Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) Practice Exam

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• Upon intake, a client states that she 'feels like hurting herself, but will be fine.' She assures the social worker that she will not act on her feelings. The social worker should FIRST:
• All of the following are key concepts in individual psychology EXCEPT:
• Which statement is TRUE about a client who is transgender?
• Which term best describes responding in a way that acknowledges the client's feelings as legitimate?
• Acculturation is BEST defined as which of the following?
• Which statement about confidentiality with minors is accurate?
• Not a "Deficiency Need" according to Maslow?
• Rapprochement is a subphase of which phase of child development?
• Which of the following is listed as a condition for further study in the DSM-5?
• Which statement accurately describes the function of social work interviews?
• Defense mechanism that channels unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities?
• Which of the following is TRUE about the relationship between race and ethnicity?
• During school-age years, which psychosocial crisis is central according to Erikson?
• What is the term for two or more people sharing the same delusion?
• Which medication is used to treat alcoholism by making clients ill if they drink alcohol while taking it?
• Which parenting style is characterized by high warmth and high control?
• Which practice best maintains professional boundaries when a client asks for personal information about the worker?
• A couple comes to see a social worker because they feel that they have suffered discrimination. They are blind and would like to adopt a child, but have been told by an adoption agency that is not possible because of their visual impairments. They are distraught, but do not think that they will be able to fight the agency bias. In order to BEST assist this couple, the social worker should
• A social worker observes that a client is having trouble communicating with her husband, so she often confides in her sister-in-law about her fears and concerns, hoping that the sister-in-law will be able to assist. The sister-in-law finds that she is becoming increasingly "in the middle" of the problems that exist between her brother and his wife. This situation is known as:
• A court-ordered evaluation; the client later wishes not to release information to the court. The social worker should:
• According to DSM-5, to diagnose Borderline Personality Disorder, a client has to have impairments in which areas?
• When a client has limited English proficiency, which practice is best to ensure informed consent?
• Which of the following is NOT one of the therapeutic advantages of injectable antipsychotic medications?
• A social worker uses multiple sources to collect data. This approach is known as:
• Which BEST describes the role of a social worker when engaged in crisis intervention?
• Which principle best describes access to a minor's records in many jurisdictions?
• Which disorder is characterized by obsessions and/or compulsions that are time-consuming (often more than one hour per day)?
• What is the primary goal of permanency planning in child welfare?
• A social worker on a board may engage in which activity that is ethically appropriate?
• A man experiences distress about his same-gender attraction. The feelings described are best described as which of the following terms?
• Which statement best reflects mandatory reporting for suspected child abuse?
• In social work practice, assent and consent are:
• In the DSM-5, the Not Otherwise Specified diagnostic categories are:
• In self psychology, which need corresponds to the sense of belonging to a shared identity with another person?
• When a client refuses to pay, which course aligns with ethical practice?
• A client has achieved goals and stops attending sessions; the pattern is most consistent with which interpretation?
• Which statement about social work interviews is NOT true?
• Which neurotransmitter is primarily linked to mood regulation and depression?
• Which of the following is generally TRUE about self-image during the life cycle?
• According to object relations theory, the normal symbiotic phase of development lasts until about what age?
• A social worker is contacted by a distraught man who learns his mother, a former client, recently passed away. He wants to talk with the social worker about his mother. The social worker should:
• A client reports that he has been screamed at by his boss daily for a month. He is very angry but has not spoken up for fear of being fired. He is also having problems with his wife and children because he has not been able to control his temper at home. This client's behavior is MOST likely represented by which defense mechanism?
• A mother takes away her daughter's cell phone until behavior improves. Which behavioral technique is this?
• An agency social worker is consulted on a case involving a rare disorder. A colleague offers to advise because they recently graduated together and will both be employed at the agency. Which action best protects the client’s interests?
• Which of the following is an objective outcome that might be associated with a foster care program?
• A systems or ecological approach in social work emphasizes that development is best understood as:
• Which of the following is a protective factor for dangerousness to others?
• Which of the following is NOT a core value in the social work profession as stated in the preamble of the Code of Ethics?
