MSW EVALUATION EXAM UPDATED QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Access to Records and Documents - ✔✔-There is no such thing as complete
confidentiality: always assume records will be seen
-Subpoenas: know the difference for one requesting records vs. one requesting a
personal appearance (some organizations send the person responsible for maintaining
the record- i.e., medical records)
-If you receive a subpoena you can try to have it withdrawn or the information requested
narrowed
-Do not release information without a court order or a consent
✔✔Regulations - ✔✔-Be sure you are familiar with all records that pertain to your
practice (HIPAA, FERPA, JCAHO, etc)
-Work in compliance with these expectations
✔✔A social worker is meeting with her client for a first therapy session. What is the first
ethical responsibility she is obligated to meet in this session? - ✔✔Inform the client
about the limits of confidentiality.
✔✔A social worker employed by a community-based organization finds her professional
decision-making to be influenced by elements other than concern about the client. What
ethical issue is this social worker facing? - ✔✔Conflict of interest.
✔✔What core value of the social work profession is violated when a client is coerced
into consenting to treatment? - ✔✔Dignity and worth of a person
✔✔During a counseling session at a mental health center, a social worker is told by
their client that the client intends to shoot a specific relative after leaving the session.
What professional duties are in conflict in this situation? - ✔✔Duty to warn per the
Tarasoff decision and confidentiality.
✔✔A 16 year old has become a client of an outpatient clinical social worker after
surviving a sexual assault by the sibling of a classmate at her school. The client's
parents have signed a release of information allowing the social worker to communicate
directly with school staff. The social worker is contacted by one of the teachers who is
concerned that the client's school work has declined drastically. The teacher wants to
know if something has happened to the client. What should the social worker do in this
situation? - ✔✔Talk to the client about whether they want any information disclosed and
the possible implications of disclosure.
✔✔Adele, a social worker employed by a program serving at-risk youth at a local YMCA
in an urban community, lives in an apartment complex within walking distance of her
work. An avid reader, she frequently visits the local library and has joined a monthly
,reading group. At her most recent visit, the group welcomed a new member who
happens to be the mother of one of the youths in her program. To determine how to
respond to this situation, what should Adele do first? - ✔✔Assess the situation for risk of
potential harm or exploitation of the client.
✔✔During a counseling session, a client with a history of relationship problems shares a
text she received from one of your co-workers inviting her to a social event as their date.
Your co-worker is part of the treatment team that regularly reviews client cases
(including your client) and evaluates their progress. The client is seeking your advice
about whether to accept the date and attend the event. What should you do? -
✔✔Report the situation to your supervisor.
✔✔According to the Nuremberg Code, which provides the basis for Institutional Review
Boards' requirements for human subjects research, voluntary consent to participate in
research activities is an imperative. Which of the following statements does not meet
the criteria defining voluntary informed consent? - ✔✔The participant must be
compensated either financially or by directly benefiting from the study.
✔✔A social worker experiences a language barrier with a client during the process of
obtaining informed consent. The social worker has a limited ability to speak the client's
language. To best ensure that the client understands the information the social worker
is providing, what should the social worker do? - ✔✔Pause the consent process and
arrange for a professional interpreter.
✔✔When a social worker has first-hand information of a colleague's impairment due to
substance abuse or mental health difficulties that may be interfering with the
effectiveness of their practice, what should the social worker do first? - ✔✔If feasible,
discuss concerns with the colleague and assist them in getting help.
