A social worker is seeing a client who is in the advanced stages of HIV. His health has deteriorated to the point that he is no longer able to care for himself. He has been estranged from his parents for years and has not told them that he is gay. The client wants to reach out to his parents but does not know how. What should the social worker do FIRST?
a. Encourage the client to contact his parents
b. Offer to contact the parents and meet with them separately
c. Encourage the client to not contact his parents as the confrontation would create stress that could worsen his condition further
a. Encourage the client to contact his parents
Both the social worker and the client should be aware that this will be a difficult situation and the social worker should be there to support the client in the process. The client needs to be the one to make contact with his parents. The social worker offering to contact the parents and meet with them separately is not correct as the parents should not be in a situation where they may be able to obtain confidential information from the social worker regarding the client. Encouraging the client to not contact his parents as the confrontation would create stress that could worsen his condition further is not correct because the client has indicated his desire to contact his parents.
A social worker has taken employment with a group of clinicians who specialize in psychoanalytic therapy. The social worker is learning about defense mechanisms that can be seen in clients’ behaviors. The defense mechanism that is used at the youngest age is
a. Splitting
b. Projection
c. Sublimation
d. Rationalization
a. Splitting
Psychoanalytical-oriented theorists believe that this defense mechanism is the most primitive or, in other words, earliest occurring of the defense mechanisms listed. Projection, sublimation . and rationalization are more sophisticated cognitive behavioral defense mechanisms.
A social worker has been seeing a client whose husband has terminal cancer. The client has been struggling with her grief as she faces the death of her husband. The client describes the feelings that her husband is expressing and wonders if this is expected behavior. The social worker helps the client to understand that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ stages of dying include all of the following EXCEPT
a. Anger
b. Peace
c. Denial
d. Acceptance
b. Peace
Denial is usually the first stage, followed by anger, and lastly, acceptance, but the stages do not always occur in the same sequence (although Elisabeth initially believed that they did). The feeling of peace may come with acceptance, but Kubler-Ross did not identify “peace” as a separate stage.
Isolation of Affect is
a. Compartmentalization of emotions
b. Splitting
c. A therapeutic technique
d. A symptom of Schizophrenia
a. Compartmentalization of emotions
Splitting is not correct, as splitting is a defense mechanism in which an individual may “split” a significant other into two parts, good and bad, in an effort to cope with the painful feelings associated with that person. A therapeutic technique is not correct, as Isolation of Affect is not a therapeutic technique. A symptom of Schizophrenia is not correct because schizophrenic symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized thinking and behavior, and may also include a flat affect.
Flooding is a method in Behavior therapy which
a. Involves positive reinforcement
b. Involves over-stimulation
c. Involves token reinforcement
d. Involves intensive therapy
b. Involves over-stimulation
In flooding, an individual is bombarded with a stimulus that is anxiety-provoking. Involves positive reinforcement is not correct because flooding is not considered positive reinforcement as it involves a negative stimulus. Involves token reinforcement is not correct, as token reinforcement is a behavioral technique used to increase behaviors. Involves intensive therapy is not correct, as Behavior therapy is designed to be short term and usually does not involve intensive therapy.
When a man arrives at a social worker’s office for an initial appointment, he informs the social worker that he has been seeing another social worker. He does not believe that this person was helpful, which is why be made this appointment with the second social worker. The social worker’s professional response should be to
a. Contact the other social worker
b. Ask the client to contact his previous social worker
c. Reassure the client of the social worker’s ability
b. Ask the client to contact his previous social worker
The NASW Code of Ethics states that a social worker should not agree to provide services to an individual who is seeing another social worker until the client’s needs and the nature of his or her relationship with that social worker has been carefully examined. The client should be encouraged to discuss his or her concerns about the interaction with the social worker whom he has been seeing. Contacting the other social worker is not correct because the previous social worker should be contacted by the client, not by the new social worker. Reassuring the client of the social worker’s ability is not correct because the social worker cannot treat the client until the client’s relationship with the previous social worker is resolved.
A social worker has moved to a new state and has secured employment in a community mental health center. The social worker has been assigned a diverse caseload of individuals who have a variety of problems. The most important skill for the social worker to have in working with these clients is
a. Listening
b. Evaluation skills
c. Warmth and empathy
d. Problem-solving
c. Warmth and empathy
Research has consistently identified these skills as more important than the ability to listen (answer’),evaluate, or problem-solve .
As our society ages there will be an increased need for social work services. Elderly individuals face multiple problems that cause stress, such as loss of independence, loss of importance, regrets of goals not accomplished, failures, relationships not mended, loss of friends and relatives due to death, and fear of impending loss of their own life. As a social worker helping elderly clients, which of the following is the LEAST helpful approach?
a. An approach that includes helping the client to grieve his or her losses, setting realistic expectations, preserving as much autonomy as possible, and finding meaning in life.
b. An approach that helps the client confront losses, realize that there is nothing that can be done about them now, and move on with a more productive life.
c. An approach that works with families and caregivers in providing counseling and referral services such as day care, respite services, in-home health care, residential placement, and other supportive services.
b. An approach that helps the client confront losses, realize that there is nothing that can be done about them now, and move on with a more productive life.
