ASWB Clinical Exam Questions &
Answers 2025/2026
Richard presents with severe depression. He reports motivation for counseling services, but he
is strongly opposed to medication. The FIRST thing to do is:
-Acknowledge Richard's opposition and further assess any concerns about the treatment
-Make a no-Suicide Contract
-Get informed Consent to treat Richard's depression
-Support Richard's self-determination to not take the medication. - ANSWERSAcknowledge
Richard's opposition and further assess any concerns about the treatment.
A series of tornadoes hits a small town, and a woman presents at the disaster crisis center to
speak with a crisis counselor. She is disheveled, and you are aware she has lost her home. What
is the FIRST task to encourage in the session?
-Let her tell her story
-Relaxation techniques
-Assess her situation
-Problem-solving - ANSWERSLet her tell her story
,The reliability of an assessment tool is an indicator of:
-Whether the assessment tool is measuring what it is supposed to measure
-How dependable the assessment tool is
-Faking good or faking bad
-How effective the assessment tool is with different cultural populations - ANSWERSHow
dependable the assessment tool is
Carl is incarcerated and will be engaging in treatment for substance use as part of his sentence.
He has questions about confidentiality. What is the BEST response?
-Acknowledge the client's fears and assure him you cannot violate his trust
-Validate Carl's concerns about confidentiality and ask him for more information
-Provide information on limits of confidentiality and gain informed consent for treatment
-Tell Carl that unless life is endangered, his or others, no violations of confidentiality will be
made - ANSWERSProvide information on limits of confidentiality and gain informed consent for
treatment
Clients who are incarcerated or are in treatment involuntarily still have the right to refuse
treatment, and they have the right to understand who has access to information about their
treatment and under what conditions. If there are specific reporting requirements, that must be
, provided. If reports are given to the courts, parole, or other entities, the client has a right to be
informed so he/or she can make an informed decision about whether or how much to engage.
Glenda is a young mother of three small children. She is HIV-positive and struggling to accept
the illness as part of her life, all the while fearing what her health status could mean in the long-
term for her young children. She has a good support system and is a good mother, but she has
periods of fear, anger, and sadness. She wants help in dealing with the waves of emotion that
sometimes intrude on her life. The BEST response is to:
-Not judge her
-Provide counseling to address her feelings of grief and loss around her health status and future
-Seek to preserve life by helping her find someone who can take over caring for her children
-Rule out the impact of other health issues impacting her mental status - ANSWERSProvide
counseling to address her feelings of grief and loss around her health status and future
Glenda is specifically asking for help in dealing with difficult emotions. There may or may not be
a long-term issue related to her children, and if there is, it is many years down the road and not
something you need to address at this time.
Gertrude, age 76, had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. She does not require
rehabilitation, but is limited in her ability to do tasks of daily living. Her spouse is not able to
assist her due to his own physical limitations. The FIRST step is to:
-Ask what other family members are available to assist temporarily until other arrangements
can be made
-Contact home health to determine what they qualify for
Answers 2025/2026
Richard presents with severe depression. He reports motivation for counseling services, but he
is strongly opposed to medication. The FIRST thing to do is:
-Acknowledge Richard's opposition and further assess any concerns about the treatment
-Make a no-Suicide Contract
-Get informed Consent to treat Richard's depression
-Support Richard's self-determination to not take the medication. - ANSWERSAcknowledge
Richard's opposition and further assess any concerns about the treatment.
A series of tornadoes hits a small town, and a woman presents at the disaster crisis center to
speak with a crisis counselor. She is disheveled, and you are aware she has lost her home. What
is the FIRST task to encourage in the session?
-Let her tell her story
-Relaxation techniques
-Assess her situation
-Problem-solving - ANSWERSLet her tell her story
,The reliability of an assessment tool is an indicator of:
-Whether the assessment tool is measuring what it is supposed to measure
-How dependable the assessment tool is
-Faking good or faking bad
-How effective the assessment tool is with different cultural populations - ANSWERSHow
dependable the assessment tool is
Carl is incarcerated and will be engaging in treatment for substance use as part of his sentence.
He has questions about confidentiality. What is the BEST response?
-Acknowledge the client's fears and assure him you cannot violate his trust
-Validate Carl's concerns about confidentiality and ask him for more information
-Provide information on limits of confidentiality and gain informed consent for treatment
-Tell Carl that unless life is endangered, his or others, no violations of confidentiality will be
made - ANSWERSProvide information on limits of confidentiality and gain informed consent for
treatment
Clients who are incarcerated or are in treatment involuntarily still have the right to refuse
treatment, and they have the right to understand who has access to information about their
treatment and under what conditions. If there are specific reporting requirements, that must be
, provided. If reports are given to the courts, parole, or other entities, the client has a right to be
informed so he/or she can make an informed decision about whether or how much to engage.
Glenda is a young mother of three small children. She is HIV-positive and struggling to accept
the illness as part of her life, all the while fearing what her health status could mean in the long-
term for her young children. She has a good support system and is a good mother, but she has
periods of fear, anger, and sadness. She wants help in dealing with the waves of emotion that
sometimes intrude on her life. The BEST response is to:
-Not judge her
-Provide counseling to address her feelings of grief and loss around her health status and future
-Seek to preserve life by helping her find someone who can take over caring for her children
-Rule out the impact of other health issues impacting her mental status - ANSWERSProvide
counseling to address her feelings of grief and loss around her health status and future
Glenda is specifically asking for help in dealing with difficult emotions. There may or may not be
a long-term issue related to her children, and if there is, it is many years down the road and not
something you need to address at this time.
Gertrude, age 76, had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. She does not require
rehabilitation, but is limited in her ability to do tasks of daily living. Her spouse is not able to
assist her due to his own physical limitations. The FIRST step is to:
-Ask what other family members are available to assist temporarily until other arrangements
can be made
-Contact home health to determine what they qualify for
