Clinical Social Work Licensure Exam Practice – ASWB LCSW practice questions with answers
and explanations
A young adult client has been meeting with a social worker due to a diagnosis of major
depression. When discussing his childhood, the client reports that he was often bullied and
humiliated by peers at school. The client reports this with a flat affect and a sense of
detachment. The social worker should respond by:
A. Sharing a personal experience of being teased as a child.
B. Assist the client in developing awareness around his feeling related to being bullied.
C. Confront the client's denial.
D. Provide the client with psychoeducation on the relationship between bullying and
depression. - correct answer ✔✔B. Assist the client in developing awareness around his feeling
related to being bullied.
Rationale: B is the best answer because awareness is the first step in helping the client integrate
and process his feelings. A is inappropriate; C is inappropriate and may cause the client harm. D
is less therapeutic than B and may not be helpful for the client.
A client who is diagnosed with trichotillomania meets with a social worker after being referred
by her primary care physician. The client says she feels guilty and ashamed, but is having
difficulty stopping the behavior. She says that she doesn't even know why she started the
behavior in the first place. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Explore the feelings behind the behavior.
B. Have the client wear a wig until she can stop the behavior.
,C. Reinforce that hair-pulling will likely lead to complete baldness.
D. Teach the client thought stopping strategies. - correct answer ✔✔A. Explore the feelings
behind the behavior.
Rationale: A is the best answer because understanding the psychological purpose of the
behavior will best help the client understand and change the behavior. B, C, and D might all be
part of the complete intervention strategy, but A is the best place to start in terms of addressing
the behavior.
A social worker in a community agency receives a referral for a child with severe PTSD. The
social worker has no training or experience treating children with PTSD. The social worker
should:
A. Attend a training on PTSD in children
B. Conduct an initial assessment and make treatment recommendations
C. Refer the child to appropriate services
D. Treat the child after getting consultation - correct answer ✔✔C. Refer the child to appropriate
services
During a utilization review phone call, a social worker is asked by the managed care
representative to provide specific details of the sexual abuse incidents the client experienced.
The social worker should FIRST:
A. Provide all requested information to the reviewer
,B. Refuse to give specific information to protect the client's privacy
C. Review the release of information with the client prior to providing information
D. Review the managed care contract with the supervisor prior to providing information -
correct answer ✔✔C. Review the release of information with the client prior to providing
information
A social worker at a non-profit agency is assigned to be an advocate for a group of refugees who
have recently been relocated. The refugees are in need of food, clothing, basic medical care.
They do not speak English. In order to be successful, what should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Provide supervisory direction to the refugees about how to obtain services
B. Consult with colleagues about what services may best meet the refugees needs
C. Review agency policy regarding available services and their requirements
D. Obtain additional information about this client group and their specific needs - correct
answer ✔✔D. Obtain additional information about this client group and their specific needs
A social worker receives a referral from parents regarding their 9 year-old daughter. A social
history reveals symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder. What
should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Determine if the child has had a recent physical examination to rule out possible physical
causes for her symptoms
, B. Under the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, refer the child to a psychiatrist for
medication
C. Have the parents fill out a questionnaire to confirm the diagnosis of Major Depressive
Disorder
D. Begin cognitive behavioral therapy with the child to decrease symptoms - correct answer
✔✔A. Determine if the child has had a recent physical examination to rule out possible physical
causes for her symptoms
RATIONALE: While B, C and D may all be appropriate at some time in the near future, option A is
the best choice as medical conditions should always be ruled out before giving a diagnosis.
A social worker in a community clinic meets with a woman who presents with issues related to
her job. She discusses a recent incident in which she was gone from work for several days
without notifying her boss or coworkers, although she has no memory of this. The client has
found a pamphlet and tickets from a Broadway show in her home, although she states that
she's never been to New York. The client is describing which of the following conditions?