• In a biopsychosocial-spiritual-cultural assessment, which statement best describes what should be included in the biological portion?
• A client in treatment loses her job and insurance, but both she and the social worker believe continued treatment would be beneficial. Which approach is ethically best?
• What is the BEST definition of empowerment?
• If a client brings a coworker to a session, what is the appropriate approach?
• According to Tarasoff, social workers must:
• Which DSM-5 criterion is required for Borderline Personality Disorder?
• A client is upset because her 14-year-old son is not helping around the house, independently doing his homework, or arriving to school on time. The son states that his mother watches over him too closely and does not give him needed privacy. This problem is best understood as:
• DSM-5's Autism Spectrum Disorder now includes which of the following previously separate diagnoses?
• Which of the following is most developmentally appropriate when addressing parental concerns about a preschooler's behavior?
• A social worker is working with a family who has become homeless after a fire destroyed their home. The 10-year-old daughter begins to use "baby talk" and suck her thumb, behaviors that were not present before the fire. The mother reports that the daughter now always wants to sit on her lap and clings to her side when they go out in public. The daughter is MOST likely using the defense mechanism of:
• A married couple comes in to see a social worker because they are having problems in their relationship. They report feeling disconnected and having little intimacy. The husband admits that his drinking recently caused him to be fired from his job and he is currently unemployed. The wife reports that she is fearful of her husband because he often is loud when he drinks and spends a lot of time out of the house. They have not had sex for several months and are behind in their mortgage payments. The FIRST issue that the social worker should help the couple address is:
• Which of the following is NOT a secondary prevention strategy?
• Caffeine use disorder is included as a new disorder in DSM-5.
• All of the following are methods to address resistance during engagement EXCEPT:
• Which medication is NOT typically prescribed for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?
• In crisis intervention, the focus is best described as:
• Which statement reflects a proper approach to risk assessment for violence?
• In the person-in-environment framework, which factor is not used as a primary evaluation factor?
• A client starts to miss appointments after achieving goals; these absences are MOST likely an indication of:
• In the same funder-driven scenario described earlier, which action best aligns with ethical practice when a private individual is acting outside his or her official role?
• In social work interviews, the goals can be:
• A client in private practice has a substantial unpaid balance; the social worker tells the client to pay before continuing. The actions are:
• In biopsychosocial-spiritual-cultural assessment, which domain helps understand beliefs and values?
• In Transvestic Disorder as described in the DSM-5, which statement is correct?
• Which statement about co-occurring disorders is NOT true?
• A couple with a destructive fighting pattern believes their spouse’s nagging will stop if they simply comply with requests. Which behavioral technique best explains how this would work?
• Social work intervention with offenders is most effective when focused on:
• The social worker assesses a family where strict rules are enforced and children are severely punished; when asked why, children say 'just because we do.' The parents are MOST likely using which parenting style?
• Which of the following is NOT a diagnostic criterion in the DSM-5 for Gambling Disorder?
• A social worker in a substance abuse treatment facility begins dating a supervisee and they marry. The behavior is:
• A school social worker is seeing a 14-year-old girl who confides gender identity issues and peer teasing. The principal asks to see the file to understand the client for possible out-of-school suspension. The social worker should:
• A social worker receives a referral to provide case management to a family who recently arrived in the United States. The 13-year-old daughter speaks English in addition to her native language, which is spoken only by the parents. The social worker, who only speaks English, accepts the referral. This action is:
• In assessing a client who wants to be more assertive at work, the social worker should FIRST:
• Which of the following is NOT part of termination in social work practice?
• Which personality disorder is clustered with Antisocial Personality Disorder in the dramatic, emotional, and erratic cluster?
• A social worker plans to avoid contact with a client for several months after termination to allow time for engagement with a new social worker. This action is... ?
• Which statement about mandated reporting for suspected child abuse is correct?
• A social worker suspects physical abuse after observing injuries in a child during a session. Which action BEST addresses the situation?
• A client reports repeatedly feeling the urge to strike her child when angry and notices a loss of movement in her arm. Which defense mechanism is most likely?
• In the stages of change, which stage involves thinking about change but not yet acting?
