Practice ASWB Exam 3 - Interventions With Clients/Client Systems -Detailed
Questions and Correct Answers.
Question ID #47723: A social worker begins individual therapy with a woman whose husband abuses her.
The client left her home to stay with a relative for a while, but her husband found out where she was and
convinced her to come home. The client tells the social worker that she wants to "try again and make
things work" with her husband. She admits that she worries about him "snapping" again but adds that he
has "been good" since she returned home. When questioned by the social worker, the client says she's
come in because she's been having trouble sleeping at night; her doctor prescribed medication to help her
sleep and suggested she try therapy. What should the social worker do FIRST in this case?
Select one:
A. Take a psychiatric history to find out if the client has had other symptoms of depression or anxiety.
B. Discuss with the client her decision to return home and explain that she and her husband are in the "h -
ANSC is correct: A priority when working with a client who is battered is giving immediate attention to the
need for safety. Although the client has gone home, she seems aware of the risk and, therefore, will
probably be open to developing a plan of escape.Answers A and D: These are appropriate interventions,
but addressing the need for safety is a higher priority.Answer B: Providing education about the cycle of
violence is appropriate at some point, but providing a safely plan is more important. In addition, at the
beginning of therapy, you need to establish a warm, caring, and nonjudgmental relationship with the
client in which she feels safe: The message underlying this intervention is that you disagree with the
client's decision to return to her husband.
The correct answer is: Work with the client to develop a safety plan that she can use right away if she is
threatened.
Question ID #48191: The geographic region that is served by a social agency is known as the agency's:
Select one:
A. mission statement.
B. catchment area.
C. functional community.
D. claimed domain. - ANSB is correct: A catchment area is the geographic region that an agency serves
(i.e., all of the agency's potential clients are located in that region).Answer A: A mission statement is a
relatively permanent description of the reasons for an agency's existence.Answer C: A functional
community is a non-place community in which people are united by common interests, values, and
commitments or brought together based on their shared ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, social
class, ideology, lifestyle, profession, or workplace.Answer D: The term "claimed domain" is associated
with domain setting, the process by which an agency establishes itself and it roles among the other
organizations in its environment. "Domain" refers to what an agency does and who it serves. An agency
,gains acknowledgment of the claims it makes about its sphere of expertise and activities (boundaries)
through a process called "domain legitimation." There is sometimes a difference between what an agency
says its boundaries are (the claimed domain) and what these boundaries actually are (the de facto
domain).
The correct answer is: catchment area.
Question ID #119388: Diana is a 34-year-old client who has been diagnosed as having borderline
personality disorder. She has a great deal of trouble regulating her emotions, and is constantly in turmoil
in her personal relationships. The social worker is recommending that she enroll in a clinic that specializes
in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for help in learning to manage her out-of-control emotions and
interpersonal difficulties. In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), the core skills of mindfulness are to be
able to:
Select one:
A. observe and become aware of thoughts, feelings, behaviors and behavioral urges.
B. observe without judgement, describe by separating the experience from reality and to participate by
being fully present in the moment non-judgmentally.q
C. being able to inform the wise mind from the logical and emotional minds
D. interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation and distress tolerance. - ANSB is correct: The core
skills of mindfulness as delineated by DBT are observation, description and participation without self-
consciousness and judgement. The final skills, not listed in the answer, are, one-mindfulness (focusing on
only one thing at a time) and effectiveness doing what works. Answer A only provides the first of the skills
of core mindfulness. DBT theory has three concepts of states of mind: logical mind, emotional mind, and
wise mind. Wise mind is informed equally by logical and emotional mind. However, answer C does not
address the actual skills of mindfulness. Answer D lists three of the four modules of DBT. The four modules
are mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
The correct answer is: observe without judgement, describe by separating the experience from reality and
to participate by being fully present in the moment non-judgmentally.q
Question ID #47140: A client reports that he is being discriminated against at his job because of a physical
disability. From what the client describes, the social worker believes that this allegation is true. As this
client's advocate, what should the social worker do NEXT?
