2
LCSW Exam Therapist Development Center Exam questions || || || || || || ||
with accurate detailed solutions
|| || ||
A group for women experiencing depression has been meeting for 3 weeks. Several group
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
members approach the group leader expressing concern that another group member
|| || || || || || || || || || ||
regularly interrupts and dominates the conversation. What stage of group formation is the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
group most likely in? || || ||
A. Forming
||
B. Storming
||
C. Norming
||
D. Performing - ✔✔The correct answer is B: Storming. During this stage it is common for
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
subgroups to emerge, like the one approaching the leader. || || || || || || || ||
A social worker has been meeting with a client for two years who is about to graduate from
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
college and move back to her home state. The client wishes to continue therapy with the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
social worker via teletherapy. The social worker is only licensed in the state the social
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
worker resides. What is the FIRST thing the social worker should do?
|| || || || || || || || || || ||
A. Decline to provide teletherapy because it is illegal to do so across state lines.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
B. Determine whether the social worker's state board allows teletherapy acros - ✔✔The
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
correct answer is B: to determine whether the social worker's state board allows teletherapy
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
across state lines. If they do, then we could do C after this (if the social worker's state board
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
does not allow this, then there would be no need to do C, which is why we would do B
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
first). A is incorrect because that is not a true statement as some states do allow this. D is
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
similarly incorrect because it does not acknowledge the fact that some states do not allow
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
teletherapy across state lines. (Even if there is a longstanding relationship).
|| || || || || || || || || ||
A social worker meets with a 22-year-old woman who reports she is experiencing increased
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
feelings of anxiety, agitation, and irritability. What should the social worker do NEXT?A.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
Consider a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism || || || ||
,2
B. Refer the client for a psychiatric evaluation
|| || || || || || ||
C. Complete a biopsychosocial assessment
|| || || ||
D. Refer the client for a medical evaluation - ✔✔The correct answer is D, to refer the client
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
for a medical evaluation. The client reports increased feelings of anxiety, agitation, and
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
irritability. Before doing anything else, we want to discuss the need for a medical evaluation || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
to rule out a possibly underlying medical reason for her condition. While we aren't expected
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
to know any and every medical condition, we are expected to know that a medical referral
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
for new symptoms is best practice. A is outside of our scope of practice; it wouldn't be our
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
job to consider this specific medical diagnosis, but to refer her to someone who can rule out
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
this and any other underlying biological cause for her symptoms. B is incorrect, because
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
while at some point we may make a referral to a psychiatrist for medication, it is not what
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
we would do FIRST. C could occur after we do D.
|| || || || || || || || || ||
All of the following statements describe defense mechanisms EXCEPT:
|| || || || || || || ||
A. Conscious behavior used by the client to protect the client from the influence of the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
therapist.
B. Justifying actions or thoughts to make them seem acceptable when unconsciously they
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
are not. ||
C. Rejecting or attributing unacceptable aspects of one's personality to another individual.
|| || || || || || || || || || ||
D. The process of protecting oneself from anxiety, feelings of guilt, or undesirable thoughts.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
- ✔✔The best answer here would be A. If we look at the definition provided above we
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
notice that B, C, and D all incorporate various aspects of defense mechanisms. On the other
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
hand, A is discussing conscious behaviors or thoughts, whereas defense mechanisms are on
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
a more unconscious level. That is why as clinicians we need to help client's identify the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
various defense mechanisms they may use and bring them to a conscious level.|| || || || || || || || || || || ||
A social worker has been meeting with a 28-year-old woman for the past six months to
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
work on issues of depression and suicidal ideation. The social worker observes that on days
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
that she meets with this client, later in the day she spends a lot of time thinking about death
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
and her mood is lower. What should the social worker do FIRST?
