Historical Definitions
The DSM-5-TR is used in social work practice primarily to:
A) Label clients
B) Provide a common diagnostic language for communication and treatment planning
C) Determine who is mentally ill
D) Get insurance reimbursement
B) Provide a common diagnostic language for communication and treatment planning
According to the NASW Code of Ethics, what is a social worker's PRIMARY responsibility?
A) To the employing agency
B) To the profession
C) To the client
D) To society
C) To the client
According to the ecological systems theory, which system includes the client's immediate environment such as family, school, and peers?
Microsystem
A teenage client discloses that their coach has been sending them sexually explicit messages. What should the social worker do?
A) Encourage the client to block the coach
B) Report to child protective services and/or law enforcement
C) Contact the school principal
D) Discuss this with the parents first
B) Report to child protective services and/or law enforcement
What is the PRIMARY difference between screening and assessment?
A) Screening is a brief process to identify potential issues; assessment is in-depth evaluation
B) Screening is more comprehensive than assessment
C) They are the same thing
D) Assessment is done by clients; screening is done by social workers
A) Screening is a brief process to identify potential issues; assessment is in-depth evaluation
What does intersectionality mean in social work practice?
A) The point where two roads cross
B) Multiple identities interact to create unique experiences of privilege and oppression
C) The intersection of micro and macro social work
D) When two social systems interact
B) Multiple identities interact to create unique experiences of privilege and oppression
A social worker is asked to provide services outside their area of competence. What is the BEST way to proceed?
A) Accept to gain new experience
B) Accept if no one else is available
C) Fake knowledge to help the client
D) Decline or provide services only with appropriate supervision and training
D) Decline or provide services only with appropriate supervision and training
According to attachment theory, what is the PRIMARY function of early caregiver-child attachment?
A) Teaching appropriate social behaviors
B) Providing a secure base for exploration
C) Developing cognitive abilities
D) Learning language skills
B) Providing a secure base for exploration
A pregnant client asks about the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. What should the social worker tell her?
A) Moderate drinking is safe after the first trimester
B) No amount of alcohol has been proven safe during pregnancy
C) One drink per week is generally considered safe
D) Only hard liquor poses risks, not wine or beer
B) No amount of alcohol has been proven safe during pregnancy.
What is the ethical principle of "self-determination"?
A) Social workers decide what is best for clients
B) Clients have the right to make their own decisions
C) Social workers should avoid influencing clients
D) Clients can do whatever they want without consequences
Answer: B) Clients have the right to make their own decisions
Rationale: Self-determination means respecting clients' right to make their own informed decisions about their lives, even when social workers might disagree. This doesn't mean workers never influence clients—providing information, offering perspectives, and discussing consequences are appropriate. Self-determination has limits when clients' choices would harm themselves or others, but respecting autonomy is fundamental. Social workers facilitate informed decision-making rather than directing clients' lives.
B) Clients have the right to make their own decisions
What is the BEST definition of neglect?
A) A single incident of forgetting to feed a child
B) Failure to provide for a child's basic physical, emotional, educational, or medical needs
C) Any time a child is left alone
D) Parents having limited financial resources
B) Failure to provide for a child's basic physical, emotional, educational, or medical needs
A social worker notices that clients of color in the agency wait longer for services than white clients. What is the BEST action?
A) Assume it is coincidental
B) Bring this disparity to the agency's attention and advocate for systemic review
C) Prioritize clients of color in their own caseload only
D) Document it but take no action
B) Bring this disparity to the agency's attention and advocate for systemic review
A social worker is assessing a 3-year-old child. According to Erikson's psychosocial development theory, which developmental task is this child MOST likely working through?
A) Trust vs. Mistrust
B) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
C) Initiative vs. Guilt
D) Industry vs. Inferiority
C) Initiative vs. Guilt
A social worker is conducting a home visit with an older adult client. The worker notices bruises in various stages of healing. What should the social worker do NEXT?
A) Immediately report elder abuse
B) Assess the situation, including asking about the bruises and fall risk
C) Contact family members for their perspective
D) Document and wait to see if more bruises appear
B) Assess the situation, including asking about the bruises and fall risk
What is the PRIMARY goal of psychoeducation in social work practice?
A) To prove the social worker's expertise
B) To help clients understand their condition and develop coping skills
C) To replace therapy
D) To convince clients they have a problem
B) To help clients understand their condition and develop coping skills
What is the BEST definition of evidence-based practice?
A) Using only randomized controlled trials
B) Using the most popular interventions
C) Following treatment manuals exactly
D) Integrating best research evidence with clinical expertise and client values
D) Integrating best research evidence with clinical expertise and client values
What is a "dual relationship" in social work?
A) Working with couples
B) When the social worker has a second role with the client outside the professional relationship
C) Having two jobs
D) Working for two different agencies
B) When the social worker has a second role with the client outside the professional relationship
According to the continuity theory of aging, older adults:
A) Should disengage from previous roles
B) Need to develop entirely new identities
C) Maintain consistent patterns of behavior and adapt existing strategies
D) Must accept decline in all areas
C) Maintain consistent patterns of behavior and adapt existing strategies
A client in early recovery from alcohol use disorder tells the social worker they are planning to attend a wedding where alcohol will be served. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A) Tell the client they cannot attend the wedding
B) Explore the client's triggers, coping strategies, and relapse prevention plan
C) Suggest the client drink soda at the event
D) Contact the client's sponsor to make the decision
B) Explore the client's triggers, coping strategies, and relapse prevention plan
What is the social worker's PRIMARY responsibility when a client presents with symptoms of a possible mental health disorder?
A) Assigning a diagnosis
B) Conduct a thorough psychosocial assessment, recognize symptoms, and facilitate appropriate referral for diagnostic evaluation
C) Prescribe medication to alleviate symptoms
B) Conduct a thorough psychosocial assessment, recognize symptoms, and facilitate appropriate referral for diagnostic evaluation
What does "cultural humility" require of social workers?
A) Learning about every culture
B) Treating all clients the same regardless of culture
C) Ongoing self-awareness, learning, asking questions, and adapting practice to clients' cultural contexts
D) Only working with clients from the same culture
C) Ongoing self-awareness, learning, asking questions, and adapting practice to clients' cultural contexts
A social worker becomes aware of unjust agency policies that harm clients. What is their ethical obligation?
A) Quietly disagree but follow policies
B) Resign immediately
C) Advocate for policy change through appropriate channels
D) Ignore policies when working with clients
C) Advocate for policy change through appropriate channels
According to Paulo Freire's critical consciousness theory, what is necessary for oppressed individuals to achieve liberation?
A) Accepting their circumstances
B) Developing awareness of systemic oppression and taking action
C) Waiting for those in power to create change
D) Focusing only on individual advancement
B) Developing awareness of systemic oppression and taking action
A client offers an expensive gift to thank the social worker for their help. What should the social worker do?
A) Accept it to avoid hurting the client's feelings
B) Accept it but give something equal in return
C) Accept it if they have a good relationship
D) Politely decline or accept only a token gift of minimal value
D) Politely decline or accept only a token gift of minimal value
When should the social worker introduce termination with a client?
A) At the final session
B) Early in treatment and revisited throughout the process
C) Only when the client brings it up
D) When insurance coverage ends
B) Early in treatment and revisited throughout the process