Remember, the question asks for the LEAST helpful approach. This answer does not address the client’s grief or provide suggestions for the client’s many needs. Answers A and C both address the stresses that affect elderly clients and recommend suggestions for support services.
Which of the following responses to loss and grief is the most accurate?
a. Grieving is considered a mental disorder.
b. Primary losses, such as the death of a loved one, loss of personal property, or loss of a job, are more traumatic than secondary losses, such as loss of comfort, an important activity, or a community connection.
c. Grieving should last no longer than six months.
d. The impact of any loss depends on the meaning associated with the loss and is highly individualized.
d. The impact of any loss depends on the meaning associated with the loss and is highly individualized.
Grieving is considered a mental disorder is not correct as grieving is not considered a mental disorder but a natural response to loss. Primary losses, such as the death of a loved one, loss of personal property, or loss of a job are more traumatic than secondary losses such as loss of comfort, an important activity, or a community connection, is not correct because secondary losses can be as traumatic as primary losses, depending on the meaning that the loss has for the individual. Grieving should last no longer than six months, (answer q is not correct as there is no normal rime limit for grieving; grieving lasts for as long as it lasts.
A social worker has been called upon to assist in working with a city that has been ravaged by a hurricane. The social worker knows that people affected by a crisis generally go through stages as they face the crisis and recover from it. People in crisis typically experience all of the following stages EXCEPT
a. Increased tension
b. Reintegration
c. Reflective
d. Precipitating event
c. Reflective
This is the only response option that crisis theorists have not identified as a stage people in crisis typically go through, and the question asks which answer is NOT a stage of the crisis model.
A social worker in a group home for troubled youth interacts with adolescents from a behavioral approach. In this case, the social worker is LEAST likely to utilize
a. Contract
b. Relationship
c. Token
d. Positive reinforcement
b. Relationship
While the therapeutic relationship has been proven to be an important factor in therapy regardless of the therapeutic approach used, it is not a defining characteristic of Behavioral therapy. Behaviorists often use contracts, tokens, and positive reinforcement.
Yalom believes that the use of individual therapy with group therapy
a. Brings about changes sooner
b. Works together for more significant change
c. Is not effective
d. Can be effective if the therapist is the same for both
c. Is not effective
Some group theorists believe that a combination of individual and group therapy can be effective if the therapist is the same for both, but this is not representative of Yalom’s thinking on the subject.
A recently graduated social worker has secured employment in an educational setting that helps adult refugees obtain their high school diplomas. The social worker’s focus is to help the students adjust to the United States educational system and deal with relationship problems. One of the clients on the social workers caseload is of the same ethnicity as the social workers sister-in-law, married to the social workers brother, with whom she does not get along. The client is not succeeding in school and has difficulty getting along with other students. The client is not cooperating with the social worker on an individual basis and is refusing to join the social workers group therapy sessions. The social worker recognizes that she is having strong feelings of countertransference toward this client and believes that these feelings will interfere with her ability to work with this client. What action should the social worker take?
a. Suggest that the client be transferred to another worker
b. Seek consultation or supervision
c. Learn more about the client’s ethnicity so that she can understand the client’s behavior
b. Seek consultation or supervision
The social worker needs to consult with another professional in order to address her feelings, and to determine the next step in dealing with this situation. Suggesting that the client be transferred to another worker is not the best answer because this decision should come after the social worker has participated in consultation or supervision. Learning more about the client’s ethnicity so that the social worker can understand the client’s behavior is not correct because the social worker has probably learned a great deal about the ethnicity from her sister-in-law, and the problem is the social worker’s problem, not the client’s.
The standards for the use of technology in social work, as developed by NASW, ASWB, CSWE, and CSWA, include all but which one of the following?
a. Using technology for the provision of information to the public
b. Using technology to gather, manage, store and access information about clients
c. Using technology to solicit electronic and online testimonials
c. Using technology to solicit electronic and online testimonials
The question asks which standard listed is NOT one of the standards developed by NASW, ASWB, CSWE, AND CSWA. The standards state that social workers shall not solicit online or electronic testimonials from vulnerable individuals or testimonials that create a dual relationship. Answers A and B are both standards developed for the use of technology in social work practice.
Sublimation can be seen in all of the following except:
a. Cooking
b. Woodworking
c. Football
d. Pacing
d. Pacing
Sublimation is a higher-level ego defense mechanism involving the focusing of libidinal energy into creative and constructive activities. All of the listed activities: cooking, woodworking, and football qualify.
