LCSW Practice Questions #2
A hospital emergency room social worker meets with a 45-year-old man who recently
immigrated from Mexico and has been experiencing severe panic attacks and anxiety. When
the social worker approaches him, he says that he does not need any mental health treatment
and that she can leave. The MOST likely explanation for his behavior is:
A. His preference for seeking treatment from a curandero.
B. His denial that he has a mental health problem.
C. The negative cultural response associated with mental health treatment.
D. A miscommunication due to a language barrier. - ansC. The negative cultural response
associated with mental health treatment.
Rationale: C is the best answer because many cultures associate stigma with mental health
treatment. A is not the best answer because it makes an assumption that is not indicated by
the information in the stem. B may be true, but is not as likely as C. D is not the best answer
since the stem gives no indication that there is a language barrier between the client and
social worker.
A mother meets with a social worker due to concerns with her seven-year-old son. The
mother reports that her family recently survived an earthquake that destroyed their house and
the surrounding area. She is worried about her son because any time he hears a loud noise he
starts to cry inconsolably and won't leave her side. In behavioral therapy, what is this an
example of?
A. Extinction
B. Negative reinforcement
C. Operant conditioning
D. Classical conditioning - ansD. Classical conditioning
Rationale: This is a recall question: the stem describes an example of classical conditioning in
which the client develops a conditioned response (crying and clinging to mom) when exposed
to stimuli (loud noises) that represent a previously experienced event (the earthquake). A, B,
and C would all be described differently.
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. - ansB. 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. - ansA. 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 is meeting with a recently retired woman who is seeking counseling due to
feelings of irritability and poor frustration tolerance. The client reports that she was looking
forward to retirement so that she could do the things she enjoyed and see more of her spouse
after a demanding career in the health care industry. The client says that instead she's been
having trouble sleeping and just wants to be alone. She says that she doesn't enjoy the things
that she used to and is confused. The social worker should FIRST inquire about:
A. Any dysfunctional changes in the marital relationship.
B. The impact of losing status in the community.
C. Other symptoms that might indicate depression.
D. Volunteer opportunities that might help the client feel useful again. - ansC. Other
symptoms that might indicate depression.
Rationale: C is the best answer because the client has indicated several symptoms of
depression and the therapist should start by asking more about symptoms in this category. A,
B, and D would likely all be part of the assessment and intervention plan, but only after a
provisional diagnosis has been reached.
A hospital emergency room social worker meets with a 45-year-old man who recently
immigrated from Mexico and has been experiencing severe panic attacks and anxiety. When
the social worker approaches him, he says that he does not need any mental health treatment
and that she can leave. The MOST likely explanation for his behavior is:
A. His preference for seeking treatment from a curandero.
B. His denial that he has a mental health problem.
C. The negative cultural response associated with mental health treatment.
D. A miscommunication due to a language barrier. - ansC. The negative cultural response
associated with mental health treatment.
Rationale: C is the best answer because many cultures associate stigma with mental health
treatment. A is not the best answer because it makes an assumption that is not indicated by
the information in the stem. B may be true, but is not as likely as C. D is not the best answer
since the stem gives no indication that there is a language barrier between the client and
social worker.
A mother meets with a social worker due to concerns with her seven-year-old son. The
mother reports that her family recently survived an earthquake that destroyed their house and
the surrounding area. She is worried about her son because any time he hears a loud noise he
starts to cry inconsolably and won't leave her side. In behavioral therapy, what is this an
example of?
A. Extinction
B. Negative reinforcement
C. Operant conditioning
D. Classical conditioning - ansD. Classical conditioning
Rationale: This is a recall question: the stem describes an example of classical conditioning in
which the client develops a conditioned response (crying and clinging to mom) when exposed
to stimuli (loud noises) that represent a previously experienced event (the earthquake). A, B,
and C would all be described differently.
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. - ansB. 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. - ansA. 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 is meeting with a recently retired woman who is seeking counseling due to
feelings of irritability and poor frustration tolerance. The client reports that she was looking
forward to retirement so that she could do the things she enjoyed and see more of her spouse
after a demanding career in the health care industry. The client says that instead she's been
having trouble sleeping and just wants to be alone. She says that she doesn't enjoy the things
that she used to and is confused. The social worker should FIRST inquire about:
A. Any dysfunctional changes in the marital relationship.
B. The impact of losing status in the community.
C. Other symptoms that might indicate depression.
D. Volunteer opportunities that might help the client feel useful again. - ansC. Other
symptoms that might indicate depression.
Rationale: C is the best answer because the client has indicated several symptoms of
depression and the therapist should start by asking more about symptoms in this category. A,
B, and D would likely all be part of the assessment and intervention plan, but only after a
provisional diagnosis has been reached.
