ASWB Reasoning Questions and Smart Answers – 100% Solved
A 13-year-old girl meets with a social worker after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital.
During the assessment, the social worker learns that the child has a history of suicidal ideation
and aggressive behavior at school and home. These behaviors have become worse over the past
year. The family also has a history of mental illness, and the client's father is in jail. After
conducting a risk assessment, the social worker should NEXT:
A. Explore the child's aggressive behaviors.
B. Encourage the mother to place her daughter in a residential treatment home.
C. Evaluate the child's behaviors that occur at school.
D. Evaluate the overall functioning of the family and the child. - ✔✔✔-D. Evaluate the overall
functioning of the family and the child.
After risk, the next step would be to assess the family. This woulddetermine the need for B. A
could be done later in treatment.
A 30-year-old client meets with a social worker and states, "I feel like I'm driving myself insane."
The client reports a fear of germs to the point where she won't allow others to visit her home
because she is afraid they will bring germs into the home. She says she rarely leaves her home
and spends a lot of the day cleaning. The client also states that she scrubs her body to the point
where she is bleeding. The social worker should FIRST:
A. Suggest client keep log of what triggers her behaviors.
B. Provide the client with a referral for a medical evaluation.
C. Help the client determine hand washing alternatives.
D. Identify the cause of the phobia. - ✔✔✔-B. Provide the client with a referral for a medical
evaluation.
Medical evaluation would be the place to start due to the severity of the symptoms. A and C are
interventions that could be done later. D is not relevant to the treatment of phobias.
A 32-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital after a suicide attempt. The social worker
obtains a psychosocial history, while a psychiatrist completes a diagnostic interview. When the
multidisciplinary team meets, everyone agrees that the client could either be diagnosed with
,ASWB Reasoning Questions and Smart Answers – 100% Solved
Bipolar II Disorder or PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder. What should the social worker
do NEXT:
A. Give the client a provisional diagnosis
B. Prompt the team to definitively decide on a diagnosis
C. Refer the client for a neuropsychological evaluation
D. Ask the client to sign releases so that family and friends can be contacted - ✔✔✔-A. Give the
client a provisional diagnosis
A is the best answer because it gives the client a temporary diagnosis while other steps can be
taken to further clarify her symptoms and presentation. B is premature and should not be
forced when additional information can be gathered. C and D might both be helpful steps as
part of further evaluation, but not before a provisional diagnosis is given.
A 35-year-old accountant seeks therapy because she has a hard time in social settings. She
presents with a depressed mood and shares that sometimes she stays home and drinks rather
than going out with her friends. The social worker should FIRST:
A. Refer the client to substance abuse treatment for an assessment.
B. Provide psychoeducation about how her substance abuse could be affecting her mood.
C. Determine the frequency and amount of client's substance use.
D. Ask if client experiences and symptoms of tolerance or withdrawal. - ✔✔✔-C. Determine the
frequency and amount of client's substance use.
C should be done first because the client is presenting with many signs of substance abuse.
Therefore the social worker needs to further explore the client's drinking habits. A, B, and D, can
only be done once C has been explored.
A 41-year-old woman has been in therapy for two years for anxiety attacks and depression. She
is no longer taking medication and is currently symptom free. During recent therapy sessions
she frequently laughs and enjoys herself. Which of the following actions should the social
worker take?
, ASWB Reasoning Questions and Smart Answers – 100% Solved
A. Interpret the client's behavior as a flight into good health.
B. Confront the client regarding avoidance of underlying issues.
C. Develop a termination plan with the client to maintain progress made.
D. Identify precipitating events leading to the new symptom development. - ✔✔✔-C. Develop a
termination plan with the client to maintain progress made.
C is the best answer because the client's presenting problems have been resolved and the client
is doing well without the aid of medication, both of which indicate a readiness for termination.
A does not make sense because the client has been in treatment for 2 years; a flight into good
health is typically seen at the initiation of treatment. B and D are not supported by the
information in the stem.
A 45-year-old man meets with a social worker for an initial appointment. He reports that his
wife is an alcoholic and becomes verbally abusive when she is intoxicated. He indicates that his
wife refuses to go to treatment, insisting that they can resolve this problem on their own. The
therapist should FIRST:
A. Provide the man with psychoeducation around substance abuse and the stages of change.
B. Explore the man's issues and work collaboratively to develop treatment goals.
C. Explore the man's commitment to the relationship.
D. Help the man identify the reasons behind his wife's behavior. - ✔✔✔-B. Explore the man's
issues and work collaboratively to develop treatment goals.
The best answer is B. A, C, and D could be options later in treatment after a treatment plan
focusing on the man has been established.
A bilingual social worker is hired by a charter school to provide clinical services and support to
the Spanish-speaking students and families. After a few months, the social worker realizes that
the Latino students receive detentions and in-school suspensions more frequently than other
students with similar offenses. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A 13-year-old girl meets with a social worker after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital.
