ETHICS
While working with a 14-year-old girl in a group foster home, she tells the social worker that she reminds her of her mother. The girlhad a long history of abuse and neglect by the mother. What is the best way for the social worker to deal with this transference issue?
A. Use the transference to assist the client in working through unresolved issues with her mother
B. Immediately assign her to a different social worker.
C. Seek consultation to avoid boundary issues.
D. Talk to the staff at the foster home to make sure everyone is on the same page.
A. Use the transference to assist the client in working through unresolved issues with her mother
A 24 yr old woman complains of depressed mood. She tells the social worker that she has felt this way the past 2-3 yrs. She has little energy for social or work activities, has difficulty making decisions and concentrating, and has poor appetite. There are no delusions or hallucinations. Her most likely diagnosis is? (a) Persistent depressive disorder (b) Bipolar disorder, depressed (c) Cyclothymic disorder (d) Major depression, recurrent
a) persistent depressive disorder
Low mood occurring for at least TWO years
Which of the following is an example of a non stimulate medication used for ADHD?
a) Adderall b) Strattera c) Ritalin d) Concerta
b) Strattera
A fifteen year old girl has been sent home from school on three occasions for drinking alcohol at school. Each time, the mother becomes angry and threatens to punish the girl but is convinced by the father to give her another chance. Which of the following BEST characterizes the father’s behavior in this situation?
a. triangulation b. enabling c. advocating d.manipulating
b. Enabling
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
(B) acknowledge the client's right to decide about release of records
After many months of effort, a social worker finds a Section 8 apartment for a homeless client. After seeing the apartment, the client says he prefers to sleep on the street. "I like the open air," he says. The social work is worried that the client's judgment is impaired and that he is putting himself in unnecessary danger. How should the social worker intervene?
A) Convince the client to try the apartment out for a month B) Discuss the pros and cons of apartment versus street living with the client. C) Bring up the client's decision in a group setting so he can hear from others in a similar situation. D) Insist that the client try the apartment for his own safety.
B. Discuss the pros and cons of apartment versus street living with the client.
Ethic: self determination
A patient complains of sleeplessness, loss of appetite, feeling hopeless, general apathy. To help diagnose a social worker would most need to know (a) medications the client is taking (b) family history of depression (c) how long the symptoms have persisted (d) if the patient lives alone
Which of the following medications is primarily used in the treatment of psychosis?
(a) zyprexa (b) xanax (c) wellbutrin (d) prozac
a) zyprexa
A social worker is facilitating a group for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. During the most recent session, one of the group members reports drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and taking pain pills to sleep through the night. The social worker should NEXT:
A. Provide the group with psychoeducation around substance use and trauma
B. Encourage group members to share their reaction about this disclosure
C. Meet with the group member individually to discuss a referral for substance use treatment
D. Refer the group member for a medical evaluation
C
RATIONALE: The social worker should address the group member’s substance use needs on an individual basis.When issues like substance use come up in a non substance use group, this is something to discuss individually.Remember: Group work is all about the group process, but if there is an extenuating circumstance that comes up ingroup (someone shares something that is going to result in a child abuse/neglect report, someone is actively suicidal,someone is abusing substances and in need of a referral, or you are removing someone from the group) then you cantalk one on one with them.
A hospital-based social worker receives outcome data that indicates a large percentage of geriatric patients with knee replacements are functioning at lower levels one year after surgery. As part of the medical team’s response, the social worker is asked to develop a psychosocial program that will enhance functioning. The social worker’s BEST approach is to:
A. Provide pre-operation workshops to highlight challenges.
B. Coordinate the group with the medical director.
C. Recommend additional physical rehabilitation.
D. Create a drop-in support group.
d
Since the question is asking the social worker to develop a psychosocial program that will enhancefunctioning, we need to be looking for two things in our answer: something that has a psychosocial component ANDsomething that will enhance functioning post surgery. A doesn't address their functioning after surgery, which does notaddress the presenting problem. C does not make sense, since it refers to physical rehab. A does not address thepatients' functioning after surgery. B is an incomplete answer.
A 25-year-old client begins to cry in session while disclosing that her male gynecologist made several inappropriate comments abouther body and genitals during a recent exam. She believes this was wrong, but asks the social worker not to disclose this information. What should the social worker do FIRST:
A. Validate the client’s feelings and explore the impact of this experience on the client.
B. Report the doctor to the medical board.
C. Point out how other women may be victimized by this doctor.
D. Encourage the client to report the doctor.
A. Validate the client’s feelings and explore the impact of this experience on the client.
RATIONALE: Social workers need to respect clients' right to self-determination first; since this client is explicitly statingthat she does not want the social worker to disclose the information, the social worker should respect the client's right toself-determination and confidentiality. B would be inappropriate due to the client's request. C and D both put pressureon the client to do something that she has said she does not want to do.
