ASWB BACHELORS EXAM STUDY
PACK QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ A social worker meets with a 75-year old client whose wife died six
months ago. In the Intake interview, the client reports losing weight,
having very little energy, and having difficulty getting motivated to do
things. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Complete a suicide risk assessment of the client.
B. Explore available family and community resources
C. Suggest that the client schedule an appointment with a doctor.
D. Refer the client to a local bereavement group. Answer: Rationale: The
client's self-report describes depression and suicide risk that warrant
further assessment (Key A). Option (B), (C), and (D) are all plausible
but not the FIRST action the social worker should take.
◉ A social worker meets with a 35-year-old American man who is
anxious because his wife is pressuring him to move his mother into a
nursing home. He prefers that she live with them. The social worker asks
the man if he has any siblings and what his birth order is. This
information is important to the social worker's understanding of the
man's:
A. cultural perspective
B. support system
C. financial options
,D. family dynamics. Answer: Rationale: It is always important for a
social worker to understand the cultural context of client situations.
Information about siblings and birth order can reveal much about the
impact of culture on a client from the broadest perspective (keyA). This
information is less likely to provide an understanding of a client's
support system (B), financial options (C), or family dynamics (D).
◉ A social worker who leads a therapy group plans to begin an extended
leave. What should the social worker discuss with the group FIRST?
A. Arrangements for continuity of the group.
B. The group's progress to date
C. Options for transferring to other groups
D. Detailed reasons for the leave. Answer: This is an unscored item. The
absence of the regular group lead, even if temporary, can be a highly
disruptive event for a therapy group, making it imperative that the leader
focus on ensuring continuity by discussing how the group will continue
during the absence (key A). It would be inappropriate to discuss detailed
reasons for the absence (D). Options (B) and (C) may be possible topics
of discussion, but not what the social worker should discuss FIRST.
◉ A woman is bedridden in a nursing care facility because of
complications from morbid obesity. The social worker is contacted after
the woman deliberately twists an aides finger while receiving a bed bath.
The woman reports that she was hurt during the bath and that her
requests for the aide to stop were ignored. She also frequently hears
unkind comments made about her weight by staff members. What
should the social worker do FIRST?
,A. Have the woman transferred to another nursing care facility
B. Provide ongoing staff training to deal with the diverse needs of
residents.
C. Begin individual therapy to address the woman's anger
D. Meet with staff membersD. Answer: Rationale: Initially, the social
worker should attempt to mediate between the staff and the woman as
the most straightforward approach (Key D). Transferring the woman (A)
is not warranted and defers the problem. It is not clear from the
information that staff training (B) is needed. It is also unclear at this time
how individual therapy (C) might address this problem.
◉ During the assessment process, a social worker learns that a client's
self-reporting is incomplete. What approach would MOST likely
improve self-reporting?
A. Guided imagery
B. Role Play
C. Journaling
D. Family input. Answer: Rationale: Journaling helps the client
document and remember pertinent information between sessions (C).
Guided imagery (AI) and role play (B) are both interventions that are
potentially not relevant to the self-reporting problem. Family input (D) is
incorrect because it is collateral reporting and the goal is to improve
client self-reporting.
◉ A social worker is facilitating a new group for teenage fathers. The
goal of the group is to support and encourage the young fathers to
, become engaged with their children. After reviewing the rules of the
group and eliciting introductions, what should the social worker do
NEXT?
A. Ask each group member to describe the circumstances of the child's
life
B. Invite members to discuss how they view their roles as young fathers
C. Identify barriers that prevent the members from being more involved
fathers.
D. Ask each member to express his personal expectations of the group
experience. Answer: Rationale: This is an unscored item. This item
requires knowledge of the stages of group formation. Engaging group
members in discussion of expectations early on helps to establish group
norms and will help to guide subsequent stages of group development
(key D). Options (A), (B) and (C) focus more on individual member
concerns and experiences which should occur only after group norms
have been established.
◉ A 14-year-old Asian American student is referred to a family agency
because of the student's recent poor academic performance and
behavioral changes, including lack of paying attention and social
withdrawal. During the second family therapy session, the student
angrily says that she is tired of the painful physical punishment from her
father for trying to fit in with her friends at school. The father notes that
the punishment is necessary to prevent his daughter from imitating the
behaviors of her
American friends and thus bringing shame to the family. What should
the social worker do FIRST?
