LCSW UPDATED 2027 ANSWERS AND QUESTIONS
SET A+
✔✔An insurance utilization review representative indicates that only one more session
is authorized for a patient who is depressed and has suicidal ideation with no specific
plan. The private practice social worker argues that at least 12 more sessions are
needed to stabilize the patient, but is unsuccessful in convincing the reviewer. The client
cannot afford to pay for further sessions. The social worker should: - ✔✔continue to see
the client and discuss an alternative payment plan
✔✔A woman explains to the social worker that her family is a recent survivor of a
devastating hurricane. She is worried because every time it rains, her six-year-old
daughter becomes terrified and hides in a closet. In behavioral theory, what is this an
example of? - ✔✔Classical conditioning
✔✔A social worker meets regularly with a young adult client who has depression related
to separation and individualization issues. The client reports that his parents were often
demeaning and neglectful of him as a child. The client relates his past in a flat,
unemotional manner. The social worker should: - ✔✔help the client become aware of
his feelings about his parents
✔✔A social worker is working with a client diagnosed with kleptomania. The client
expresses guilt, but says she cannot seem to stop the behavior. The client tells the
social worker that she does not know why she engages in this behavior. What should
the social worker do FIRST? - ✔✔Explore the feelings behind the behavior
✔✔A client has established a behavioral contract to complete homework between
sessions. The next two sessions the client says, "I didn't have time to get it done." The
worker states, "I'm concerned that you contracted to complete your homework and yet
have not done so. What do you think is going on?" The social worker's statement is an
example of the technique of: - ✔✔confrontation
✔✔A client contacts a social worker for help with his anger over his partner's
extramarital affair. During the initial session, the client states he "will do whatever it
,takes" to get even with his partner. What should the social worker do FIRST? - ✔✔Seek
further clarification of the statements
✔✔A retired person requests counseling because of "boredom and feeling worthless."
As a successful middle manager, the client looked forward to retirement and to
spending time with family and friends. However, the client now spends time sleeping
and watching television, rather than enjoying long anticipated pastimes. The social
worker should FIRST inquire about: - ✔✔other symptoms that might indicate depression
✔✔A client comes to a social worker complaining of persistent and intrusive thoughts.
The client asks for help to better manage his thinking. What should the social worker do
FIRST? - ✔✔Ask the client to describe the content of his thoughts
✔✔An 86 year old man recently widowed is encouraged to obtain mental health
services by his minister. He expresses concern that since the death of his wife of 50
years, he has not been able to sleep, has little energy, and often skips meals. The
social worker at the hospital conducts a clinical evaluation of the widower for
depression. What should the social worker do FIRST? - ✔✔Acknowledge the client's
feelings of loss
✔✔A social worker is working with a family. A grandparent, who lives with them, is
having trouble sleeping and may be depressed. The daughter and her husband are
experiencing conflicts about whether or not to move the grandparent into a nursing
home. The social worker should FIRST consider the: - ✔✔guilt family caregivers may
experience when considering nursing home placement
✔✔Which of the following terms BEST describes families that have diffuse boundaries
between the parental and child subsystems? - ✔✔Enmeshed
✔✔A social worker is treating a young child who was sexually abused by an adolescent
neighbor. At one session, the child's parent reports that the child has started to sexually
act out with another child. The social worker should explain that this behavior: -
✔✔needs continued intervention
✔✔Immediately following a group psychotherapy session, a group member returned to
the office of the social worker to privately discuss an incident that had occurred during
the session. The client reported that another member had broken a group rule by lying
to the group in session and further stated that the social worker should properly deal
with the matter. The BEST therapeutic response would be to: - ✔✔suggest that the
client consider bringing up this incident for discussion in the next group session
✔✔An adolescent student is referred to the social worker because of defiance of
authority and threats to harm fellow students. The student greets the social worker with
a broad smile and asks why the interview is necessary. He explains that his favorite
, brother is in prison, and he expects that he too will be "sent up" before long. He keeps
on smiling and remains standing throughout the interview. The student seems
unperturbed by any of the complaints about his behavior. This nonverbal
communication is demonstrating the student's: - ✔✔defenses
✔✔A client from a developing country sees a social worker because of depression. The
client describes life changes since a parent's death two years ago. The social worker
tries to help the client explore the significance of this loss, but the client can only say:
"Life is harder because my family has less money." What should the social worker
realize from the discussion? - ✔✔Talking about concrete changes is a symbolic way of
talking about significant losses.
