2025 THERAPIST DEVELOPMENT CENTER
PRACTICE EXAM 1 QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS, PASSED!!
A hospital emergency room social worker meets with a 45-year-old man who
recently immigrated from Mexico and has been experiencing severe panic
attacks and anxiety. When the social worker approaches him, he says that he
does not need any mental health treatment and that she can leave. The MOST
likely explanation for his behavior is:
A. His preference for seeking treatment from a curandero.
B. His denial that he has a mental health problem.
C. The negative cultural response associated with mental health treatment.
D. A miscommunication due to a language barrier. Answer - C. The negative
cultural response associated with mental health treatment.
Rationale: C is the best answer because many cultures associate stigma with
mental health treatment. A is not the best answer because it makes an
assumption that is not indicated by the information in the stem. B may be true,
but is not as likely as C. D is not the best answer since the stem gives no
indication that there is a language barrier between the client and social worker.
A group of adolescents with behavioral problems has been court-ordered to
attend a group treatment with a social worker. One of the adolescents has
taken over the group and tries to intimidate the other members. He often talks
about various crimes he has committed and says that his older brother, who is
in prison, would be proud. What should the social worker do?
A. Encourage group members to share their feelings about the member's
comment
,B. Confront the informal leader about his behavior and challenge him to find
alternatives.
C. Allow the group to proceed without intervening.
D. Model an accepting stance to the group members. Answer - A. Encourage
group members to share their feelings about the member's comments.
Rationale: A is the best answer because it utilizes an intervention that both
empowers group members to express their feelings and communicates the
social worker's professional leadership. B is not the best answer because it
focuses on an individual and not group process. C is not the best answer
because it avoids all intervention; D is not the best answer because it allows
the group member to continue in an inappropriate leadership role.
A social worker is assessing a 2-year-old foster child. The social worker notes
that the child cries when the caregiver leaves the room and upon the
caregiver's return the child is unable to be soothed. What theory is guiding the
social worker's assessment?
Score: 1 of 1
A. Psychodynamic
B. Systems
C. Behavioral
D. Attachment Answer - D. Attachment
Rationale: D is the best answer in this case because evaluating a child's
response both when the caregiver leaves and returns is drawn from
attachment theory. A, B, and C would be indicated by different evaluation
techniques.
,During a utilization review phone call, a social worker in private practice is
informed that one of her clients who has a diagnosis of PTSD is only authorized
for two more sessions. The social worker disagrees and asserts that the client
needs 10 more sessions in order to be sufficiently able to deal with the
demands of everyday life. However, the utilization review agent maintains that
insurance will not pay for more than 2 sessions. The social worker knows that
the client is unemployed and will be unable to pay without insurance. The
social worker should:
A. Refer the client to a community mental health agency that is understaffed.
B. Terminate the client after the two sessions are complete.
C. Continue to see the client and explore an alternative payment plan.
D. Continue to see the client free of charge. Answer - Rationale: C is the best
answer because it avoids client abandonment, which would be unethical, while
at the same time maintaining some payment for the social worker. A and B
both constitute client abandonment, which is unethical. D sets up a situation in
which the therapist may begin to resent the client for not paying, which could
undermine the therapeutic relationship.
A mother meets with a social worker due to concerns with her seven-year-old
son. The mother reports that her family recently survived an earthquake that
destroyed their house and the surrounding area. She is worried about her son
because any time he hears a loud noise he starts to cry inconsolably and won't
leave her side. In behavioral therapy, what is this an example of?
A. Extinction
B. Negative reinforcement
C. Operant conditioning
D. Classical conditioning Answer - D. Classical conditioning
Rationale: This is a recall question: the stem describes an example of classical
conditioning in which the client develops a conditioned response (crying and
clinging to mom) when exposed to stimuli (loud noises) that represent a
, previously experienced event (the earthquake). A, B, and C would all be
described differently.
A young adult client has been meeting with a social worker due to a diagnosis
of major depression. When discussing his childhood, the client reports that he
was often bullied and humiliated by peers at school. The client reports this with
a flat affect and a sense of detachment. The social worker should respond by:
A. Sharing a personal experience of being teased as a child.
B. Assist the client in developing awareness around his feeling related to being
bullied.
C. Confront the client's denial.
D. Provide the client with psychoeducation on the relationship between
bullying and depression. Answer - Rationale: B is the best answer because
awareness is the first step in helping the client integrate and process his
feelings. A is inappropriate; C is inappropriate and may cause the client harm. D
is less therapeutic than B and may not be helpful for the client.
A client who is diagnosed with trichotillomania meets with a social worker after
being referred by her primary care physician. The client says she feels guilty
and ashamed, but is having difficulty stopping the behavior. She says that she
doesn't even know why she started the behavior in the first place. What should
the social worker do FIRST?
A. Explore the feelings behind the behavior.
B. Have the client wear a wig until she can stop the behavior.
C. Reinforce that hair-pulling will likely lead to complete baldness.
D. Teach the client thought stopping strategies. Answer - A. Explore the
feelings behind the behavior.
