Chapter One
An Introduction to the Competency-Based Assessment Model
Multiple Choice Questions:
The DSM is considered as a:
a) General medical disorder that results from an iron deficiency anemia
b) Psychological measurement of intelligence
c) Tool to treat mental illness
d) Standard reference used to diagnose all mental disorders
The principal aim of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
is to:
a) Describe the causes of specific physical disorders
b) Prescribe the “best practices” when treating a specific mental disorder
c) Provide criteria informed by research for diagnostic categories
d) Justify reimbursement for counseling services from third party payers
Which one of the following is not found in the DSM?
a) Psychosocial and environmental problems
b) General medical conditions
c) Cultural background
d) Treatment recommendations
The ecological perspective posits that:
a) A person’s behavior can be best understood as reacting to environmental
stressors
b) Assessment of a person’s behavior considers the reciprocal
interactions between the person and their environment
c) Individual growth and development requires a habitat that is rich in
resources
d) The biological, psychological, and social systems impacting on a person’s
life differ little from one another
Which of the following statements do not accurately represent the limbic system?
a) The part of the brain involved in emotions, motivation, memory, and
learning
GRAY 220
, b) Acts as a relay station for incoming information from the sensory
organs
c) Found in the inner margin of the upper brain
d) Includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and
anterior cingulate cortex
The social worker who asks about a client’s work history is exploring:
a) Intrapersonal issues
b) Social issues
c) Interpersonal issues
d) Cultural issues
Which of the following statements does not apply to the competency-based assessment in
mental health practice:
a) Emphasizes the importance of identifying client competencies
b) Focuses on assets instead of deficits
c) Represents the practitioner’s judgment of the individual’s overall level of
functioning
d) Strives to build and enhance client skills as they attempt to deal with life
conditions
The competency-based assessment refers to:
a) Factors as thoughts, feelings, perceptions, motivation, and reactions to
“illness”
b) An examination of cultural, environmental, and familial influences
c) Reciprocal interactions that are assumed between a person’s behavior and
his or her environment
d) Considers select factors that contribute to the development of
psychopathology
The DSM-5 replaced the DSM-IV-TR “Not Otherwise Specified” or NOS label with 2
additional categories: “Other specified (disorder)” and “”Unspecified (disorder). Which
of the following statements accurately represents the Unspecified diagnostic categories?
a) The Unspecified diagnosis is considered when the practitioner considers the
client’s condition is time-limited; 6 months or less
b) The Unspecified diagnosis is considered when the client has fewer than 3
symptoms of any of the disorders in a specific diagnostic classification
c) The Unspecified diagnosis is used when the practitioner chooses not to
specify the reason that criteria are not met for a specific disorder
d) The unspecified diagnosis is used when the client shows symptoms in 2 (or more)
disorders in separate diagnostic classifications
GRAY 221
An Introduction to the Competency-Based Assessment Model
Multiple Choice Questions:
The DSM is considered as a:
a) General medical disorder that results from an iron deficiency anemia
b) Psychological measurement of intelligence
c) Tool to treat mental illness
d) Standard reference used to diagnose all mental disorders
The principal aim of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
is to:
a) Describe the causes of specific physical disorders
b) Prescribe the “best practices” when treating a specific mental disorder
c) Provide criteria informed by research for diagnostic categories
d) Justify reimbursement for counseling services from third party payers
Which one of the following is not found in the DSM?
a) Psychosocial and environmental problems
b) General medical conditions
c) Cultural background
d) Treatment recommendations
The ecological perspective posits that:
a) A person’s behavior can be best understood as reacting to environmental
stressors
b) Assessment of a person’s behavior considers the reciprocal
interactions between the person and their environment
c) Individual growth and development requires a habitat that is rich in
resources
d) The biological, psychological, and social systems impacting on a person’s
life differ little from one another
Which of the following statements do not accurately represent the limbic system?
a) The part of the brain involved in emotions, motivation, memory, and
learning
GRAY 220
, b) Acts as a relay station for incoming information from the sensory
organs
c) Found in the inner margin of the upper brain
d) Includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and
anterior cingulate cortex
The social worker who asks about a client’s work history is exploring:
a) Intrapersonal issues
b) Social issues
c) Interpersonal issues
d) Cultural issues
Which of the following statements does not apply to the competency-based assessment in
mental health practice:
a) Emphasizes the importance of identifying client competencies
b) Focuses on assets instead of deficits
c) Represents the practitioner’s judgment of the individual’s overall level of
functioning
d) Strives to build and enhance client skills as they attempt to deal with life
conditions
The competency-based assessment refers to:
a) Factors as thoughts, feelings, perceptions, motivation, and reactions to
“illness”
b) An examination of cultural, environmental, and familial influences
c) Reciprocal interactions that are assumed between a person’s behavior and
his or her environment
d) Considers select factors that contribute to the development of
psychopathology
The DSM-5 replaced the DSM-IV-TR “Not Otherwise Specified” or NOS label with 2
additional categories: “Other specified (disorder)” and “”Unspecified (disorder). Which
of the following statements accurately represents the Unspecified diagnostic categories?
a) The Unspecified diagnosis is considered when the practitioner considers the
client’s condition is time-limited; 6 months or less
b) The Unspecified diagnosis is considered when the client has fewer than 3
symptoms of any of the disorders in a specific diagnostic classification
c) The Unspecified diagnosis is used when the practitioner chooses not to
specify the reason that criteria are not met for a specific disorder
d) The unspecified diagnosis is used when the client shows symptoms in 2 (or more)
disorders in separate diagnostic classifications
GRAY 221