Select one:
A. Identify what steps the client wishes to take.
B. Schedule a meeting with the clients employer, after getting the clients permission.
C. Arrange to meet with the client and his attorney.
, D. Help the client fight the apparent discrimination. - ANSA is correct: The issue underlying this question is
that an advocate's actions must always be based on the client's wishes - i.e., as an advocate, you should do
no more than the client wants you to do. Therefore, your first step should be to meet with the client and
plan the action.
The correct answer is: Identify what steps the client wishes to take.
Question ID #47082: A social worker has been working in short-term individual therapy with a client for
four sessions. The client has not made any progress yet. What is the social worker's BEST course of action?
Select one:
A. Discuss with the client his lack of motivation.
B. Schedule a case consultation.
C. Allow the client more time to progress.
D. Terminate treatment and refer the client to another therapist. - ANSB is correct: This is the best answer
out of the four, in part, because the question gives no information about what might underlie the client's
lack of progress. The consultant can review the case and the treatment goals with you and determine
whether there is a problem with the goals, the therapeutic relationship, your expectations, the client's
expectations, the client's motivation, etc.Answer C: "C" implies that you shouldn't expect any progress
after four sessions and that the client may just need more time, but neither of those things are necessarily
true. The treatment plan for the client would indicate the time-frame for achieving objectives and
reaching goals and, especially in short-term therapy, at least some treatment objectives and goals would
probably be scheduled for completion during the first few weeks of treatment. In addition, most clients
experience a reduced sense of hopelessness about their situation within the first few sessions of
treatment.Answer D: Before referring to another therapist, you should attempt to determine the reason
for the client's lack of progress. Otherwise, you simply would be transferring this therapeutic impasse to
another clinician.
The correct answer is: Schedule a case consultation.
Question ID #48183: A social worker engaged in macro practice helps bring together several groups in his
community to discuss relevant issues and work toward achieving a goal. What strategy has he used?
Select one:
A. Networking.
B. Legislative advocacy.
C. Coalition building.
D. Informal co-optation. - ANSC is correct: Coalition building involves bringing together various factions or
ideological groups in a community (or society) to achieve a goal. Coalitions may be ad hoc (organized to
Questions and Correct Answers.
Question ID #47723: A social worker begins individual therapy with a woman whose husband abuses her.
The client left her home to stay with a relative for a while, but her husband found out where she was and
convinced her to come home. The client tells the social worker that she wants to "try again and make
things work" with her husband. She admits that she worries about him "snapping" again but adds that he
has "been good" since she returned home. When questioned by the social worker, the client says she's
come in because she's been having trouble sleeping at night; her doctor prescribed medication to help her
sleep and suggested she try therapy. What should the social worker do FIRST in this case?
Select one:
A. Take a psychiatric history to find out if the client has had other symptoms of depression or anxiety.
B. Discuss with the client her decision to return home and explain that she and her husband are in the "h -
ANSC is correct: A priority when working with a client who is battered is giving immediate attention to the
need for safety. Although the client has gone home, she seems aware of the risk and, therefore, will
probably be open to developing a plan of escape.Answers A and D: These are appropriate interventions,
but addressing the need for safety is a higher priority.Answer B: Providing education about the cycle of
violence is appropriate at some point, but providing a safely plan is more important. In addition, at the
beginning of therapy, you need to establish a warm, caring, and nonjudgmental relationship with the
client in which she feels safe: The message underlying this intervention is that you disagree with the
client's decision to return to her husband.
The correct answer is: Work with the client to develop a safety plan that she can use right away if she is
threatened.
Question ID #48191: The geographic region that is served by a social agency is known as the agency's:
Select one:
A. mission statement.
B. catchment area.
C. functional community.
D. claimed domain. - ANSB is correct: A catchment area is the geographic region that an agency serves
(i.e., all of the agency's potential clients are located in that region).Answer A: A mission statement is a
relatively permanent description of the reasons for an agency's existence.Answer C: A functional
community is a non-place community in which people are united by common interests, values, and
commitments or brought together based on their shared ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, social
class, ideology, lifestyle, profession, or workplace.Answer D: The term "claimed domain" is associated
with domain setting, the process by which an agency establishes itself and it roles among the other
organizations in its environment. "Domain" refers to what an agency does and who it serves. An agency
,gains acknowledgment of the claims it makes about its sphere of expertise and activities (boundaries)
through a process called "domain legitimation." There is sometimes a difference between what an agency
says its boundaries are (the claimed domain) and what these boundaries actually are (the de facto
domain).