PACK QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ A social worker meets with a 75-year old client whose wife died six
months ago. In the Intake interview, the client reports losing weight,
having very little energy, and having difficulty getting motivated to do
things. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Complete a suicide risk assessment of the client.
B. Explore available family and community resources
C. Suggest that the client schedule an appointment with a doctor.
D. Refer the client to a local bereavement group. Answer: Rationale: The
client's self-report describes depression and suicide risk that warrant
further assessment (Key A). Option (B), (C), and (D) are all plausible
but not the FIRST action the social worker should take.
◉ A social worker meets with a 35-year-old American man who is
anxious because his wife is pressuring him to move his mother into a
nursing home. He prefers that she live with them. The social worker asks
the man if he has any siblings and what his birth order is. This
information is important to the social worker's understanding of the
man's:
A. cultural perspective
B. support system
C. financial options
,D. family dynamics. Answer: Rationale: It is always important for a
social worker to understand the cultural context of client situations.
Information about siblings and birth order can reveal much about the
impact of culture on a client from the broadest perspective (keyA). This
information is less likely to provide an understanding of a client's
support system (B), financial options (C), or family dynamics (D).
◉ A social worker who leads a therapy group plans to begin an extended
leave. What should the social worker discuss with the group FIRST?
A. Arrangements for continuity of the group.
B. The group's progress to date
C. Options for transferring to other groups
D. Detailed reasons for the leave. Answer: This is an unscored item. The
absence of the regular group lead, even if temporary, can be a highly
disruptive event for a therapy group, making it imperative that the leader
focus on ensuring continuity by discussing how the group will continue
during the absence (key A). It would be inappropriate to discuss detailed
reasons for the absence (D). Options (B) and (C) may be possible topics
of discussion, but not what the social worker should discuss FIRST.
◉ A woman is bedridden in a nursing care facility because of
complications from morbid obesity. The social worker is contacted after
the woman deliberately twists an aides finger while receiving a bed bath.
The woman reports that she was hurt during the bath and that her
requests for the aide to stop were ignored. She also frequently hears
unkind comments made about her weight by staff members. What
should the social worker do FIRST?
,A. Have the woman transferred to another nursing care facility
B. Provide ongoing staff training to deal with the diverse needs of
residents.
C. Begin individual therapy to address the woman's anger
D. Meet with staff membersD. Answer: Rationale: Initially, the social
worker should attempt to mediate between the staff and the woman as
the most straightforward approach (Key D). Transferring the woman (A)
is not warranted and defers the problem. It is not clear from the
information that staff training (B) is needed. It is also unclear at this time
how individual therapy (C) might address this problem.
◉ During the assessment process, a social worker learns that a client's
self-reporting is incomplete. What approach would MOST likely
improve self-reporting?
A. Guided imagery
B. Role Play
C. Journaling
D. Family input. Answer: Rationale: Journaling helps the client
document and remember pertinent information between sessions (C).
Guided imagery (AI) and role play (B) are both interventions that are
potentially not relevant to the self-reporting problem. Family input (D) is
incorrect because it is collateral reporting and the goal is to improve
client self-reporting.
◉ A social worker is facilitating a new group for teenage fathers. The
goal of the group is to support and encourage the young fathers to
, become engaged with their children. After reviewing the rules of the
group and eliciting introductions, what should the social worker do
NEXT?
A. Ask each group member to describe the circumstances of the child's
life
B. Invite members to discuss how they view their roles as young fathers
C. Identify barriers that prevent the members from being more involved
fathers.
D. Ask each member to express his personal expectations of the group
experience. Answer: Rationale: This is an unscored item. This item
requires knowledge of the stages of group formation. Engaging group
members in discussion of expectations early on helps to establish group
norms and will help to guide subsequent stages of group development
(key D). Options (A), (B) and (C) focus more on individual member
concerns and experiences which should occur only after group norms
have been established.
◉ A 14-year-old Asian American student is referred to a family agency
because of the student's recent poor academic performance and
behavioral changes, including lack of paying attention and social
withdrawal. During the second family therapy session, the student
angrily says that she is tired of the painful physical punishment from her
father for trying to fit in with her friends at school. The father notes that
the punishment is necessary to prevent his daughter from imitating the
behaviors of her
American friends and thus bringing shame to the family. What should
the social worker do FIRST?