During the assessment, the social worker learns that the child has a history of suicidal ideation
and aggressive behavior at school and home. These behaviors have become worse over the past
year. The family also has a history of mental illness, and the client's father is in jail. After
conducting a risk assessment, the social worker should NEXT:
A. Explore the child's aggressive behaviors.
B. Encourage the mother to place her daughter in a residential treatment home.
C. Evaluate the child's behaviors that occur at school.
D. Evaluate the overall functioning of the family and the child. - ✔✔✔-D. Evaluate the overall
functioning of the family and the child.
After risk, the next step would be to assess the family. This woulddetermine the need for B. A
could be done later in treatment.
A 30-year-old client meets with a social worker and states, "I feel like I'm driving myself insane."
The client reports a fear of germs to the point where she won't allow others to visit her home
because she is afraid they will bring germs into the home. She says she rarely leaves her home
and spends a lot of the day cleaning. The client also states that she scrubs her body to the point
where she is bleeding. The social worker should FIRST:
A. Suggest client keep log of what triggers her behaviors.
B. Provide the client with a referral for a medical evaluation.
C. Help the client determine hand washing alternatives.
D. Identify the cause of the phobia. - ✔✔✔-B. Provide the client with a referral for a medical
evaluation.
Medical evaluation would be the place to start due to the severity of the symptoms. A and C are
interventions that could be done later. D is not relevant to the treatment of phobias.
A 32-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital after a suicide attempt. The social worker
obtains a psychosocial history, while a psychiatrist completes a diagnostic interview. When the
multidisciplinary team meets, everyone agrees that the client could either be diagnosed with
,ASWB Reasoning Questions and Smart Answers – 100% Solved
Bipolar II Disorder or PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder. What should the social worker
do NEXT:
A. Give the client a provisional diagnosis
B. Prompt the team to definitively decide on a diagnosis
C. Refer the client for a neuropsychological evaluation
D. Ask the client to sign releases so that family and friends can be contacted - ✔✔✔-A. Give the
client a provisional diagnosis
A is the best answer because it gives the client a temporary diagnosis while other steps can be
taken to further clarify her symptoms and presentation. B is premature and should not be
forced when additional information can be gathered. C and D might both be helpful steps as
part of further evaluation, but not before a provisional diagnosis is given.
A 35-year-old accountant seeks therapy because she has a hard time in social settings. She
presents with a depressed mood and shares that sometimes she stays home and drinks rather
than going out with her friends. The social worker should FIRST:
A. Refer the client to substance abuse treatment for an assessment.
B. Provide psychoeducation about how her substance abuse could be affecting her mood.
C. Determine the frequency and amount of client's substance use.
D. Ask if client experiences and symptoms of tolerance or withdrawal. - ✔✔✔-C. Determine the
frequency and amount of client's substance use.
C should be done first because the client is presenting with many signs of substance abuse.
Therefore the social worker needs to further explore the client's drinking habits. A, B, and D, can
only be done once C has been explored.
A 41-year-old woman has been in therapy for two years for anxiety attacks and depression. She
is no longer taking medication and is currently symptom free. During recent therapy sessions
she frequently laughs and enjoys herself. Which of the following actions should the social
worker take?
, ASWB Reasoning Questions and Smart Answers – 100% Solved
A. Interpret the client's behavior as a flight into good health.
B. Confront the client regarding avoidance of underlying issues.
C. Develop a termination plan with the client to maintain progress made.
D. Identify precipitating events leading to the new symptom development. - ✔✔✔-C. Develop a
termination plan with the client to maintain progress made.
C is the best answer because the client's presenting problems have been resolved and the client
is doing well without the aid of medication, both of which indicate a readiness for termination.
A does not make sense because the client has been in treatment for 2 years; a flight into good
health is typically seen at the initiation of treatment. B and D are not supported by the
information in the stem.
A 45-year-old man meets with a social worker for an initial appointment. He reports that his
wife is an alcoholic and becomes verbally abusive when she is intoxicated. He indicates that his
wife refuses to go to treatment, insisting that they can resolve this problem on their own. The
therapist should FIRST:
A. Provide the man with psychoeducation around substance abuse and the stages of change.
B. Explore the man's issues and work collaboratively to develop treatment goals.
C. Explore the man's commitment to the relationship.
D. Help the man identify the reasons behind his wife's behavior. - ✔✔✔-B. Explore the man's
issues and work collaboratively to develop treatment goals.
The best answer is B. A, C, and D could be options later in treatment after a treatment plan
focusing on the man has been established.
A bilingual social worker is hired by a charter school to provide clinical services and support to
the Spanish-speaking students and families. After a few months, the social worker realizes that
the Latino students receive detentions and in-school suspensions more frequently than other
students with similar offenses. What should the social worker do FIRST?