A. Depersonalization
B. Derealization
C. Delirium
D. Dissociation - correct answer ✔✔D. Dissociation
RATIONALE: D is the best answer because engaging in activities with no consciousness or
memory of the activities is a form of dissociation; A, B and C describe different phenomena.
and explanations
A young adult client has been meeting with a social worker due to a diagnosis of major
depression. When discussing his childhood, the client reports that he was often bullied and
humiliated by peers at school. The client reports this with a flat affect and a sense of
detachment. The social worker should respond by:
A. Sharing a personal experience of being teased as a child.
B. Assist the client in developing awareness around his feeling related to being bullied.
C. Confront the client's denial.
D. Provide the client with psychoeducation on the relationship between bullying and
depression. - correct answer ✔✔B. Assist the client in developing awareness around his feeling
related to being bullied.
Rationale: B is the best answer because awareness is the first step in helping the client integrate
and process his feelings. A is inappropriate; C is inappropriate and may cause the client harm. D
is less therapeutic than B and may not be helpful for the client.
A client who is diagnosed with trichotillomania meets with a social worker after being referred
by her primary care physician. The client says she feels guilty and ashamed, but is having
difficulty stopping the behavior. She says that she doesn't even know why she started the
behavior in the first place. What should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Explore the feelings behind the behavior.
B. Have the client wear a wig until she can stop the behavior.
,C. Reinforce that hair-pulling will likely lead to complete baldness.
D. Teach the client thought stopping strategies. - correct answer ✔✔A. Explore the feelings
behind the behavior.
Rationale: A is the best answer because understanding the psychological purpose of the
behavior will best help the client understand and change the behavior. B, C, and D might all be
part of the complete intervention strategy, but A is the best place to start in terms of addressing
the behavior.
A social worker in a community agency receives a referral for a child with severe PTSD. The
social worker has no training or experience treating children with PTSD. The social worker
should:
A. Attend a training on PTSD in children
B. Conduct an initial assessment and make treatment recommendations
C. Refer the child to appropriate services
D. Treat the child after getting consultation - correct answer ✔✔C. Refer the child to appropriate
services
During a utilization review phone call, a social worker is asked by the managed care
representative to provide specific details of the sexual abuse incidents the client experienced.
The social worker should FIRST:
A. Provide all requested information to the reviewer
,B. Refuse to give specific information to protect the client's privacy
C. Review the release of information with the client prior to providing information
D. Review the managed care contract with the supervisor prior to providing information -
correct answer ✔✔C. Review the release of information with the client prior to providing
information
A social worker at a non-profit agency is assigned to be an advocate for a group of refugees who
have recently been relocated. The refugees are in need of food, clothing, basic medical care.
They do not speak English. In order to be successful, what should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Provide supervisory direction to the refugees about how to obtain services
B. Consult with colleagues about what services may best meet the refugees needs
C. Review agency policy regarding available services and their requirements
D. Obtain additional information about this client group and their specific needs - correct
answer ✔✔D. Obtain additional information about this client group and their specific needs
A social worker receives a referral from parents regarding their 9 year-old daughter. A social
history reveals symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder. What
should the social worker do FIRST?
A. Determine if the child has had a recent physical examination to rule out possible physical
causes for her symptoms
, B. Under the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, refer the child to a psychiatrist for
medication
C. Have the parents fill out a questionnaire to confirm the diagnosis of Major Depressive
Disorder
D. Begin cognitive behavioral therapy with the child to decrease symptoms - correct answer
✔✔A. Determine if the child has had a recent physical examination to rule out possible physical
causes for her symptoms
RATIONALE: While B, C and D may all be appropriate at some time in the near future, option A is
the best choice as medical conditions should always be ruled out before giving a diagnosis.
A social worker in a community clinic meets with a woman who presents with issues related to
her job. She discusses a recent incident in which she was gone from work for several days
without notifying her boss or coworkers, although she has no memory of this. The client has
found a pamphlet and tickets from a Broadway show in her home, although she states that
she's never been to New York. The client is describing which of the following conditions?
A. Depersonalization
B. Derealization
C. Delirium
D. Dissociation - correct answer ✔✔D. Dissociation
RATIONALE: D is the best answer because engaging in activities with no consciousness or
memory of the activities is a form of dissociation; A, B and C describe different phenomena.