✔✔Implicit Biases - ✔✔-Identifying personal biases
-How personal discomfort and fear contribute to perceptions as well as social
oppressions
-Unconscious biases we have about a person or group of people
✔✔Diversity - ✔✔-The influence of human diversity on practice
-The differential skills and knowledge needed for cultural competency
-The impact of oppression and discrimination on vulnerable populations
-Ways in which theories are socially constructed and may be based on a particular
culture's structure and values which may subsequently influence privilege, power, and
the forms and mechanisms of oppression, including racism, sexism, ethnocentrism,
ageism, homophobia, and poverty
-Feminist theory as a different perspective
✔✔Theory - ✔✔-Relevance of various theories designed to explain and predict human
behavior
,-The impact of diverse cultural and social backgrounds on human behavior
-Theories of assimilation, acculturation, bicultural socialization, ethnic minority identity,
and focus on cultural identity and cultural competence
-Cultural humility
✔✔Overall Process - ✔✔Essential differences in assessment and intervention with
culturally diverse individuals and families
✔✔Assessment & Intervention - ✔✔-How to tailor assessment and treatment planning
models to work with diverse populations
-Assessment including cultural dimensions such as family diversity, cultural identity,
belief systems, world views, communication, and use of language
✔✔Diagnosis & Treatment - ✔✔-Potential effects and impact of cultural diversity and
clinician bias in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues
-Becoming a "cultural learner" to work effectively with culturally diverse individuals,
families, and groups
✔✔Roles & Values - ✔✔Social work roles and values in formulating, changing, and
evaluating social policies and agency policies that enhance the well-being of
vulnerable/marginalized/at-risk populations.
✔✔Policy & Structural Oppression - ✔✔-Impact of racism, sexism, classism,
heterosexism, ageism, and other discriminatory patterns that underlie the development
of policies and delivery of services to vulnerable/marginalized/at-risk populations
-Intersectionality
-Structural theories of poverty
✔✔In working with clients from a racial or ethnic group different from their own, what are
social workers advised to do? - ✔✔Avoid generalizations.
✔✔Kinship bonds and corresponding extended family forms are cultural dimensions
that are important to consider in family practice with diverse families. Which of the
following aspects of practice may be most affected by how these dimensions are
defined? - ✔✔Confidentiality and Defining family boundaries.
✔✔A social worker is conducting an initial assessment with a client. What is the best
way for the social worker to inquire about the client's sexual orientation? - ✔✔"What is
your sexual orientation?"
✔✔Eduardo is a 60 year old Latino man who identifies as gay and is disabled due to a
work-related accident. These aspects of his identity illustrate which of the following
terms? - ✔✔Intersectionality.
, ✔✔Jason is an African American man who has just recently gained employment with an
advertising company. One of Jason's coworkers is resentful of Jason because he thinks
Jason was hired because of Affirmative Action and not because he is qualified for the
position. This same coworker also assumes that Jason is not as smart as their
colleagues because of his minority status. What term best describes the attitude of the
coworker? - ✔✔Prejudice.
✔✔Most group leaders/group therapists will have group members from diverse cultural
backgrounds. What is not a good way for group leaders to become culturally
competent? - ✔✔Promote universal values.
✔✔A social worker conducts a home visit to a 45 year old Latino client whose young
son was killed in a recent automobile accident. The social worker observes that a large
altar has been made. It contains many candles and pictures of the boy and other
deceased relatives. The client sobs throughout the interview and tells the social worker
that the boy has been communicating to the client each evening through angels. In
order to most effectively work with the client, what should the social worker do FIRST? -
✔✔Explore the mourning rituals of the client's family.
✔✔A social worker at a community mental health center is working with a 21 year old
client who has been experiencing rejection from family and friends following the
admission by the client that she is a lesbian. During the third session the client begins to
cry and says, "Maybe my mom is right. She says all I need to do is find the right man."
After reflecting the client's unhappy feelings, what should the social worker do NEXT? -
✔✔Use universalization to provide reassurance to the client about the behavior of
others in these circumstances.
✔✔Mia H. and Johnny B. interviewed for the same job. Mia has more education and
experience than Johnny, and is the better qualified candidate for the position. However,
the hiring official did not offer the job to Mia because he believes women are inferior to
men and do not belong in the work force. Based on this information, Mia experienced
which of the following? - ✔✔Discrimination.
✔✔Cultural humility includes all but which of the following ? - ✔✔Focus on immigrants
and minorities.
✔✔Oppression - ✔✔Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control
✔✔Social Justice - ✔✔Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and
privileges within a society.