|| || || || || || || || || || || ||
A. Use her emotional reaction to explore how the client's suicidal ideation may be
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
impacting those around her. || || ||
,2
B. Seek supervision.
|| ||
C. Begin meeting with an individ - ✔✔The correct answer is B, to seek supervision. A is
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
inappropriate because we should not be using countertransference (which is about our || || || || || || || || || || || ||
emotional reactions as the therapist) in therapy. Although it is possible that the therapist
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
may begin their own therapy (C) at some point, this isn't the FIRST thing we would do.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
Individual therapy is something that could be discussed in supervision as one way to
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
manage the therapist's countertransference. D is premature, as the therapist and client have
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
been meeting for 6 months and have an established relationship. At this point, there is no
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
need to refer out. || || ||
A social worker has been meeting with a 28-year-old woman for the past six months to
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
work on issues of depression and suicidal ideation. The social worker observes that on days
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
that she meets with this client, later in the day she spends a lot of time thinking about death
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
and experiences a lower mood. What is this an example of?
|| || || || || || || || || || ||
A. Poor Boundaries.
|| ||
B. Transference.
||
C. Countertransference.
||
D. Trauma Response. - ✔✔The correct answer is C, countertransference. The therapist is
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
having an emotional reaction to what the client is sharing.
|| || || || || || || || ||
A social worker meets with a 14-year-old client who shares with the social worker that she
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
is pregnant. She does not want her parents to know she is pregnant. The social worker
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
practices in a jurisdiction where social workers are required to share this information with
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
the parents of a minor child. What should the social worker do FIRST:
|| || || || || || || || || || || ||
A. Maintain confidentiality per the client's request
|| || || || || ||
B. Maintain confidentiality due to safety issues that may arise if the parents are informed of
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
her pregnanc - ✔✔The correct answer is C. While we may want to honor our client's self-
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
determination and her wishes to have confidentiality maintained (A), the question stem || || || || || || || || || || || ||
specifies that the social worker practices in a jurisdiction where we must inform the client's
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
parents of her pregnancy. Despite our own beliefs about this, we are required to follow the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
law. (B) is incorrect because nothing in the question stem states that a safety issue is present
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
regarding telling the parents. While her parents will need to be informed of her pregnancy
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
, 2
(D), telling the client about this (C) should come first. Additionally, we should explore with
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
the client how she wants her parents to be informed; she may want to be a part of this
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
rather than the social worker disclosing this on her behalf.
|| || || || || || || || ||
A 32 year-old man seeks treatment from a social worker for ongoing problems with both his
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
personal and professional functioning. He reports that even though he has been moderately
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
successful in his career, he continues to feel uncertain about his abilities, feeling as if at any
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
moment he will be exposed as a fraud. When the social worker inquires about his personal
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
relationships, he looks down and says that he doesn't really let anyone get close to him. || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
According to Erikson, this client likely e - ✔✔C, Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt. The || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
prevailing characteristic that comes through about the client is his lack of self-assurance.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
We see him doubting himself professionally and perhaps also personally. This may explain
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
his tendency to keep others at arm's length (protecting himself from failure). If the 'building
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
blocks' strategy doesn't work for you, keeping playing with it and find something that does -
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
it's not important why it works, only that it helps you remember and apply the information
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
when you need to! || || ||
A social work supervisor meets with one of her supervisees for supervision. During this
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
meeting, the supervisee shares they have become sexually involved with a client. They share
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
they want to refer the client to another social worker in order to pursue a relationship with
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
them. What is the FIRST action the supervisor should take?
|| || || || || || || || ||
A. Immediately report the social worker to the board
|| || || || || || || ||
B. Assist the supervisee in transferring the client to a different social worker
|| || || || || || || || || || || ||
C. Discuss the ethical violations - ✔✔The correct answer is C, to discuss the ethical
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
violations that are occurring with the supervisee. While A, B, and D are all possible actions
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
that the supervisor could take at some point, we should always start by speaking with the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
social worker first. The social worker is engaging in unethical behavior, so the supervisor
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
needs to address the ethical violations the social worker is engaging in. The supervisor may
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
report the supervisee to their board (A), but it wouldn't occur before talking directly to the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
supervisee. The supervisee should absolutely end their relationship with the client. Even || || || || || || || || || || || ||
once that occurs, the client should be transferred to a different social worker (B). But again,
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
this wouldn't happen until first speaking with the supervisee about the ethical violations. If
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
the supervisee isn't willing to engage in ethical practice, they may decide they're unable to
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
LCSW Exam Therapist Development Center Exam questions || || || || || || ||
with accurate detailed solutions
|| || ||
A group for women experiencing depression has been meeting for 3 weeks. Several group
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
members approach the group leader expressing concern that another group member
|| || || || || || || || || || ||
regularly interrupts and dominates the conversation. What stage of group formation is the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
group most likely in? || || ||
A. Forming
||
B. Storming
||
C. Norming
||
D. Performing - ✔✔The correct answer is B: Storming. During this stage it is common for
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
subgroups to emerge, like the one approaching the leader. || || || || || || || ||
A social worker has been meeting with a client for two years who is about to graduate from
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
college and move back to her home state. The client wishes to continue therapy with the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
social worker via teletherapy. The social worker is only licensed in the state the social
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
worker resides. What is the FIRST thing the social worker should do?
