ASWB Clinical Exam Questions And Answers 2023

ASWB Clinical Exam Questions Richard presents with severe depression. He reports motivation for counseling services, but he is strongly opposed to medication. The FIRST thing to do is: -Acknowledge Richard's opposition and further assess any concerns about the treatment -Make a no-Suicide Contract -Get informed Consent to treat Richard's depression -Support Richard's self-determination to not take the medication. - Acknowledge Richard's opposition and further assess any concerns about the treatment. A series of tornadoes hits a small town, and a woman presents at the disaster crisis center to speak with a crisis counselor. She is disheveled, and you are aware she has lost her home. What is the FIRST task to encourage in the session? -Let her tell her story -Relaxation techniques -Assess her situation -Problem-solving - Let her tell her story The reliability of an assessment tool is an indicator of: -Whether the assessment tool is measuring what it is supposed to measure -How dependable the assessment tool is -Faking good or faking bad -How effective the assessment tool is with different cultural populations - How dependable the assessment tool is Carl is incarcerated and will be engaging in treatment for substance use as part of his sentence. He has questions about confidentiality. What is the BEST response? -Acknowledge the client's fears and assure him you cannot violate his trust -Validate Carl's concerns about confidentiality and ask him for more information -Provide information on limits of confidentiality and gain informed consent for treatment -Tell Carl that unless life is endangered, his or others, no violations of confidentiality will be made - Provide information on limits of confidentiality and gain informed consent for treatment Clients who are incarcerated or are in treatment involuntarily still have the right to refuse treatment, and they have the right to understand who has access to information about their treatment and under what conditions. If there are specific reporting requirements, that must be provided. If reports are given to the courts, parole, or other entities, the client has a right to be informed so he/or she can make an informed decision about whether or how much to engage. Glenda is a young mother of three small children. She is HIV-positive and struggling to accept the illness as part of her life, all the while fearing what her health status could mean in the long-term for her young children. She has a good support system and is a good mother, but she has periods of fear, anger, and sadness. She wants help in dealing with the waves of emotion that sometimes intrude on her life. The BEST response is to: -Not judge her -Provide counseling to address her feelings of grief and loss around her health status and future -Seek to preserve life by helping her find someone who can take over caring for her children -Rule out the impact of other health issues impacting her mental status - Provide counseling to address her feelings of grief and loss around her health status and future Glenda is specifically asking for help in dealing with difficult emotions. There may or may not be a long-term issue related to her children, and if there is, it is many years down the road and not something you need to address at this time. Gertrude, age 76, had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. She does not require rehabilitation, but is limited in her ability to do tasks of daily living. Her spouse is not able to assist her due to his own physical limitations. The FIRST step is to: -Ask what other family members are available to assist temporarily until other arrangements can be made -Contact home health to determine what they qualify for -Determine if the couple has long-term care or other insurance -Assess the full array of needs and available resources - Assess the full array of needs and available resources Explanation: The first step is to assess the full extent of the needs before taking any actions. While limitations are present, resources may already be in place to compensate. Beginning where the client is requires fully understanding where the client is. Ed and Glenda request help in dealing with their adult son who continues to rely on them for support. He moves in and out of their house, depending on his needs. He cannot meet his rent payments, cell phone, and insurance payments, much less food, and other expenses. His parents cannot understand where his money goes, though his employment ebbs and flows. Ed and Glenda know the economy is bad and have friends who are experiencing similar circumstances with their adult children. The son sees his peers struggling and their parents helping, so he feels certain he is a victim of his circumstances. Ed and Glenda request help in learning to set boundaries without hurting their son. The FIRST task is: -Assess the systems that enable and reinforce the son's current patterns -Begin family therapy with the Bowen model -Refer Ed and Glenda to tough love information and supports -Educate Ed and Glenda that each time they provide financial support they disable the very behavior they desire to enable - Assess the systems that enable and reinforce the son's current patterns Explanation: The first step is to assess the systems in place that create and sustain the behaviors that Ed and Glenda desire to change. Celeste is in prison for abusing her children. Throughout the trial, she admitted no fault and showed no remorse, only maintained she did nothing wrong. During the initial interview with her social worker, Celeste said the whole event was an accident brought on by an overdose of her prescribed medication. To establish rapport and mutual respect, the social worker's NEXT step is: -Confront her denial as their relationship must be built on honesty to have respect -Assess Celeste's family history of violence -Explore Celeste's history of prescription drug abuse -Listen to Celeste and speak without judging - Listen to Celeste and speak without judging Explanation: The next step is to continue to listen and conduct the interview with unconditional regard. A basic tenet of social work is dignity and worth of the person. Additional assessment is needed, and confrontation will be needed at some point, but this only effective with an established relationship. When a child bases moral judgments on punishments and rewards, Kohlberg calls this level: -Pre-conventional -Conventional -Concrete operational -Post-conventional - Pre-conventional Explanation: Lawrence Kohlberg demonstrated that people progressed in moral reasoning through a series of stages that can be generally classified into three levels, with two sub-stages each. In the pre-conventional stage, people behave according to socially acceptable norms because they are told to by an authority figure and there is the threat of punishment. In the conventional stage, right behavior is characterized as acting in one's own best interests so as to gain approval of others or abide by one's duty. In the post-conventional stage, one acts according to a higher sense of morality. Pam is a mother of two elementary-aged children who has just returned to working part-time after being home with the kids. She is no longer able to keep up the house, laundry, grocery shopping, and other tasks like she once did. Her spouse is supportive and assists with both household chores and the kids. Despite both his physical efforts and emotional support, Pam feels like a failure and as if she has betrayed her family. The BEST way to approach Pam is to say: -"How long have you forced yourself to have such perfectionistic standards?" -"What would your spouse say if he were sitting here with us?" -"Your spouse is not holding you to the same standard you hold yourself to." -"It is overwhelming to work tirelessly and still feel like you don't measure up." - "It is overwhelming to work tirelessly and still feel like you don't measure up." Explanation: Pam's feelings are irrational, but they are her feelings and you must begin where the client is, accepting her for who she is at her core (a mom who wants to care for her family), which will help establish rapport. Melanie just turned 17 and celebrated by going to a party with a girlfriend known for having fun. They went to a fraternity party, pretending to be students from a neighboring college. Melanie drank heavily and became sick several times. One boy convinced her to sit with him in his room, and she was taken by surprise when he forced her into sex. She was scared and could not fight him or even scream. He finally left, but another boy came in and did the same thing. She did not know what to do and was grateful when her friend grabbed her, and they got out. Melanie is afraid she could be pregnant or have an STD. She does not think she can tell her parents because she lied to them about where she was going and what she was doing. The only thing she can do now is cry. The FIRST priority is to: -Honor her feelings, while taking an active, directive role in linking Melanie to emergency health services -Link Melanie to public health where she can seek health services anonymously -Contact her parents because Melanie is a minor -Try to find the assailant - Honor her feelings, while taking an active, directive role in linking Melanie to emergency health services Explanation: The first priority is to get Melanie a rape exam as quickly as possible, accessing emergency services. The duration criteria for Acute Stress Disorder is: -1 month to 1 year