The correct answer is: catchment area.
Question ID #119388: Diana is a 34-year-old client who has been diagnosed as having borderline
personality disorder. She has a great deal of trouble regulating her emotions, and is constantly in turmoil
in her personal relationships. The social worker is recommending that she enroll in a clinic that specializes
in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for help in learning to manage her out-of-control emotions and
interpersonal difficulties. In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), the core skills of mindfulness are to be
able to:
Select one:
A. observe and become aware of thoughts, feelings, behaviors and behavioral urges.
B. observe without judgement, describe by separating the experience from reality and to participate by
being fully present in the moment non-judgmentally.q
C. being able to inform the wise mind from the logical and emotional minds
D. interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation and distress tolerance. - ANSB is correct: The core
skills of mindfulness as delineated by DBT are observation, description and participation without self-
consciousness and judgement. The final skills, not listed in the answer, are, one-mindfulness (focusing on
only one thing at a time) and effectiveness doing what works. Answer A only provides the first of the skills
of core mindfulness. DBT theory has three concepts of states of mind: logical mind, emotional mind, and
wise mind. Wise mind is informed equally by logical and emotional mind. However, answer C does not
address the actual skills of mindfulness. Answer D lists three of the four modules of DBT. The four modules
are mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
The correct answer is: observe without judgement, describe by separating the experience from reality and
to participate by being fully present in the moment non-judgmentally.q
Question ID #47140: A client reports that he is being discriminated against at his job because of a physical
disability. From what the client describes, the social worker believes that this allegation is true. As this
client's advocate, what should the social worker do NEXT?
Select one:
A. Identify what steps the client wishes to take.
B. Schedule a meeting with the clients employer, after getting the clients permission.
C. Arrange to meet with the client and his attorney.
, D. Help the client fight the apparent discrimination. - ANSA is correct: The issue underlying this question is
that an advocate's actions must always be based on the client's wishes - i.e., as an advocate, you should do
no more than the client wants you to do. Therefore, your first step should be to meet with the client and
plan the action.
The correct answer is: Identify what steps the client wishes to take.
Question ID #47082: A social worker has been working in short-term individual therapy with a client for
four sessions. The client has not made any progress yet. What is the social worker's BEST course of action?
Select one:
A. Discuss with the client his lack of motivation.
B. Schedule a case consultation.
C. Allow the client more time to progress.
D. Terminate treatment and refer the client to another therapist. - ANSB is correct: This is the best answer
out of the four, in part, because the question gives no information about what might underlie the client's
lack of progress. The consultant can review the case and the treatment goals with you and determine
whether there is a problem with the goals, the therapeutic relationship, your expectations, the client's
expectations, the client's motivation, etc.Answer C: "C" implies that you shouldn't expect any progress
after four sessions and that the client may just need more time, but neither of those things are necessarily
true. The treatment plan for the client would indicate the time-frame for achieving objectives and
reaching goals and, especially in short-term therapy, at least some treatment objectives and goals would
probably be scheduled for completion during the first few weeks of treatment. In addition, most clients
experience a reduced sense of hopelessness about their situation within the first few sessions of
treatment.Answer D: Before referring to another therapist, you should attempt to determine the reason
for the client's lack of progress. Otherwise, you simply would be transferring this therapeutic impasse to
another clinician.
The correct answer is: Schedule a case consultation.
Question ID #48183: A social worker engaged in macro practice helps bring together several groups in his
community to discuss relevant issues and work toward achieving a goal. What strategy has he used?
Select one:
A. Networking.
B. Legislative advocacy.
C. Coalition building.
D. Informal co-optation. - ANSC is correct: Coalition building involves bringing together various factions or
ideological groups in a community (or society) to achieve a goal. Coalitions may be ad hoc (organized to
