LCSW Exam – Therapist Development Center Practice Guide (Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Licensing Preparation Material)
A group for women experiencing depression has been meeting for 3 weeks. Several group
members approach the group leader expressing concern that another group member regularly
interrupts and dominates the conversation. What stage of group formation is the group most
likely in?
A. Forming
B. Storming
C. Norming
D. Performing - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is B: Storming. During this stage it is
common for subgroups to emerge, like the one approaching the leader.
A social worker has been meeting with a client for two years who is about to graduate from
college and move back to her home state. The client wishes to continue therapy with the social
worker via teletherapy. The social worker is only licensed in the state the social worker resides.
What is the FIRST thing the social worker should do?
A. Decline to provide teletherapy because it is illegal to do so across state lines.
B. Determine whether the social worker's state board allows teletherapy acros - correct answer
✔✔The correct answer is B: to determine whether the social worker's state board allows
teletherapy across state lines. If they do, then we could do C after this (if the social worker's
state board does not allow this, then there would be no need to do C, which is why we would
do B first). A is incorrect because that is not a true statement as some states do allow this. D is
similarly incorrect because it does not acknowledge the fact that some states do not allow
teletherapy across state lines. (Even if there is a longstanding relationship).
A social worker meets with a 22-year-old woman who reports she is experiencing increased
feelings of anxiety, agitation, and irritability. What should the social worker do NEXT?A.
Consider a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism
B. Refer the client for a psychiatric evaluation
C. Complete a biopsychosocial assessment
,D. Refer the client for a medical evaluation - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is D, to refer
the client for a medical evaluation. The client reports increased feelings of anxiety, agitation,
and irritability. Before doing anything else, we want to discuss the need for a medical evaluation
to rule out a possibly underlying medical reason for her condition. While we aren't expected to
know any and every medical condition, we are expected to know that a medical referral for new
symptoms is best practice. A is outside of our scope of practice; it wouldn't be our job to
consider this specific medical diagnosis, but to refer her to someone who can rule out this and
any other underlying biological cause for her symptoms. B is incorrect, because while at some
point we may make a referral to a psychiatrist for medication, it is not what we would do FIRST.
C could occur after we do D.
All of the following statements describe defense mechanisms EXCEPT:
A. Conscious behavior used by the client to protect the client from the influence of the
therapist.
B. Justifying actions or thoughts to make them seem acceptable when unconsciously they are
not.
C. Rejecting or attributing unacceptable aspects of one's personality to another individual.
D. The process of protecting oneself from anxiety, feelings of guilt, or undesirable thoughts. -
correct answer ✔✔The best answer here would be A. If we look at the definition provided
above we notice that B, C, and D all incorporate various aspects of defense mechanisms. On the
other hand, A is discussing conscious behaviors or thoughts, whereas defense mechanisms are
on a more unconscious level. That is why as clinicians we need to help client's identify the
various defense mechanisms they may use and bring them to a conscious level.
A social worker has been meeting with a 28-year-old woman for the past six months to work on
issues of depression and suicidal ideation. The social worker observes that on days that she
meets with this client, later in the day she spends a lot of time thinking about death and her
mood is lower. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Use her emotional reaction to explore how the client's suicidal ideation may be impacting
those around her.
B. Seek supervision.
C. Begin meeting with an individ - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is B, to seek
supervision. A is inappropriate because we should not be using countertransference (which is
,about our emotional reactions as the therapist) in therapy. Although it is possible that the
therapist may begin their own therapy (C) at some point, this isn't the FIRST thing we would do.
Individual therapy is something that could be discussed in supervision as one way to manage
the therapist's countertransference. D is premature, as the therapist and client have been
meeting for 6 months and have an established relationship. At this point, there is no need to
refer out.
A social worker has been meeting with a 28-year-old woman for the past six months to work on
issues of depression and suicidal ideation. The social worker observes that on days that she
meets with this client, later in the day she spends a lot of time thinking about death and
experiences a lower mood. What is this an example of?
A. Poor Boundaries.
B. Transference.
C. Countertransference.
D. Trauma Response. - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is C, countertransference. The
therapist is having an emotional reaction to what the client is sharing.
A social worker meets with a 14-year-old client who shares with the social worker that she is
pregnant. She does not want her parents to know she is pregnant. The social worker practices in
a jurisdiction where social workers are required to share this information with the parents of a
minor child. What should the social worker do FIRST:
A. Maintain confidentiality per the client's request
B. Maintain confidentiality due to safety issues that may arise if the parents are informed of her
pregnanc - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is C. While we may want to honor our client's
self-determination and her wishes to have confidentiality maintained (A), the question stem
specifies that the social worker practices in a jurisdiction where we must inform the client's
parents of her pregnancy. Despite our own beliefs about this, we are required to follow the law.