Rationale: A is the best answer because understanding the psychological
purpose of the behavior will best help the client understand and change the
PRACTICE EXAM 1 QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS, PASSED!!
A hospital emergency room social worker meets with a 45-year-old man who
recently immigrated from Mexico and has been experiencing severe panic
attacks and anxiety. When the social worker approaches him, he says that he
does not need any mental health treatment and that she can leave. The MOST
likely explanation for his behavior is:
A. His preference for seeking treatment from a curandero.
B. His denial that he has a mental health problem.
C. The negative cultural response associated with mental health treatment.
D. A miscommunication due to a language barrier. Answer - C. The negative
cultural response associated with mental health treatment.
Rationale: C is the best answer because many cultures associate stigma with
mental health treatment. A is not the best answer because it makes an
assumption that is not indicated by the information in the stem. B may be true,
but is not as likely as C. D is not the best answer since the stem gives no
indication that there is a language barrier between the client and social worker.
A group of adolescents with behavioral problems has been court-ordered to
attend a group treatment with a social worker. One of the adolescents has
taken over the group and tries to intimidate the other members. He often talks
about various crimes he has committed and says that his older brother, who is
in prison, would be proud. What should the social worker do?
A. Encourage group members to share their feelings about the member's
comment
,B. Confront the informal leader about his behavior and challenge him to find
alternatives.
C. Allow the group to proceed without intervening.
D. Model an accepting stance to the group members. Answer - A. Encourage
group members to share their feelings about the member's comments.
Rationale: A is the best answer because it utilizes an intervention that both
empowers group members to express their feelings and communicates the
social worker's professional leadership. B is not the best answer because it
focuses on an individual and not group process. C is not the best answer
because it avoids all intervention; D is not the best answer because it allows
the group member to continue in an inappropriate leadership role.
A social worker is assessing a 2-year-old foster child. The social worker notes
that the child cries when the caregiver leaves the room and upon the
caregiver's return the child is unable to be soothed. What theory is guiding the
social worker's assessment?
Score: 1 of 1
A. Psychodynamic
B. Systems
C. Behavioral
D. Attachment Answer - D. Attachment
Rationale: D is the best answer in this case because evaluating a child's
response both when the caregiver leaves and returns is drawn from
attachment theory. A, B, and C would be indicated by different evaluation
techniques.
,During a utilization review phone call, a social worker in private practice is
informed that one of her clients who has a diagnosis of PTSD is only authorized
for two more sessions. The social worker disagrees and asserts that the client
needs 10 more sessions in order to be sufficiently able to deal with the
demands of everyday life. However, the utilization review agent maintains that
insurance will not pay for more than 2 sessions. The social worker knows that
the client is unemployed and will be unable to pay without insurance. The
social worker should:
A. Refer the client to a community mental health agency that is understaffed.
B. Terminate the client after the two sessions are complete.
C. Continue to see the client and explore an alternative payment plan.
D. Continue to see the client free of charge. Answer - Rationale: C is the best
answer because it avoids client abandonment, which would be unethical, while
at the same time maintaining some payment for the social worker. A and B
both constitute client abandonment, which is unethical. D sets up a situation in
which the therapist may begin to resent the client for not paying, which could
undermine the therapeutic relationship.
A mother meets with a social worker due to concerns with her seven-year-old
son. The mother reports that her family recently survived an earthquake that
destroyed their house and the surrounding area. She is worried about her son
because any time he hears a loud noise he starts to cry inconsolably and won't
leave her side. In behavioral therapy, what is this an example of?
A. Extinction
B. Negative reinforcement
C. Operant conditioning
D. Classical conditioning Answer - D. Classical conditioning
Rationale: This is a recall question: the stem describes an example of classical
conditioning in which the client develops a conditioned response (crying and
clinging to mom) when exposed to stimuli (loud noises) that represent a
, previously experienced event (the earthquake). A, B, and C would all be
described differently.
A young adult client has been meeting with a social worker due to a diagnosis
of major depression. When discussing his childhood, the client reports that he
was often bullied and humiliated by peers at school. The client reports this with
a flat affect and a sense of detachment. The social worker should respond by:
A. Sharing a personal experience of being teased as a child.
B. Assist the client in developing awareness around his feeling related to being
bullied.
C. Confront the client's denial.
D. Provide the client with psychoeducation on the relationship between
bullying and depression. Answer - Rationale: B is the best answer because
awareness is the first step in helping the client integrate and process his
feelings. A is inappropriate; C is inappropriate and may cause the client harm. D
is less therapeutic than B and may not be helpful for the client.
A client who is diagnosed with trichotillomania meets with a social worker after
being referred by her primary care physician. The client says she feels guilty
and ashamed, but is having difficulty stopping the behavior. She says that she
doesn't even know why she started the behavior in the first place. What should
the social worker do FIRST?
A. Explore the feelings behind the behavior.
B. Have the client wear a wig until she can stop the behavior.
C. Reinforce that hair-pulling will likely lead to complete baldness.
D. Teach the client thought stopping strategies. Answer - A. Explore the
feelings behind the behavior.
Rationale: A is the best answer because understanding the psychological
purpose of the behavior will best help the client understand and change the
