LICSW PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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 - Answers - B - Acknowledge the
client's right to decide about release of records
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 - Answers - D -
Acknowledge the client's feelings and encourage discussion of them
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 - Answers - A - Life situation and recent changes
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 - Answers - D - Listen to Mrs. S's description
of her health as a beginning of a relationship and means of assessing her self-
perception
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 - Answers - C
- Acknowledge the anger each partner has toward the other
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 - Answers - B - Facilitate discussion of the
recollections
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 - Answers - A - Explore the parent's reaction to
the child's illness
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 -
Answers - D - Explore the reasons for the absences and factors contributing to the
behavior
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 - Answers
- C - A discussion of the social worker's perception of the marital relationship
,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 - Answers - C - Refer the client to a
substance abuse problem
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) - Answers - C - Middle School (6-12 years)
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 - Answers - C -
Parent's understanding of the child's developmental process
The two most common defenses used by couples with marital problems are
a. Repression and Denial
b. Repression and Suppression
c. Projection and Displacement
d. Projection and Splitting - Answers - C - Projection and Displacement
A client who expresses no overt anger accuses her social worker of being angry,
hostile, suspicious and cold. The process being used is MOST likely
a. Projective identification
b. Paranoia
c. Reaction formation
d. Isolation of affect - Answers - A - Projective identification
Which of the following characteristics is usually NOT found in families in which
incestuous relationships have occurred?
a. Enmeshment of family members
b. Distorted patterns of communication
c. Symbiotic mother-child relationships
, d. Moralistic attitudes and extramarital affairs - Answers - C - Symbiotic mother-child
relationships
Which of the following assumptions is NOT accepted by a social worker engaged in
family treatment?
a. Each person strives for a sense of relatedness and closeness with others
b. Treating the scapegoated family member will help the rest of the family
c. Family members explain their own sense of worth on the basis of the behavior of
others
d. Family boundaries are the means for individuals to protect differences and maintain
identity - Answers - B - Treating the scapegoated family member will help the rest of
the family
After six weeks of marital therapy, a couple continues their destructive pattern of
fighting. In the next session when the couple begins yelling at each other, the social
worker stops them and states "your situation is hopeless, fight as often as you wish".
She is using the technique of?
a. Encouragement
b. Reframing
c. Prescribing a ritual
d. Paradoxical directive - Answers - D - Paradoxical directive
The major goal of behavioral treatment of depression reflects the view that depression
is a result of
a. Role confusion
b. Negative cognition
c. Poor interpersonal skills
d. Absence of positive reinforcement - Answers - D - Absence of positive
reinforcement
The view that learning takes place through observation and that new responses are
acquired through the process of imitating models is associated with
a. Cognitive behaviorism
b. Operant conditioning
c. Social learning
d. Classical conditioning - Answers - C - Social learning
Mrs. W asks for help with her six-year-old daughter's frequent temper tantrums. The
tantrums often occur when shopping. When the child sees something she wants, she
screams and kicks until her mother gives her the item. When asked how she responds,
Mrs. W says she usually gives in to avoid being embarrassed. Which behavior principle
is demonstrated?
a. The child is negatively reinforcing the mother's compliance with the child's demands
b. The child is positively reinforcing mother's giving in
c. Mother is negatively reinforcing the child's behavior
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 - Answers - B - Acknowledge the
client's right to decide about release of records
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 - Answers - D -
Acknowledge the client's feelings and encourage discussion of them
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 - Answers - A - Life situation and recent changes
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 - Answers - D - Listen to Mrs. S's description
of her health as a beginning of a relationship and means of assessing her self-
perception
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 - Answers - C
- Acknowledge the anger each partner has toward the other
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 - Answers - B - Facilitate discussion of the
recollections
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 - Answers - A - Explore the parent's reaction to
the child's illness
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 -
Answers - D - Explore the reasons for the absences and factors contributing to the
behavior
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 - Answers
- C - A discussion of the social worker's perception of the marital relationship
,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 - Answers - C - Refer the client to a
substance abuse problem
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) - Answers - C - Middle School (6-12 years)
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 - Answers - C -
Parent's understanding of the child's developmental process
The two most common defenses used by couples with marital problems are
a. Repression and Denial
b. Repression and Suppression
c. Projection and Displacement
d. Projection and Splitting - Answers - C - Projection and Displacement
A client who expresses no overt anger accuses her social worker of being angry,
hostile, suspicious and cold. The process being used is MOST likely
a. Projective identification
b. Paranoia
c. Reaction formation
d. Isolation of affect - Answers - A - Projective identification
Which of the following characteristics is usually NOT found in families in which
incestuous relationships have occurred?
a. Enmeshment of family members
b. Distorted patterns of communication
c. Symbiotic mother-child relationships
, d. Moralistic attitudes and extramarital affairs - Answers - C - Symbiotic mother-child
relationships
Which of the following assumptions is NOT accepted by a social worker engaged in
family treatment?
a. Each person strives for a sense of relatedness and closeness with others
b. Treating the scapegoated family member will help the rest of the family
c. Family members explain their own sense of worth on the basis of the behavior of
others
d. Family boundaries are the means for individuals to protect differences and maintain
identity - Answers - B - Treating the scapegoated family member will help the rest of
the family
After six weeks of marital therapy, a couple continues their destructive pattern of
fighting. In the next session when the couple begins yelling at each other, the social
worker stops them and states "your situation is hopeless, fight as often as you wish".
She is using the technique of?
a. Encouragement
b. Reframing
c. Prescribing a ritual
d. Paradoxical directive - Answers - D - Paradoxical directive
The major goal of behavioral treatment of depression reflects the view that depression
is a result of
a. Role confusion
b. Negative cognition
c. Poor interpersonal skills
d. Absence of positive reinforcement - Answers - D - Absence of positive
reinforcement
The view that learning takes place through observation and that new responses are
acquired through the process of imitating models is associated with
a. Cognitive behaviorism
b. Operant conditioning
c. Social learning
d. Classical conditioning - Answers - C - Social learning
Mrs. W asks for help with her six-year-old daughter's frequent temper tantrums. The
tantrums often occur when shopping. When the child sees something she wants, she
screams and kicks until her mother gives her the item. When asked how she responds,
Mrs. W says she usually gives in to avoid being embarrassed. Which behavior principle
is demonstrated?
a. The child is negatively reinforcing the mother's compliance with the child's demands
b. The child is positively reinforcing mother's giving in
c. Mother is negatively reinforcing the child's behavior