✔✔A social worker leads a group of pregnant adolescents with the purpose of
developing the members' coping skills and decision-making capabilities. The group has
met weekly for three months with minimal gains. To facilitate growth in independence,
the social worker should FIRST: - ✔✔give the group members control over as many
decisions as possible
✔✔A community mental health agency has had its budget cut. The social work staff is
asked to develop a way to replenish play therapy supplies. The BEST social work action
would be to: - ✔✔develop other funding resources to purchase supplies
✔✔A social worker meets with a client who appears distraught. The client reports
feeling worried about her elderly mother, who lives in a group home. The client says that
her mother's glasses have been broken twice and her legs have marks on them that
look as though she has been restrained. The mother denies that any abuse has
occurred but the client notices that her mother's behavior has suddenly changed. The
social worker should help the client to: - ✔✔make a report to the appropriate authorities
✔✔A 14-year-old Asian American student is referred to a family agency because of the
student's recent poor academic performance and behavioral changes including lack of
paying attention and social withdrawal. During the second family therapy session, the
student angrily states that she is tired of the painful physical punishment from her father
for "trying to fit in with her friends at school." The father noted that the punishment is
necessary to prevent his daughter from imitating the behaviors of her American friends
and thus bringing shame to the family. The social worker should FIRST: - ✔✔attempt to
determine the severity of the physical punishment
✔✔A social worker is seeing a client who sometimes cancels appointments at the last
minute, does not show at all for some appointments, and always pays fees late. The
client describes frequent fights with friends, but doesn't understand why this keeps
happening. What should the social worker do FIRST? - ✔✔Relate the client's behavior
with the social worker to that with friends
SET A+
✔✔An insurance utilization review representative indicates that only one more session
is authorized for a patient who is depressed and has suicidal ideation with no specific
plan. The private practice social worker argues that at least 12 more sessions are
needed to stabilize the patient, but is unsuccessful in convincing the reviewer. The client
cannot afford to pay for further sessions. The social worker should: - ✔✔continue to see
the client and discuss an alternative payment plan
✔✔A woman explains to the social worker that her family is a recent survivor of a
devastating hurricane. She is worried because every time it rains, her six-year-old
daughter becomes terrified and hides in a closet. In behavioral theory, what is this an
example of? - ✔✔Classical conditioning
✔✔A social worker meets regularly with a young adult client who has depression related
to separation and individualization issues. The client reports that his parents were often
demeaning and neglectful of him as a child. The client relates his past in a flat,
unemotional manner. The social worker should: - ✔✔help the client become aware of
his feelings about his parents
✔✔A social worker is working with a client diagnosed with kleptomania. The client
expresses guilt, but says she cannot seem to stop the behavior. The client tells the
social worker that she does not know why she engages in this behavior. What should
the social worker do FIRST? - ✔✔Explore the feelings behind the behavior
✔✔A client has established a behavioral contract to complete homework between
sessions. The next two sessions the client says, "I didn't have time to get it done." The
worker states, "I'm concerned that you contracted to complete your homework and yet
have not done so. What do you think is going on?" The social worker's statement is an
example of the technique of: - ✔✔confrontation
✔✔A client contacts a social worker for help with his anger over his partner's
extramarital affair. During the initial session, the client states he "will do whatever it
,takes" to get even with his partner. What should the social worker do FIRST? - ✔✔Seek
further clarification of the statements
✔✔A retired person requests counseling because of "boredom and feeling worthless."
As a successful middle manager, the client looked forward to retirement and to
spending time with family and friends. However, the client now spends time sleeping
and watching television, rather than enjoying long anticipated pastimes. The social
worker should FIRST inquire about: - ✔✔other symptoms that might indicate depression
✔✔A client comes to a social worker complaining of persistent and intrusive thoughts.