(B) is incorrect because nothing in the question stem states that a safety issue is present
regarding telling the parents. While her parents will need to be informed of her pregnancy (D),
telling the client about this (C) should come first. Additionally, we should explore with the client
how she wants her parents to be informed; she may want to be a part of this rather than the
social worker disclosing this on her behalf.
, A 32 year-old man seeks treatment from a social worker for ongoing problems with both his
personal and professional functioning. He reports that even though he has been moderately
successful in his career, he continues to feel uncertain about his abilities, feeling as if at any
moment he will be exposed as a fraud. When the social worker inquires about his personal
relationships, he looks down and says that he doesn't really let anyone get close to him.
According to Erikson, this client likely e - correct answer ✔✔C, Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt.
The prevailing characteristic that comes through about the client is his lack of self-assurance.
We see him doubting himself professionally and perhaps also personally. This may explain his
tendency to keep others at arm's length (protecting himself from failure). If the 'building blocks'
strategy doesn't work for you, keeping playing with it and find something that does - it's not
important why it works, only that it helps you remember and apply the information when you
need to!
A social work supervisor meets with one of her supervisees for supervision. During this meeting,
the supervisee shares they have become sexually involved with a client. They share they want to
refer the client to another social worker in order to pursue a relationship with them. What is the
FIRST action the supervisor should take?
A. Immediately report the social worker to the board
B. Assist the supervisee in transferring the client to a different social worker
C. Discuss the ethical violations - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is C, to discuss the
ethical violations that are occurring with the supervisee. While A, B, and D are all possible
actions that the supervisor could take at some point, we should always start by speaking with
the social worker first. The social worker is engaging in unethical behavior, so the supervisor
needs to address the ethical violations the social worker is engaging in. The supervisor may
report the supervisee to their board (A), but it wouldn't occur before talking directly to the
supervisee. The supervisee should absolutely end their relationship with the client. Even once
that occurs, the client should be transferred to a different social worker (B). But again, this
wouldn't happen until first speaking with the supervisee about the ethical violations. If the
supervisee isn't willing to engage in ethical practice, they may decide they're unable to continue
providing supervision (D). This still wouldn't occur until after first speaking with the supervisee.
A woman is referred to a social worker by her EAP. The referral indicates that the woman is
frequently absent from work and has difficulty completing projects. During the initial
assessment, the woman avoids answering questions about her relationship with her spouse.
The woman becomes tearful when asked about her family and social supports. The woman
Licensing Preparation Material)
A group for women experiencing depression has been meeting for 3 weeks. Several group
members approach the group leader expressing concern that another group member regularly
interrupts and dominates the conversation. What stage of group formation is the group most
likely in?
A. Forming
B. Storming
C. Norming
D. Performing - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is B: Storming. During this stage it is
common for subgroups to emerge, like the one approaching the leader.
A social worker has been meeting with a client for two years who is about to graduate from
college and move back to her home state. The client wishes to continue therapy with the social
worker via teletherapy. The social worker is only licensed in the state the social worker resides.
What is the FIRST thing the social worker should do?
A. Decline to provide teletherapy because it is illegal to do so across state lines.
B. Determine whether the social worker's state board allows teletherapy acros - correct answer
✔✔The correct answer is B: to determine whether the social worker's state board allows
teletherapy across state lines. If they do, then we could do C after this (if the social worker's
state board does not allow this, then there would be no need to do C, which is why we would
do B first). A is incorrect because that is not a true statement as some states do allow this. D is
similarly incorrect because it does not acknowledge the fact that some states do not allow
teletherapy across state lines. (Even if there is a longstanding relationship).
A social worker meets with a 22-year-old woman who reports she is experiencing increased
feelings of anxiety, agitation, and irritability. What should the social worker do NEXT?A.
Consider a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism
B. Refer the client for a psychiatric evaluation
C. Complete a biopsychosocial assessment
,D. Refer the client for a medical evaluation - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is D, to refer
the client for a medical evaluation. The client reports increased feelings of anxiety, agitation,
and irritability. Before doing anything else, we want to discuss the need for a medical evaluation
to rule out a possibly underlying medical reason for her condition. While we aren't expected to
know any and every medical condition, we are expected to know that a medical referral for new
symptoms is best practice. A is outside of our scope of practice; it wouldn't be our job to
consider this specific medical diagnosis, but to refer her to someone who can rule out this and
any other underlying biological cause for her symptoms. B is incorrect, because while at some
point we may make a referral to a psychiatrist for medication, it is not what we would do FIRST.
C could occur after we do D.
All of the following statements describe defense mechanisms EXCEPT:
A. Conscious behavior used by the client to protect the client from the influence of the
therapist.
B. Justifying actions or thoughts to make them seem acceptable when unconsciously they are
not.