A client whose mother dies following a long term illness states to the social worker that he believes that his angry thoughts about his mother caused the death. This is an example of (a) delusions (b) grandiosity (c) ideas of reference (d) magical thinking
d) magical thinking
Magical thinking, the belief that one's ideas, thoughts, actions, words, or use of symbols can influence the course of events in the material world. Magical thinking presumes a causal link between one's inner, personal experience and the external physical world.
Which of the following medications would be used to treat bipolar disorder?
a) Lithium b) Buspar c) Concerta d) Xanax
a) Lithium
A social worker begins to notice a pattern of interaction between the client and the social worker. The social worker offers specific suggestions to help the client achieve personal goals and the client thanks the social worker and then identifies the reasons why each suggestion will not work. To promote progress, the social work should FIRST:
A. Help the client identify this self-defeating attitude.
B. Remind the client of the treatment goals.
C. Focus conversations on the client’s strengths and motivation.
D. Point out this pattern to the client.
D
A couple expressing extreme anger at each other come 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
(C) acknowledge the anger each partner has toward the other
A social worker facilitates an interdisciplinary team that is holding an emergency meeting to discuss a 27-year-old man with an intellectual disability. The majority of the team feels that the client is in need of some type of psychotropic medication because of seriously escalating aggressive and impulsive behaviors. The physician member of the team refuses to consider that suggestion andstates that team members are “outside of their scope of practice.” The social worker’s BEST course of action is to:
A. Remind team members that decisions involving medication must be made by a physician.
B. Arrange to meet with the physician individually to address his concerns.
C. Reexamine the need for psychotropic medications.
D. Refocus the team’s discussion on the client’s behaviors.
d
When a multidisciplinary team disagrees about how to intervene, refocusing the conversation on theclient's behaviors and progress is often helpful. A may be true but will not help the team move forward. B wouldpotentially damage the team's cohesiveness and ability to work together. C does not make sense, since the stemclearly tells us that the team disagrees about medication
A man is seen in the ER with complaints of visual hallucinations, confusion and restlessness. He also has chills, dilated pupils and nausea. He says “nothing is wrong, I just need sleep”. Which of the following substances is most likely the cause of the condition?
(a) alcohol (b) marijuana (c) cocaine (d) barbiturates
You are seeing a client who brings in a plastic bag full of prescription bottles. Most are empty but you locate one which is half full. You realize, from this prescription the client probably is being treated for a seizure disorder. The medication you discovered was... A) Oxycontin B) Depakote C) Zoloft D) Abilify
B) depakote
In an initial session of family therapy, parents of two teenagers begin complaining about their children’s attitudes, reporting that the twohave no respect for their authority. The teenagers respond by reporting that “there isn’t anything there to respect” and blame their badattitudes on the parents. The social worker should FIRST:
A. Take a neutral stance by acknowledging everyone’s feelings.
B. Have individual meetings with the parents and the teenagers.
C. Use circular questioning.
a
In family therapy, it is important for the therapist to develop a therapeutic alliance with all family members.B does not make sense as it splits the family up when the issue is a family dynamic. C may be useful at a later time tofacilitate a conversation within the family but only after A has been done.
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
(A) life situation and recent changes
A social worker in a community service organization receives a referral for a 17-year-old girl who was recently kicked out of school due to poor attendance. When the girl and her mother arrive, the mother tells the social worker that the girl recently immigrated from Venezuela and does not speak English. The mother immigrated several years ago and can communicate clearly. The social workers hould NEXT:
A. Use her limited Spanish to assess the client
B. Tell the mother that the appointment will be rescheduled with an appropriate interpreter present
C. Ask a Spanish speaking staff member to interpret the session
D. Allow the mother to interpret during this session and schedule an interpreter for follow up appointments
B
B is the best answer, because it provides the client and social worker with the appropriate level ofsupport. A is inappropriate, since the social worker is not fluent and may not be able to communicate or understand theclient effectively. C and D are both inappropriate, because the client should have an interpreter who has beenspecifically trained to serve this purpose and will provide unbiased, unfiltered information.
Borderline personality disorder is characterized by all of the following characteristics except (a) intense long term relationships (b) primitive delusional fantasies (c) lack of control of aggressive drives (d) self-destructive behavior
a) intense long term relationships
clozapine, risperidone, and olanzapine are all examples of what?
A. An antidepressant of the SSRI class B. An atypical antipsychotic C. An anti-anxiety medication D. Sedatives
B) atypical antipsychotic
A man brings his 16-year-old son to a therapy appointment to have him assessed for depression. His son has started wearing black and has dyed his blond hair black. The boy denies he's depressed and says that all his friends dress the way he does. According to Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, which crisis is the client experiencing?
A. Industry vs. inferiority. B. Autonomy vs. shame and doubt. C. Identity vs. role confusion. D. Intimacy vs. isolation.
C. Identity vs. role confusion.
In the first session with a school social worker a high school student reveals 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
(D) explore the reasons for the absences and factors contributing to the behavior