LICSW Practice Questions well
answered already passed graded A+
B - Acknowledge the client's right to decide about release of records - correct answer ✔✔In an
initial session with a social worker, a client mentions having been hospitalized several times for
depression. When the social worker attempts to explore the hospitalizations, the client
becomes tense and guarded, saying "it's old history". The client refuses to give permission for
the records to be released. The social worker should FIRST:
a. Explore why this topic appears to be upsetting the client
b. Acknowledge the client's right to decide about release of records
c. Reassure the client that the focus will be on present issues
d. Assess the client's current level of depression
D - Acknowledge the client's feelings and encourage discussion of them - correct answer
✔✔When faced by a hostile client in an agency setting, it is BEST for the social worker to:
a. Suggest that the client's attitude is making the situation worse
b. Accept the client's hostility and talk about nonthreatening topics
c. Set limits and structure on the interview session
d. Acknowledge the client's feelings and encourage discussion of them
A - Life situation and recent changes - correct answer ✔✔A client who has received services for
several years in a dialysis unit appears for a routine visit. The nurse notices a markedly changed
affect and refers the client to the social worker. When seeing the social worker, the client seems
detached, self-absorbed, and tearful. The social worker should FIRST assess the client's:
a. Life situation and recent changes
b. Compliance with medical care
c. Concerns about dying
,d. Feelings about dialysis
D - Listen to Mrs. S's description of her health as a beginning of a relationship and means of
assessing her self-perception - correct answer ✔✔During Mrs. S's first appointment in a family
agency, the social worker encourages her to express her feelings about the recent placement of
her child in a residential facility for the developmentally disabled. Mrs. S talks at length instead
about her physical problems. The social worker should:
a. Use Mrs. S's remarks about her health to identify unresolved parenting issues
b. Refocus the interview on the child's behavior and the reason for the residential placement
c. Explore with Mrs. S how her health problems are related to the recent placement of her child
d. Listen to Mrs. S's description of her health as a beginning of a relationship and means of
assessing her self-perception
C - Acknowledge the anger each partner has toward the other - correct answer ✔✔A couple
expressing extreme anger at each other go to a social worker for marital counseling. The social
worker should FIRST:
a. Explore the goals the anger is masking
b. Clarify whether each partner is willing to hear the other
c. Acknowledge the anger each partner has toward the other
d. Use the interview to probe for positive feelings each has for the other
B - Facilitate discussion of the recollections - correct answer ✔✔A social worker has been asked
to assist an elderly client in making alternative living arrangements. In the initial interview, the
client repeatedly attempts to discuss past experiences. What is the social worker's MOST
appropriate response to the client?
a. Ignore the references to the past
b. Facilitate discussion of the recollections
c. Refer the client for psychiatric evaluation
d. Administer a geriatric evaluation scale
,A - Explore the parent's reaction to the child's illness - correct answer ✔✔A hospital social
worker interviews a couple whose six month old infant has recently been hospitalized for cystic
fibrosis. The social worker notices that the parents are reluctant to touch the child. Based on
this information, the social worker's FIRST intervention should be to:
a. Explore the parent's reaction to the child's illness
b. Refer the couple to a support group
c. Evaluate the situation for out-of-home placement
d. Provide the couple with information
D - Explore the reasons for the absences and factors contributing to the behavior - correct
answer ✔✔In the first session with a school social worker, a high school student reveals that he
has been cutting school and forging his mother's name on absence excuses. The social worker
should:
a. Inform the student that the social worker has a responsibility to inform his mother
b. Avoid negatively reinforcing the attention-seeking behavior
c. Suggest that it would be best for him to inform school authorities and accept responsibility
for his behavior
d. Explore the reasons for the absences and factors contributing to the behavior
C - A discussion of the social worker's perception of the marital relationship - correct answer
✔✔A family comes to an agency complaining of their child's behavior problems. As a result of
the assessment phase, the social worker believes that the marital relationship is the primary
problem. The social worker should focus on:
a. The parents, confronting them with their relationship issues
b. The child and the ways the parents should react to the behavior
c. A discussion of the social worker's perception of the marital relationship
d. Developing the child's insight into behavior as a reaction to marital stress
, C - Refer the client to a substance abuse problem - correct answer ✔✔A 28-year-old with a long
standing history of drug use is referred to a social worker by a concerned relative. In the
assessment interview, the client tells the social worker about frequent cocaine use. The social
worker should FIRST:
a. Conduct a family interview to evaluate the family's concern
b. Begin treatment, focusing on the reason for drug abuse
c. Refer the client to a substance abuse program
d. Evaluate the client's motivation for change
C - Middle School (6-12 years) - correct answer ✔✔The developmental tasks of self-evaluation
and skill learning are associated with what life stage?