In the assessment process, a social worker must take a social history, which contains several types of client information, including a sexual history. Which of the following is the BEST way to gather a sexual history?
a. First find out about present and past legal issues as they may need to be addressed immediately.
b. Discuss the client’s sexual deviancies (e.g., sado-masochistic behavior, rape, frotterism, exhibitionism, pedophilic behavior)
c. Ask the client about his or her childhood sexual history (e.g., how was he/she taught about sex as a child; has the client had sexual experiences with siblings, parents, or other relatives; is there a history of sexual abuse)
d. There is no single method for gathering data on a client’s sexual history.
d. There is no single method for gathering data on a client’s sexual history.
The way a social worker takes a sexual history depends on the client’s situation. This is a sensitive subject for many clients and they may have a difficult time discussing such private matters. All other answers are all approaches that may be used, again depending on the age of the client and why he or she is seeking or being referred for social work assistance.
A social worker has received a subpoena to appear in court regarding a client with whom he works. The social worker wonders if the information he will have to divulge is privileged communication. Privileged communication is the same as
a. Confidentiality
b. Hierarchical supervision term
c. Legal term of communication
d. Communicating with lawyers
c. Legal term of communication
This differs from confidentiality, which refers to the social worker’s ethical responsibility to not disclose information the client shares with the social worker. Hierarchical supervision term is not correct because this term is not a real term. Communicating with lawyers is not correct because communicating with LAWYERS is not privileged communication, as privileged communication refers to communication with CLIENTS.
A social worker has become an administrator in a large mental health organization. The organization receives grant money as part of its funding. The administrator is considering which type of budgeting method he will utilize. Zero-based budgeting is
a. Based on a zero budget
b. Based on carry-overs from the previous year
c. Focused on bottom-line funding
d. Budgeting with a zero product
a. Based on a zero budget
This type of budgeting is based on zero monies at the start of the budget year. The organization or agency must justify each dollar requested for the year. Zero based budgeting is designed to eliminate unnecessary budget allocations.
During the initial family therapy session, the parents of a 17-year-old boy complain about the activities he engages in without their permission. These activities include failing to maintain curfew hours, engaging in smoking and drinking, and telling his parents to “stuff it.” The parents are concerned about this behavior, and the father keeps referring to his own such “thoughtlessness” at the same age when his father was angry with him. The family therapist would describe this as
a. Delinquent behaviors
b. Scapegoating
c. Family of origin issues
d. Potential signs of deviant behaviors
c. Family of origin issues
The father is responding to his son’s behavior from the context of his own experience as a child in his parents’ home. The behaviors are delinquent and could be potential signs of deviant behavior could be answers that describe the boy’s behavior, but the question refers to the father’s interpretation of the behaviors. Scapegoating is not correct because there is insufficient information in this scenario to conclude that this child is being singled out as the family scapegoat.
Learning is the core concept in which of the following?
a. Behavior Therapy
b. Gestalt
c. Psychoanalytic
d. Transactional Analysis
a. Behavior Therapy
Generally speaking, behaviorists believe that behavior is learned. Therapy consists of teaching the client more adaptive behavior. Gestalt therapy is not correct because Gestalt therapy is based on a fluid concept that human beings are constantly discovering and reconstructing who they are. Psychoanalytic is not correct because the core concept of psychoanalytic theory is that an individual’s distressing psychological disorders (neurosis) need to be relieved by the use of free association and dream analysis. Transactional Analysis is not correct because in Transactional Analysis, leading theorist Eric Berne incorporates elements of psychoanalysis, Gestalt psychology, Rational-Emotive therapy, psychodrama, and Behavioral Therapy.
Agoraphobia is a mental health diagnosis that is associated with which of the following fears?
a. Fear of snakes
b. Fear of open spaces
c. Fear of heights
b. Fear of open spaces
Fear of snakes is not correct because the fear of snakes is a Specific Phobia, Animal Type. Fear of heights is incorrect because fear of heights is a Specific Phobia, Natural Environment Type.
Community organization is a method that does all of the following EXCEPT
a. Works with communities
b. Works with mental health
c. Works with groups
d. Works with neighborhoods
b. Works with mental health
The foci of community organization are group, neighborhood, and community activities, rather than providing mental health services to individuals. The correct answer is “B., since the question asks which option is NOT descriptive of the work of community organization.
The family theory that focuses on separation from family of origin is
a. Structural
b. Bowen
c. Experiential
d. Strategic
b. Bowen
Salvador Minuchin identified the concepts of Structural Family Therapy . Experiential Family Therapy came out of the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto in the 1960s with Gregory Bateson, Don Jackson, Virginia Satir, and Jay Haley. Strategic Family Therapy is an experiential type of family therapy that is useful with change-resistant families.
An example of the defense mechanism of undoing is
a. Forgetting
b. Counting
c. Rituals
b. Counting
The defense mechanism of Undoing refers to engaging in some type of repetitive ritual in an effort to reverse an action previously taken. Counting is often used in this way. Although Counting is a ritual, Counting is the more correct answer to this question because it is a specific ritual that relates to the defense mechanism of Undoing. Forgetting (answer ‘) is incorrect. It is not an example of undoing.