The client asks for help to better manage his thinking. What should the social worker do
FIRST? - ✔✔Ask the client to describe the content of his thoughts
✔✔An 86 year old man recently widowed is encouraged to obtain mental health
services by his minister. He expresses concern that since the death of his wife of 50
years, he has not been able to sleep, has little energy, and often skips meals. The
social worker at the hospital conducts a clinical evaluation of the widower for
depression. What should the social worker do FIRST? - ✔✔Acknowledge the client's
feelings of loss
✔✔A social worker is working with a family. A grandparent, who lives with them, is
having trouble sleeping and may be depressed. The daughter and her husband are
experiencing conflicts about whether or not to move the grandparent into a nursing
home. The social worker should FIRST consider the: - ✔✔guilt family caregivers may
experience when considering nursing home placement
✔✔Which of the following terms BEST describes families that have diffuse boundaries
between the parental and child subsystems? - ✔✔Enmeshed
✔✔A social worker is treating a young child who was sexually abused by an adolescent
neighbor. At one session, the child's parent reports that the child has started to sexually
act out with another child. The social worker should explain that this behavior: -
✔✔needs continued intervention
✔✔Immediately following a group psychotherapy session, a group member returned to
the office of the social worker to privately discuss an incident that had occurred during
the session. The client reported that another member had broken a group rule by lying
to the group in session and further stated that the social worker should properly deal
with the matter. The BEST therapeutic response would be to: - ✔✔suggest that the
client consider bringing up this incident for discussion in the next group session
✔✔An adolescent student is referred to the social worker because of defiance of
authority and threats to harm fellow students. The student greets the social worker with
a broad smile and asks why the interview is necessary. He explains that his favorite
, brother is in prison, and he expects that he too will be "sent up" before long. He keeps
on smiling and remains standing throughout the interview. The student seems
unperturbed by any of the complaints about his behavior. This nonverbal
communication is demonstrating the student's: - ✔✔defenses
✔✔A client from a developing country sees a social worker because of depression. The
client describes life changes since a parent's death two years ago. The social worker
tries to help the client explore the significance of this loss, but the client can only say:
"Life is harder because my family has less money." What should the social worker
realize from the discussion? - ✔✔Talking about concrete changes is a symbolic way of
talking about significant losses.
✔✔A social worker leads a group of pregnant adolescents with the purpose of
developing the members' coping skills and decision-making capabilities. The group has
met weekly for three months with minimal gains. To facilitate growth in independence,
the social worker should FIRST: - ✔✔give the group members control over as many
decisions as possible
✔✔A community mental health agency has had its budget cut. The social work staff is
asked to develop a way to replenish play therapy supplies. The BEST social work action
would be to: - ✔✔develop other funding resources to purchase supplies
✔✔A social worker meets with a client who appears distraught. The client reports
feeling worried about her elderly mother, who lives in a group home. The client says that
her mother's glasses have been broken twice and her legs have marks on them that
look as though she has been restrained. The mother denies that any abuse has
occurred but the client notices that her mother's behavior has suddenly changed. The
social worker should help the client to: - ✔✔make a report to the appropriate authorities
✔✔A 14-year-old Asian American student is referred to a family agency because of the
student's recent poor academic performance and behavioral changes including lack of
paying attention and social withdrawal. During the second family therapy session, the
student angrily states that she is tired of the painful physical punishment from her father
for "trying to fit in with her friends at school." The father noted that the punishment is
necessary to prevent his daughter from imitating the behaviors of her American friends
and thus bringing shame to the family. The social worker should FIRST: - ✔✔attempt to
determine the severity of the physical punishment
✔✔A social worker is seeing a client who sometimes cancels appointments at the last
minute, does not show at all for some appointments, and always pays fees late. The
client describes frequent fights with friends, but doesn't understand why this keeps
happening. What should the social worker do FIRST? - ✔✔Relate the client's behavior
with the social worker to that with friends