a. Toddlerhood (2-4 years)
b. Early Childhood (4-6 years)
c. Middle School (6-12 years)
d. Early Adolescence (12-18 years)
C - Parent's understanding of the child's developmental process - correct answer ✔✔Parents of
a four-year-old are referred to a social worker after a physical exam reveals no physical problem
preventing the child from being toilet trained. The parents reveal that the child has not been
able to separate from them to attend nursery school and he sleeps with them most nights. The
most important area to focus on in the assessment phase is the:
a. Parents use of rewards and punishments with the child
b. Early developmental and family history of each parent
c. Parent's understanding of the child's developmental process
d. Ways in which the child interferes with the parent's own relationship
C - Projection and Displacement - correct answer ✔✔The two most common defenses used by
couples with marital problems are
a. Repression and Denial
answered already passed graded A+
B - Acknowledge the client's right to decide about release of records - correct answer ✔✔In an
initial session with a social worker, a client mentions having been hospitalized several times for
depression. When the social worker attempts to explore the hospitalizations, the client
becomes tense and guarded, saying "it's old history". The client refuses to give permission for
the records to be released. The social worker should FIRST:
a. Explore why this topic appears to be upsetting the client
b. Acknowledge the client's right to decide about release of records
c. Reassure the client that the focus will be on present issues
d. Assess the client's current level of depression
D - Acknowledge the client's feelings and encourage discussion of them - correct answer
✔✔When faced by a hostile client in an agency setting, it is BEST for the social worker to:
a. Suggest that the client's attitude is making the situation worse
b. Accept the client's hostility and talk about nonthreatening topics
c. Set limits and structure on the interview session
d. Acknowledge the client's feelings and encourage discussion of them
A - Life situation and recent changes - correct answer ✔✔A client who has received services for
several years in a dialysis unit appears for a routine visit. The nurse notices a markedly changed
affect and refers the client to the social worker. When seeing the social worker, the client seems
detached, self-absorbed, and tearful. The social worker should FIRST assess the client's:
a. Life situation and recent changes
b. Compliance with medical care
c. Concerns about dying
,d. Feelings about dialysis
D - Listen to Mrs. S's description of her health as a beginning of a relationship and means of
assessing her self-perception - correct answer ✔✔During Mrs. S's first appointment in a family
agency, the social worker encourages her to express her feelings about the recent placement of
her child in a residential facility for the developmentally disabled. Mrs. S talks at length instead
about her physical problems. The social worker should:
a. Use Mrs. S's remarks about her health to identify unresolved parenting issues
b. Refocus the interview on the child's behavior and the reason for the residential placement
c. Explore with Mrs. S how her health problems are related to the recent placement of her child
d. Listen to Mrs. S's description of her health as a beginning of a relationship and means of
assessing her self-perception
C - Acknowledge the anger each partner has toward the other - correct answer ✔✔A couple
expressing extreme anger at each other go to a social worker for marital counseling. The social
worker should FIRST:
a. Explore the goals the anger is masking
b. Clarify whether each partner is willing to hear the other
c. Acknowledge the anger each partner has toward the other
d. Use the interview to probe for positive feelings each has for the other
B - Facilitate discussion of the recollections - correct answer ✔✔A social worker has been asked
to assist an elderly client in making alternative living arrangements. In the initial interview, the
client repeatedly attempts to discuss past experiences. What is the social worker's MOST
appropriate response to the client?
a. Ignore the references to the past
b. Facilitate discussion of the recollections
c. Refer the client for psychiatric evaluation
d. Administer a geriatric evaluation scale
,A - Explore the parent's reaction to the child's illness - correct answer ✔✔A hospital social
worker interviews a couple whose six month old infant has recently been hospitalized for cystic
fibrosis. The social worker notices that the parents are reluctant to touch the child. Based on
this information, the social worker's FIRST intervention should be to:
a. Explore the parent's reaction to the child's illness
b. Refer the couple to a support group
c. Evaluate the situation for out-of-home placement
d. Provide the couple with information
D - Explore the reasons for the absences and factors contributing to the behavior - correct
answer ✔✔In the first session with a school social worker, a high school student reveals that he
has been cutting school and forging his mother's name on absence excuses. The social worker
should:
a. Inform the student that the social worker has a responsibility to inform his mother
b. Avoid negatively reinforcing the attention-seeking behavior
c. Suggest that it would be best for him to inform school authorities and accept responsibility
for his behavior
d. Explore the reasons for the absences and factors contributing to the behavior
C - A discussion of the social worker's perception of the marital relationship - correct answer
✔✔A family comes to an agency complaining of their child's behavior problems. As a result of
the assessment phase, the social worker believes that the marital relationship is the primary
problem. The social worker should focus on:
a. The parents, confronting them with their relationship issues
b. The child and the ways the parents should react to the behavior
c. A discussion of the social worker's perception of the marital relationship
d. Developing the child's insight into behavior as a reaction to marital stress
, C - Refer the client to a substance abuse problem - correct answer ✔✔A 28-year-old with a long
standing history of drug use is referred to a social worker by a concerned relative. In the
assessment interview, the client tells the social worker about frequent cocaine use. The social
worker should FIRST:
a. Conduct a family interview to evaluate the family's concern
b. Begin treatment, focusing on the reason for drug abuse
c. Refer the client to a substance abuse program
d. Evaluate the client's motivation for change
C - Middle School (6-12 years) - correct answer ✔✔The developmental tasks of self-evaluation
and skill learning are associated with what life stage?
a. Toddlerhood (2-4 years)
b. Early Childhood (4-6 years)
c. Middle School (6-12 years)
d. Early Adolescence (12-18 years)
C - Parent's understanding of the child's developmental process - correct answer ✔✔Parents of
a four-year-old are referred to a social worker after a physical exam reveals no physical problem
preventing the child from being toilet trained. The parents reveal that the child has not been
able to separate from them to attend nursery school and he sleeps with them most nights. The
most important area to focus on in the assessment phase is the:
a. Parents use of rewards and punishments with the child
b. Early developmental and family history of each parent
c. Parent's understanding of the child's developmental process
d. Ways in which the child interferes with the parent's own relationship
C - Projection and Displacement - correct answer ✔✔The two most common defenses used by
couples with marital problems are
a. Repression and Denial
