ASWB BSW Exam Questions

Correct answer: Check to make sure the client signed a consent to speak with the insurance company

Social workers should not disclose confidential information to third-party payers unless clients have authorized such disclosure. Even though the insurance company is paying for the client's sessions, the social worker should not divulge any specific information until obtaining a release from the client to do so.

The remaining answer options are incorrect. Before giving any information to the insurance company, the social worker should check to make sure he has a signed release of information form from the client.

Correct answer: Rorschach Inkblot

Used to gain insight into a client's perceptions, emotions, thoughts, and personality features, the Rorschach inkblot test is a projective psychological test. It is not used nearly as frequently as it once was, as it is qualitative in nature and not quantitative and far less reliable than other, more recently developed assessment tools. 

The WISC-IV (or Wechsler Intelligence Scale) is a tool used to measure cognitive and intellectual functioning in children. The Myers-Briggs type test is a tool used to assess personality features. 

Correct answer: To help the social worker understand family patterns of communication, conflict, behaviors, and choices

A genogram is a tool that social workers can use with individuals or families to create a visual representation of the family that includes not only who members are, but how they interact with one another, what relationships are positive, which are strained, what jobs folks hold, interesting accomplishments, information about illnesses and addiction, members' roles and expectations, and any other information that may be helpful in understanding how the family functions and resolving conflicts within the family system.

Families are typically asked to complete the genogram together, but this is not the main purpose. Genograms do not help the social worker make an official diagnosis, nor do they act as a termination activity for therapy. In fact, genograms are often used during the assessment stage of family therapy.

Correct answer: It should include all information relevant to the client's life 

Documentation and case recordings should include only information that is directly correlated to the service being delivered. Including extraneous information is considered unethical and could be a breach of confidentiality. 

To limit inaccuracies, documentation should be completed in a timely manner, include all decisions made in regard to treatment, and be accurate and unbiased. Additionally, all documentation should be free of value judgments. Per the NASW Code of Ethics, "Social workers should include sufficient and timely documentation in records to facilitate the delivery of services and to ensure continuity of services provided to clients in the future. . . . Social workers’ documentation should protect clients’ privacy to the extent that is possible and appropriate and should include only information that is directly relevant to the delivery of services."

Correct answer: Consult the WHODAS 2.0

The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 is an assessment tool available via the DSM 5 designed to assist clinicians in figuring out if a client is able to complete activities of daily living independently and/or what level of support they might need to complete activities of daily living successfully. It provides information to assist in assessment of both cognitive limitation and physical limitation. It is imperative that social workers use a strengths-based approach when assessing a client's ability to function within society and do not assume they are unable, but, rather, assume clients are able until there is evidence to the contrary. 

Guardianship of the person limits a person's right to make medical, housing, and other decisions for themselves as the court system appoints an individual to make these decisions for the individual. This is generally due to a cognitive deficiency that impairs the individual's ability to make safe, rational decisions to care for themselves. It is far too early to initiate this type of proceeding based on the information provided. A guardian of the estate empowers a third party to make financial decisions instead of the individual. It is similarly too early to take steps toward this based on the information provided. Involuntary commitments are only to be initiated when an individual is an immediate danger to themselves or others and would not be applicable based on the information provided.

Correct answer: Storming

The following are identified stages of group development: 

1. Forming: the primary goal is to develop trust among group members
2. Storming: the primary goal is to work through struggles for power and control
3. Norming: the primary goal is use of self in service of the group
4. Performing: the primary goal is accepting other members as distinct and separate individuals 
5. Adjourning: the primary goal is termination 

During the storming phase, group members often experience a high level of disagreement as the group members work to establish member roles and power struggles occur. This is normal and should not alarm the group leader. 

Correct answer: Case manager

Social workers possess the skills and ability to act in a variety of roles throughout their careers. When acting as case manager, a social worker generally assists clients in getting connected to necessary services, arranging appointments, engaging in advocacy efforts, and assessing the client's needs. 

When engaging in the therapist role, the social worker engages with the client in a specific therapeutic modality, such as CBT or psychodynamic therapy, in an effort to alleviate symptoms of mental illness and increase a client's ability to manage distress. When acting as a policymaker, a social worker is involved in macro-level work developing pieces of legislation or agency policy that promotes the well-being of clients and oppressed populations. When acting as mediator, the social worker assists two parties in resolving conflicts. 

Correct answer: Express an interest in knowing more about the family's background, beliefs, and values

While it is admirable that the social worker wants to be culturally sensitive and know more about his clients' races and ethnicities, he should not assume that each individual family automatically fits into a mold. Each family is unique, so the social worker's best course of action is to express an interest in knowing more about the family's background, beliefs, and values.

It is true that communication in Asian cultures is often indirect and more reserved than in American cultures, but the social worker should be as genuine as possible rather than make an effort to restrict his own expressions. The social worker should not ask the father or another patriarchal figure to answer the social worker's questions first because, again, the social worker is making an assumption about the family that may not be true.

As a general principle, though cultural groups do tend to demonstrate commonalities within their group, a social worker's best course of action in any client context is to first regard that client or client system as its own unique entity and proceed in a respectful, curious manner about relevant cultural issues.

Correct answer: Engagement 

It is necessary to obtain informed consent during the engagement process as this is the most appropriate time to discuss the limits of confidentiality, risks of treatment, and alternative treatment options. Assessment and planning are part of the therapeutic process, and informed consent should be obtained first to effectively engage in the process. For example, interventions are selected based on a specific treatment modality, and clients must understand the risks and alternatives prior to agreeing to an intervention. 

While it is true that a child who is underage cannot provide informed consent, it would still be necessary to obtain this from the client's legal guardian prior to engaging in treatment. 