✔✔Economic Justice - ✔✔The distribution of resources in a fair and equitable manner
✔✔Human Rights - ✔✔The rights and freedoms to which everyone is entitled
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Access to Records and Documents - ✔✔-There is no such thing as complete
confidentiality: always assume records will be seen
-Subpoenas: know the difference for one requesting records vs. one requesting a
personal appearance (some organizations send the person responsible for maintaining
the record- i.e., medical records)
-If you receive a subpoena you can try to have it withdrawn or the information requested
narrowed
-Do not release information without a court order or a consent
✔✔Regulations - ✔✔-Be sure you are familiar with all records that pertain to your
practice (HIPAA, FERPA, JCAHO, etc)
-Work in compliance with these expectations
✔✔A social worker is meeting with her client for a first therapy session. What is the first
ethical responsibility she is obligated to meet in this session? - ✔✔Inform the client
about the limits of confidentiality.
✔✔A social worker employed by a community-based organization finds her professional
decision-making to be influenced by elements other than concern about the client. What
ethical issue is this social worker facing? - ✔✔Conflict of interest.
✔✔What core value of the social work profession is violated when a client is coerced
into consenting to treatment? - ✔✔Dignity and worth of a person
✔✔During a counseling session at a mental health center, a social worker is told by
their client that the client intends to shoot a specific relative after leaving the session.
What professional duties are in conflict in this situation? - ✔✔Duty to warn per the
Tarasoff decision and confidentiality.
✔✔A 16 year old has become a client of an outpatient clinical social worker after
surviving a sexual assault by the sibling of a classmate at her school. The client's
parents have signed a release of information allowing the social worker to communicate
directly with school staff. The social worker is contacted by one of the teachers who is
concerned that the client's school work has declined drastically. The teacher wants to
know if something has happened to the client. What should the social worker do in this
situation? - ✔✔Talk to the client about whether they want any information disclosed and
the possible implications of disclosure.
✔✔Adele, a social worker employed by a program serving at-risk youth at a local YMCA
in an urban community, lives in an apartment complex within walking distance of her
work. An avid reader, she frequently visits the local library and has joined a monthly
,reading group. At her most recent visit, the group welcomed a new member who
happens to be the mother of one of the youths in her program. To determine how to
respond to this situation, what should Adele do first? - ✔✔Assess the situation for risk of
potential harm or exploitation of the client.
✔✔During a counseling session, a client with a history of relationship problems shares a
text she received from one of your co-workers inviting her to a social event as their date.
Your co-worker is part of the treatment team that regularly reviews client cases
(including your client) and evaluates their progress. The client is seeking your advice
about whether to accept the date and attend the event. What should you do? -
✔✔Report the situation to your supervisor.
✔✔According to the Nuremberg Code, which provides the basis for Institutional Review
Boards' requirements for human subjects research, voluntary consent to participate in
research activities is an imperative. Which of the following statements does not meet
the criteria defining voluntary informed consent? - ✔✔The participant must be
compensated either financially or by directly benefiting from the study.
✔✔A social worker experiences a language barrier with a client during the process of
obtaining informed consent. The social worker has a limited ability to speak the client's
language. To best ensure that the client understands the information the social worker
is providing, what should the social worker do? - ✔✔Pause the consent process and
arrange for a professional interpreter.
✔✔When a social worker has first-hand information of a colleague's impairment due to
substance abuse or mental health difficulties that may be interfering with the
effectiveness of their practice, what should the social worker do first? - ✔✔If feasible,
discuss concerns with the colleague and assist them in getting help.
