Nevada Clinical Social Worker Licensing
Exam Practice Questions And Correct
Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf
1. A clinical social worker begins working with a client who discloses
thoughts of harming a coworker. The client has identified the person
and describes a possible plan. What is the most appropriate first
action by the clinician?
A. Maintain confidentiality because the client has not acted yet
B. Notify the identified potential victim and appropriate authorities
C. Ignore the statement because it may only be emotional expression
D. Terminate therapy immediately
Answer: B
A clinical social worker has a duty to protect when a client makes a
credible threat against an identifiable person. Ethical and legal standards
require warning the potential victim and notifying authorities when
necessary to prevent harm.
2. In clinical assessment, which instrument is most commonly used to
evaluate a client’s mental status during an initial psychiatric
examination?
A. Beck Depression Inventory
B. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
,C. Mental Status Examination
D. Rorschach Inkblot Test
Answer: C
The Mental Status Examination systematically evaluates appearance,
mood, cognition, perception, insight, and judgment, making it a standard
tool used during initial clinical assessments.
3. A social worker practicing cognitive behavioral therapy helps a client
identify distorted thinking patterns and replace them with realistic
thoughts. This technique is known as:
A. Free association
B. Cognitive restructuring
C. Projective interpretation
D. Catharsis
Answer: B
Cognitive restructuring involves identifying irrational or maladaptive
thoughts and replacing them with more balanced and realistic beliefs,
which is central to cognitive behavioral therapy.
4. During a therapy session, a client unconsciously transfers feelings
about their parent onto the therapist. This phenomenon is called:
A. Countertransference
B. Projection
C. Transference
D. Displacement
Answer: C
Transference occurs when clients redirect feelings originally associated
with significant figures in their lives onto the therapist during treatment.
, 5. Which developmental stage in Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory
focuses on the conflict between identity and role confusion?
A. Adolescence
B. Early childhood
C. Late adulthood
D. Middle adulthood
Answer: A
Erikson identified adolescence as the stage where individuals struggle to
form a stable identity and sense of self, resolving the crisis of identity
versus role confusion.
6. A social worker evaluates a family’s communication patterns and
interaction styles rather than focusing solely on individual behavior.
This approach is most closely associated with:
A. Psychodynamic theory
B. Systems theory
C. Behavioral theory
D. Humanistic theory
Answer: B
Systems theory views individuals as part of interconnected systems, such
as families, and emphasizes understanding relationships and interactions
within the system.
7. A client experiencing panic attacks is taught breathing exercises and
progressive muscle relaxation to reduce physiological arousal. This
intervention is an example of:
A. Exposure therapy
B. Behavioral therapy
C. Relaxation training
D. Psychoanalysis
, Answer: C
Relaxation training involves techniques such as breathing exercises and
muscle relaxation to decrease physical symptoms of anxiety.
8. Which ethical principle requires social workers to promote the well-
being of clients and act in their best interests?
A. Fidelity
B. Beneficence
C. Justice
D. Veracity
Answer: B
Beneficence refers to the ethical obligation to help others and promote
their welfare, a core value in social work practice.
9. A clinician conducting a biopsychosocial assessment gathers
information about which three primary domains?
A. Financial, cultural, and legal
B. Biological, psychological, and social
C. Spiritual, familial, and environmental
D. Emotional, cognitive, and behavioral
Answer: B
The biopsychosocial model examines biological factors, psychological
functioning, and social influences to understand a client’s overall
functioning.
10. Which defense mechanism involves attributing one’s
unacceptable feelings or impulses to another person?
A. Regression
B. Projection
Exam Practice Questions And Correct
Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf
1. A clinical social worker begins working with a client who discloses
thoughts of harming a coworker. The client has identified the person
and describes a possible plan. What is the most appropriate first
action by the clinician?
A. Maintain confidentiality because the client has not acted yet
B. Notify the identified potential victim and appropriate authorities
C. Ignore the statement because it may only be emotional expression
D. Terminate therapy immediately
Answer: B
A clinical social worker has a duty to protect when a client makes a
credible threat against an identifiable person. Ethical and legal standards
require warning the potential victim and notifying authorities when
necessary to prevent harm.
2. In clinical assessment, which instrument is most commonly used to
evaluate a client’s mental status during an initial psychiatric
examination?
A. Beck Depression Inventory
B. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
,C. Mental Status Examination
D. Rorschach Inkblot Test
Answer: C
The Mental Status Examination systematically evaluates appearance,
mood, cognition, perception, insight, and judgment, making it a standard
tool used during initial clinical assessments.
3. A social worker practicing cognitive behavioral therapy helps a client
identify distorted thinking patterns and replace them with realistic
thoughts. This technique is known as:
A. Free association
B. Cognitive restructuring
C. Projective interpretation
D. Catharsis
Answer: B
Cognitive restructuring involves identifying irrational or maladaptive
thoughts and replacing them with more balanced and realistic beliefs,
which is central to cognitive behavioral therapy.
4. During a therapy session, a client unconsciously transfers feelings
about their parent onto the therapist. This phenomenon is called:
A. Countertransference
B. Projection
C. Transference
D. Displacement
Answer: C
Transference occurs when clients redirect feelings originally associated
with significant figures in their lives onto the therapist during treatment.
, 5. Which developmental stage in Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory
focuses on the conflict between identity and role confusion?
A. Adolescence
B. Early childhood
C. Late adulthood
D. Middle adulthood
Answer: A
Erikson identified adolescence as the stage where individuals struggle to
form a stable identity and sense of self, resolving the crisis of identity
versus role confusion.
6. A social worker evaluates a family’s communication patterns and
interaction styles rather than focusing solely on individual behavior.
This approach is most closely associated with:
A. Psychodynamic theory
B. Systems theory
C. Behavioral theory
D. Humanistic theory
Answer: B
Systems theory views individuals as part of interconnected systems, such
as families, and emphasizes understanding relationships and interactions
within the system.
7. A client experiencing panic attacks is taught breathing exercises and
progressive muscle relaxation to reduce physiological arousal. This
intervention is an example of:
A. Exposure therapy
B. Behavioral therapy
C. Relaxation training
D. Psychoanalysis
, Answer: C
Relaxation training involves techniques such as breathing exercises and
muscle relaxation to decrease physical symptoms of anxiety.
8. Which ethical principle requires social workers to promote the well-
being of clients and act in their best interests?
A. Fidelity
B. Beneficence
C. Justice
D. Veracity
Answer: B
Beneficence refers to the ethical obligation to help others and promote
their welfare, a core value in social work practice.
9. A clinician conducting a biopsychosocial assessment gathers
information about which three primary domains?
A. Financial, cultural, and legal
B. Biological, psychological, and social
C. Spiritual, familial, and environmental
D. Emotional, cognitive, and behavioral
Answer: B
The biopsychosocial model examines biological factors, psychological
functioning, and social influences to understand a client’s overall
functioning.
10. Which defense mechanism involves attributing one’s
unacceptable feelings or impulses to another person?
A. Regression
B. Projection