|| || || || || || || || || || ||
A. Decline to provide teletherapy because it is illegal to do so across state lines.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
B. Determine whether the social worker's state board allows teletherapy acros - ✔✔The
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
correct answer is B: to determine whether the social worker's state board allows teletherapy
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
across state lines. If they do, then we could do C after this (if the social worker's state board
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
does not allow this, then there would be no need to do C, which is why we would do B
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
first). A is incorrect because that is not a true statement as some states do allow this. D is
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
similarly incorrect because it does not acknowledge the fact that some states do not allow
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
teletherapy across state lines. (Even if there is a longstanding relationship).
|| || || || || || || || || ||
A social worker meets with a 22-year-old woman who reports she is experiencing increased
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
feelings of anxiety, agitation, and irritability. What should the social worker do NEXT?A.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
Consider a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism || || || ||
,2
B. Refer the client for a psychiatric evaluation
|| || || || || || ||
C. Complete a biopsychosocial assessment
|| || || ||
D. Refer the client for a medical evaluation - ✔✔The correct answer is D, to refer the client
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
for a medical evaluation. The client reports increased feelings of anxiety, agitation, and
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
irritability. Before doing anything else, we want to discuss the need for a medical evaluation || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
to rule out a possibly underlying medical reason for her condition. While we aren't expected
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
to know any and every medical condition, we are expected to know that a medical referral
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
for new symptoms is best practice. A is outside of our scope of practice; it wouldn't be our
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
job to consider this specific medical diagnosis, but to refer her to someone who can rule out
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
this and any other underlying biological cause for her symptoms. B is incorrect, because
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
while at some point we may make a referral to a psychiatrist for medication, it is not what
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
we would do FIRST. C could occur after we do D.
|| || || || || || || || || ||
All of the following statements describe defense mechanisms EXCEPT:
|| || || || || || || ||
A. Conscious behavior used by the client to protect the client from the influence of the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
therapist.
B. Justifying actions or thoughts to make them seem acceptable when unconsciously they
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
are not. ||
C. Rejecting or attributing unacceptable aspects of one's personality to another individual.
|| || || || || || || || || || ||
D. The process of protecting oneself from anxiety, feelings of guilt, or undesirable thoughts.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
- ✔✔The best answer here would be A. If we look at the definition provided above we
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
notice that B, C, and D all incorporate various aspects of defense mechanisms. On the other
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
hand, A is discussing conscious behaviors or thoughts, whereas defense mechanisms are on
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
a more unconscious level. That is why as clinicians we need to help client's identify the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
various defense mechanisms they may use and bring them to a conscious level.|| || || || || || || || || || || ||
A social worker has been meeting with a 28-year-old woman for the past six months to
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
work on issues of depression and suicidal ideation. The social worker observes that on days
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
that she meets with this client, later in the day she spends a lot of time thinking about death
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
and her mood is lower. What should the social worker do FIRST?