C. Rejecting or attributing unacceptable aspects of one's personality to another individual.
D. The process of protecting oneself from anxiety, feelings of guilt, or undesirable thoughts. -
correct answer ✔✔The best answer here would be A. If we look at the definition provided
above we notice that B, C, and D all incorporate various aspects of defense mechanisms. On the
other hand, A is discussing conscious behaviors or thoughts, whereas defense mechanisms are
on a more unconscious level. That is why as clinicians we need to help client's identify the
various defense mechanisms they may use and bring them to a conscious level.
A social worker has been meeting with a 28-year-old woman for the past six months to work on
issues of depression and suicidal ideation. The social worker observes that on days that she
meets with this client, later in the day she spends a lot of time thinking about death and her
mood is lower. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Use her emotional reaction to explore how the client's suicidal ideation may be impacting
those around her.
B. Seek supervision.
C. Begin meeting with an individ - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is B, to seek
supervision. A is inappropriate because we should not be using countertransference (which is
,about our emotional reactions as the therapist) in therapy. Although it is possible that the
therapist may begin their own therapy (C) at some point, this isn't the FIRST thing we would do.
Individual therapy is something that could be discussed in supervision as one way to manage
the therapist's countertransference. D is premature, as the therapist and client have been
meeting for 6 months and have an established relationship. At this point, there is no need to
refer out.
A social worker has been meeting with a 28-year-old woman for the past six months to work on
issues of depression and suicidal ideation. The social worker observes that on days that she
meets with this client, later in the day she spends a lot of time thinking about death and
experiences a lower mood. What is this an example of?
A. Poor Boundaries.
B. Transference.
C. Countertransference.
D. Trauma Response. - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is C, countertransference. The
therapist is having an emotional reaction to what the client is sharing.
A social worker meets with a 14-year-old client who shares with the social worker that she is
pregnant. She does not want her parents to know she is pregnant. The social worker practices in
a jurisdiction where social workers are required to share this information with the parents of a
minor child. What should the social worker do FIRST:
A. Maintain confidentiality per the client's request
B. Maintain confidentiality due to safety issues that may arise if the parents are informed of her
pregnanc - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is C. While we may want to honor our client's
self-determination and her wishes to have confidentiality maintained (A), the question stem
specifies that the social worker practices in a jurisdiction where we must inform the client's
parents of her pregnancy. Despite our own beliefs about this, we are required to follow the law.
(B) is incorrect because nothing in the question stem states that a safety issue is present
regarding telling the parents. While her parents will need to be informed of her pregnancy (D),
telling the client about this (C) should come first. Additionally, we should explore with the client
how she wants her parents to be informed; she may want to be a part of this rather than the
social worker disclosing this on her behalf.
, A 32 year-old man seeks treatment from a social worker for ongoing problems with both his
personal and professional functioning. He reports that even though he has been moderately
successful in his career, he continues to feel uncertain about his abilities, feeling as if at any
moment he will be exposed as a fraud. When the social worker inquires about his personal
relationships, he looks down and says that he doesn't really let anyone get close to him.
According to Erikson, this client likely e - correct answer ✔✔C, Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt.
The prevailing characteristic that comes through about the client is his lack of self-assurance.
We see him doubting himself professionally and perhaps also personally. This may explain his
tendency to keep others at arm's length (protecting himself from failure). If the 'building blocks'
strategy doesn't work for you, keeping playing with it and find something that does - it's not
important why it works, only that it helps you remember and apply the information when you
need to!
A social work supervisor meets with one of her supervisees for supervision. During this meeting,
the supervisee shares they have become sexually involved with a client. They share they want to
refer the client to another social worker in order to pursue a relationship with them. What is the
FIRST action the supervisor should take?
A. Immediately report the social worker to the board
B. Assist the supervisee in transferring the client to a different social worker
C. Discuss the ethical violations - correct answer ✔✔The correct answer is C, to discuss the
ethical violations that are occurring with the supervisee. While A, B, and D are all possible
actions that the supervisor could take at some point, we should always start by speaking with
the social worker first. The social worker is engaging in unethical behavior, so the supervisor
needs to address the ethical violations the social worker is engaging in. The supervisor may
report the supervisee to their board (A), but it wouldn't occur before talking directly to the
supervisee. The supervisee should absolutely end their relationship with the client. Even once
that occurs, the client should be transferred to a different social worker (B). But again, this
wouldn't happen until first speaking with the supervisee about the ethical violations. If the
supervisee isn't willing to engage in ethical practice, they may decide they're unable to continue
providing supervision (D). This still wouldn't occur until after first speaking with the supervisee.
A woman is referred to a social worker by her EAP. The referral indicates that the woman is
frequently absent from work and has difficulty completing projects. During the initial
assessment, the woman avoids answering questions about her relationship with her spouse.
The woman becomes tearful when asked about her family and social supports. The woman