Correct answer: Coping skills

Strength is the capacity to cope with difficulties, to maintain functioning under stress, to return to equilibrium in the face of significant trauma, to use external challenges to promote growth, and to be resilient by using social supports. Some examples of coping mechanisms that can be viewed as areas of strength for clients are the ability to remain flexible in the face of stress, the ability to regulate impulses and affect, and the ability to self-soothe. 

Interpersonal skills refer to the ability to get along with others most of the time. Temperamental factors are related to personality.

Correct answer: When Alex is unwilling to give it

Seeking feedback from clients about the process is essential to success and available at any stage of treatment and in any circumstances except those in which a client indicates they are definitely unwilling to give it.

Seeking feedback only when things are going well or better may not yield useful information, and engaging in directly mutual communication even at difficult times can deepen rapport and build trust. Engaging in this way in the midst of a crisis may be especially important, as effective communication is more important at that time than any other.

Correct answer: Transference on Albert's part

Transference is the process by which clients begin to have inappropriate feelings for their care providers based on the innate sharing relationship of the therapeutic model. Countertransference is the opposite, whereby a therapist may begin to have inappropriate feelings for their client.

Correct answer: The client

While social workers are educated experts in the social work field, it is essential that they remember that the client is always the preeminent expert on their own life. The client should be the driver in identifying the problem, how they would like to see it change, the skills they have to seek change, and what their lives will look like once the problem is resolved. The NASW Code of Ethics states, "Social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. Social workers may limit clients’ right to self-determination when, in the social workers’ professional judgment, clients’ actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others." A social worker cannot respect and promote a client's right to self-determination if they do not allow the client to hold the expert role in regard to their own life.

Of note, primary caregivers, significant others, and mental health providers may be able to provide extremely useful collateral information. However, they do not know more about the client's feelings, problems, and desires than the client does. 

Correct answer: It analyzes the status of women only in society

Feminist theory is the study of the status of women and men in society with the goal of using the data gathered to improve women's lives. Topics such as discrimination, objectification, oppression, stereotypes, and gender roles are encompassed under the feminist theory umbrella. It is closely associated with feminism, which is a movement of a political, economic, and/or cultural nature with a goal of establishing equal rights and legal protections for women. 

It is false that only women are studied, as it would be impossible to assess levels of oppression and/or discrimination if data was not gathered about men and nonbinary individuals in society as well. 

Correct answer: Hydrocodone

Hydrocodone is the most popular painkiller used to treat moderate to severe pain. It relieves pain through the central nervous system and is used to stop or prevent coughing. It can become habit-forming when used over an extended period.

Levothyroxine sodium is used to treat hypothyroidism. Lisinopril is a high-blood-pressure medication. Metoprolol is used to treat high blood pressure and reduces the risk of repeated heart attacks.

Correct answer: Diffusion of responsibility

There are many ways in which individuals will alter their behavior as a result of being in a large group of people. One of those ways is that many will become far less likely to step up and provide aid or support to others due to the assumption that another member of the larger group will do something or the situation must not require assistance as no one else has provided support. This is called diffusion of responsibility. 

Groupthink is another example and involves the underlying desire for individuals within a group to reach a consensus, which can result in the individual deferring their own ideology, ethical code, or opinions so as not to disrupt the consensus within the group. This can lead to a lack of consideration of all outcomes, a lack of discussion of varying viewpoints, blindness to relevant information, and, ultimately, poor decision-making. Group polarization occurs when opinions of individuals become magnified within a group setting and, subsequently, increasingly extreme.

Correct answer: Psychotherapy notes

Social workers should keep psychotherapy notes in a location separate from client files to add another layer of protection for that client's confidentiality.

The other answers are incorrect. Emails (or other correspondence) and demographic information are all items one might expect to see in client files.

Correct answer: Conduct a safety and risk assessment 

There have been instances in which social workers have become victims of violence while working in the field. Social workers are entitled to job safety and must promote safe work practices. As a result, it would be most appropriate for Mary to conduct a safety and risk assessment and to review options prior to making a decision. It is recommended that social workers practice universal safety precautions while working, especially in the field. Violence and crime can occur anywhere, regardless of socioeconomic status, and associating risk with economic status can lead to stereotyping and entering dangerous situations unnecessarily. It may be appropriate for Mary to decline to enter the field, but her next step is to conduct a risk assessment. 

Correct answer: To ensure that a client's wishes surrounding medical and end-of-life care are honored 

Advance directives are legal documents that allow individuals to communicate their preferences for medical treatment and care in case they become unable to make decisions or communicate their wishes. They are especially relevant in medical contexts, ensuring that clients' values and desires for treatment and end-of-life care are respected.

Advance directives are not designed to grant social workers the authority to make medical decisions for their clients. Instead, they focus on allowing individuals to make their own preferences known. An advance directive can identify a person whom a client would like to be in charge of making medical decisions, but that person should not be the social worker. Advance directives are not correlated with goals or financial responsibilities. This information is included in a treatment plan. 

Correct answer: Self-report 

Brendan is using a questionnaire to gather information directly from the client about their coping strategies, stress management techniques, and emotional regulation abilities. This is an example of a self-report information-gathering technique. Self-report measures are a common method of assessing coping skills because they provide insight into the client's subjective experiences and perspectives. 

Observation involves observing a person's behavior in real-life situations, which may not capture the client's self-reported coping strategies and emotional regulation techniques as effectively as a self-report questionnaire. Psychological testing consists of a variety of standardized assessments of psychological traits and characteristics, which may include coping styles, but the scenario describes a specific method of self-report assessment. IQ testing is a form of psychological testing designed to measure cognitive ability and intelligence and does not provide information about coping skills.