|| || || || || || || || || || || ||
A. Use her emotional reaction to explore how the client's suicidal ideation may be
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
impacting those around her. || || ||
,2
B. Seek supervision.
|| ||
C. Begin meeting with an individ - ✔✔The correct answer is B, to seek supervision. A is
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
inappropriate because we should not be using countertransference (which is about our || || || || || || || || || || || ||
emotional reactions as the therapist) in therapy. Although it is possible that the therapist
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
may begin their own therapy (C) at some point, this isn't the FIRST thing we would do.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
Individual therapy is something that could be discussed in supervision as one way to
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
manage the therapist's countertransference. D is premature, as the therapist and client have
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
been meeting for 6 months and have an established relationship. At this point, there is no
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
need to refer out. || || ||
A social worker has been meeting with a 28-year-old woman for the past six months to
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
work on issues of depression and suicidal ideation. The social worker observes that on days
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
that she meets with this client, later in the day she spends a lot of time thinking about death
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
and experiences a lower mood. What is this an example of?
|| || || || || || || || || || ||
A. Poor Boundaries.
|| ||
B. Transference.
||
C. Countertransference.
||
D. Trauma Response. - ✔✔The correct answer is C, countertransference. The therapist is
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
having an emotional reaction to what the client is sharing.
|| || || || || || || || ||
A social worker meets with a 14-year-old client who shares with the social worker that she
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
is pregnant. She does not want her parents to know she is pregnant. The social worker
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
practices in a jurisdiction where social workers are required to share this information with
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
the parents of a minor child. What should the social worker do FIRST:
|| || || || || || || || || || || ||
A. Maintain confidentiality per the client's request
|| || || || || ||
B. Maintain confidentiality due to safety issues that may arise if the parents are informed of
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
her pregnanc - ✔✔The correct answer is C. While we may want to honor our client's self-
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
determination and her wishes to have confidentiality maintained (A), the question stem || || || || || || || || || || || ||
specifies that the social worker practices in a jurisdiction where we must inform the client's
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
parents of her pregnancy. Despite our own beliefs about this, we are required to follow the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
law. (B) is incorrect because nothing in the question stem states that a safety issue is present
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
regarding telling the parents. While her parents will need to be informed of her pregnancy
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
, 2
(D), telling the client about this (C) should come first. Additionally, we should explore with
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
the client how she wants her parents to be informed; she may want to be a part of this
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
rather than the social worker disclosing this on her behalf.
|| || || || || || || || ||
A 32 year-old man seeks treatment from a social worker for ongoing problems with both his
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
personal and professional functioning. He reports that even though he has been moderately
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
successful in his career, he continues to feel uncertain about his abilities, feeling as if at any
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
moment he will be exposed as a fraud. When the social worker inquires about his personal
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
relationships, he looks down and says that he doesn't really let anyone get close to him. || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
According to Erikson, this client likely e - ✔✔C, Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt. The || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
prevailing characteristic that comes through about the client is his lack of self-assurance.
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
We see him doubting himself professionally and perhaps also personally. This may explain
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
his tendency to keep others at arm's length (protecting himself from failure). If the 'building
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
blocks' strategy doesn't work for you, keeping playing with it and find something that does -
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
it's not important why it works, only that it helps you remember and apply the information
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
when you need to! || || ||
A social work supervisor meets with one of her supervisees for supervision. During this
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
meeting, the supervisee shares they have become sexually involved with a client. They share
|| || || || || || || || || || || || ||
they want to refer the client to another social worker in order to pursue a relationship with
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
them. What is the FIRST action the supervisor should take?
|| || || || || || || || ||
A. Immediately report the social worker to the board
|| || || || || || || ||
B. Assist the supervisee in transferring the client to a different social worker
|| || || || || || || || || || || ||
C. Discuss the ethical violations - ✔✔The correct answer is C, to discuss the ethical
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
violations that are occurring with the supervisee. While A, B, and D are all possible actions
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
that the supervisor could take at some point, we should always start by speaking with the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
social worker first. The social worker is engaging in unethical behavior, so the supervisor
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
needs to address the ethical violations the social worker is engaging in. The supervisor may
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
report the supervisee to their board (A), but it wouldn't occur before talking directly to the
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
supervisee. The supervisee should absolutely end their relationship with the client. Even || || || || || || || || || || || ||
once that occurs, the client should be transferred to a different social worker (B). But again,
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
this wouldn't happen until first speaking with the supervisee about the ethical violations. If
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
the supervisee isn't willing to engage in ethical practice, they may decide they're unable to
|| || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
