to take?
A. Work with the client on finding a more supportive work environment.
B. Suggest that the client determine the store’s sexual harassment policy by asking Human Resources (HR).
C. Encourage the client to meet with a lawyer to discuss her rights.
D. Refer the client to a civil rights advocacy organization.
B
RATIONALE: B is the best option here, because the social worker needs to help empower the client to address the sexual harassment by speaking with HR (B). The question gives you both the fact that the comments are discriminatory in nature and the fact that she’s a lesbian - for purposes of the exam, that is enough to call it sexual harassment..A and D may be important if the sexual harassment is not addressed by HR. C would not be a necessary action at this time.
A social worker is employed as a case manager at a mental health clinic. While meeting with a client, the social worker learns that the client is being evicted from public housing because her recently estranged husband was convicted as a sexual offender. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Suggest that the client file a complaint against the housing authority.
B. Provide the client with referrals to attorneys to help her complete the divorce process.
C. Help the client through the process of appealing the housing authority’s decision.
D. Identify alternative housing options with the client.
C
RATIONALE: The first concern that needs to be addressed is the client’s eviction. The best way to address this is by helping the client appeal to the housing authority (C). The client is being evicted because of her estranged husbands sex offender conviction. Given that they are recently estranged, it is appropriate to help the client appeal the decision. If the husband and client are estranged (and he is no longer living there), there is no reason the client needs to be evicted. A is incorrect, because filing a complaint does not cause any actions to take place that will get the client her housing back. B and D may be helpful to do after an appeal has been filed.
The personality disorder in which the individual has no desire for close relationships, experiences a sense of apathy, and may have an internal fantasy world is:
A. Antisocial
B. Schizotypal
C. Schizoid
D. Avoidant
C
RATIONALE: This recall item requires basic knowledge of personality disorders. People with Schizoid, as the question stem states, may have an internal fantasy world. Because of their lack of close friendships/relationships and engagement in introverted activities, they will sometimes develop internal fantasies. An internal fantasy world looks like escaping inwardly, could involve excessive daydreaming, etc. This is different from the magical thinking characteristic of Schizotypal Personality Disorder. Magical Thinking is believing that one event happens as a result of another without a plausible link of causation. For example: “I got up on the left side of the bed today; therefore it will rain.”