✔✔Implicit Biases - ✔✔-Identifying personal biases
-How personal discomfort and fear contribute to perceptions as well as social
oppressions
-Unconscious biases we have about a person or group of people
✔✔Diversity - ✔✔-The influence of human diversity on practice
-The differential skills and knowledge needed for cultural competency
-The impact of oppression and discrimination on vulnerable populations
-Ways in which theories are socially constructed and may be based on a particular
culture's structure and values which may subsequently influence privilege, power, and
the forms and mechanisms of oppression, including racism, sexism, ethnocentrism,
ageism, homophobia, and poverty
-Feminist theory as a different perspective
✔✔Theory - ✔✔-Relevance of various theories designed to explain and predict human
behavior
,-The impact of diverse cultural and social backgrounds on human behavior
-Theories of assimilation, acculturation, bicultural socialization, ethnic minority identity,
and focus on cultural identity and cultural competence
-Cultural humility
✔✔Overall Process - ✔✔Essential differences in assessment and intervention with
culturally diverse individuals and families
✔✔Assessment & Intervention - ✔✔-How to tailor assessment and treatment planning
models to work with diverse populations
-Assessment including cultural dimensions such as family diversity, cultural identity,
belief systems, world views, communication, and use of language
✔✔Diagnosis & Treatment - ✔✔-Potential effects and impact of cultural diversity and
clinician bias in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues
-Becoming a "cultural learner" to work effectively with culturally diverse individuals,
families, and groups
✔✔Roles & Values - ✔✔Social work roles and values in formulating, changing, and
evaluating social policies and agency policies that enhance the well-being of
vulnerable/marginalized/at-risk populations.
✔✔Policy & Structural Oppression - ✔✔-Impact of racism, sexism, classism,
heterosexism, ageism, and other discriminatory patterns that underlie the development
of policies and delivery of services to vulnerable/marginalized/at-risk populations
-Intersectionality
-Structural theories of poverty
✔✔In working with clients from a racial or ethnic group different from their own, what are
social workers advised to do? - ✔✔Avoid generalizations.
✔✔Kinship bonds and corresponding extended family forms are cultural dimensions
that are important to consider in family practice with diverse families. Which of the
following aspects of practice may be most affected by how these dimensions are
defined? - ✔✔Confidentiality and Defining family boundaries.
✔✔A social worker is conducting an initial assessment with a client. What is the best
way for the social worker to inquire about the client's sexual orientation? - ✔✔"What is
your sexual orientation?"
✔✔Eduardo is a 60 year old Latino man who identifies as gay and is disabled due to a
work-related accident. These aspects of his identity illustrate which of the following
terms? - ✔✔Intersectionality.
, ✔✔Jason is an African American man who has just recently gained employment with an
advertising company. One of Jason's coworkers is resentful of Jason because he thinks
Jason was hired because of Affirmative Action and not because he is qualified for the
position. This same coworker also assumes that Jason is not as smart as their
colleagues because of his minority status. What term best describes the attitude of the
coworker? - ✔✔Prejudice.
✔✔Most group leaders/group therapists will have group members from diverse cultural
backgrounds. What is not a good way for group leaders to become culturally
competent? - ✔✔Promote universal values.
✔✔A social worker conducts a home visit to a 45 year old Latino client whose young
son was killed in a recent automobile accident. The social worker observes that a large
altar has been made. It contains many candles and pictures of the boy and other
deceased relatives. The client sobs throughout the interview and tells the social worker
that the boy has been communicating to the client each evening through angels. In
order to most effectively work with the client, what should the social worker do FIRST? -
✔✔Explore the mourning rituals of the client's family.
✔✔A social worker at a community mental health center is working with a 21 year old
client who has been experiencing rejection from family and friends following the
admission by the client that she is a lesbian. During the third session the client begins to
cry and says, "Maybe my mom is right. She says all I need to do is find the right man."
After reflecting the client's unhappy feelings, what should the social worker do NEXT? -
✔✔Use universalization to provide reassurance to the client about the behavior of
others in these circumstances.
✔✔Mia H. and Johnny B. interviewed for the same job. Mia has more education and
experience than Johnny, and is the better qualified candidate for the position. However,
the hiring official did not offer the job to Mia because he believes women are inferior to
men and do not belong in the work force. Based on this information, Mia experienced
which of the following? - ✔✔Discrimination.
✔✔Cultural humility includes all but which of the following ? - ✔✔Focus on immigrants
and minorities.
✔✔Oppression - ✔✔Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control
✔✔Social Justice - ✔✔Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and
privileges within a society.
✔✔Economic Justice - ✔✔The distribution of resources in a fair and equitable manner
✔✔Human Rights - ✔✔The rights and freedoms to which everyone is entitled