• According to self psychology, which need is NOT essential for healthy development?
• An increased risk of agranulocytosis is associated with which medication?
• Tattoo representing memory, emotional connection to mother, is a form of:
• According to the family life cycle, which is NOT generally a task in families with young children?
• Which statement about confidentiality in group work is true?
• A social worker facilitates a group for clients with anorexia nervosa. The assistant notes that this disorder is influenced by multiple factors. The concept is:
• Which feature is NOT typically associated with Borderline Personality Disorder?
• When a social worker has direct knowledge of a social work colleague's impairment that interferes with effective practice, the social worker should FIRST:
• In the context of ethical practice, why is it inappropriate to rely on a minor family member as a translator for an assessment?
• A life-span perspective in social work views development as:
• A social worker is reviewing intake paperwork for a 65-year-old on Paxil after being switched from Zoloft. The client is MOST likely diagnosed with which of the following?
• A client has been prescribed Nardil to treat her depression. As a result of taking this medication, the client will likely be required to:
• Not true about cultural, racial, ethnic identities?
• In DSM-5, Transvestic Disorder criterion includes sexual arousal resulting from cross-dressing.
• When a social worker suspects ethical misconduct by a colleague, the FIRST step is to consult which resource?
• Which statement best describes the content that should be included in the biological portion of a biopsychosocial-spiritual-cultural assessment?
• Not a clinical scale in MMPI?
• Which statement best describes ethical solicitation of client testimonials for marketing in private practice?
• In the DSM-5, the global functioning of a client should be determined using the:
• Which defense mechanism involves shifting emotions from the original target to a safer substitute?
• A mother is upset because she feels that her 4-year-old daughter is 'selfish' and does not understand how her behavior impacts the family. The social worker can BEST assist the mother by:
• A social worker in a hospital uses a SOAP format. Which of the following is NOT usually included in this record?
• In a scenario where client and therapist share a community setting (for example, a church) the ethical approach is to:
• Which of the following is NOT true about personality disorders?
• Which of the following is NOT an indicator of ego strength?
• Positive regard is BEST defined as?
• A social worker suspects that a child is being psychologically abused and neglected. After a lengthy discussion with the supervisor, the supervisor does not agree and tells the social worker to monitor the situation before deciding whether to report. The social worker should:
• A client reports to a social worker that he is having problems with his wife because he feels that she does not care about him. The social worker challenges this thought and helps him replace it with an alternative one that she "does care, but just has a lot of other demands for her attention." The approach used by the social worker is:
• Which of the following sequences represents the stages of group development in sequential order?
• Based on the discussion of non-heterosexual and non-conforming youth, which statement is most accurate?
• A social worker receives a request for detailed treatment summaries from a client's insurance company. In the correspondence, it is made clear that the insurance company will cease funding for treatment unless they are received immediately. In order to best serve the client, the social worker should:
• In therapy, which approach most clearly supports client empowerment through collaborative planning?
• Unconscious contains thoughts, feelings, desires repressed; which term?
• Which statement reflects a DSM-5 naming change for a speech fluency disorder?
• Which type of risk factor is most responsive to intervention in offender rehabilitation?
• Which statement best describes termination of services in social work practice?
• A client has made substantial progress in treatment and has achieved all established goals. When discussing discharge, the client does not want to stop seeing the social worker because of future needs. If the social worker agrees to see the client pro bono for 6 months or until the client feels ready, which describes the ethical status of the action?
• In addressing a potential conflict of interest with a supervisor, the ethical action is to:
• A social worker joined the board of a domestic violence agency; which activity would NOT be ethical?
• Which statement best describes the difference between validation and paraphrasing in client responses?
• During an intake with a recently immigrated family, the parents believe Western medicine is unnecessary and rely on prayer and traditional beliefs. The mother is observed mixing a small amount of alcohol into her infant's bottle to soothe teething. In order to BEST assist the family, the social worker should:
• Delirium tremens are best described as?
• Which concept in Adlerian psychology describes efforts to overcome feelings of inferiority through striving and achievement?
• Which of the following is NOT true about feedback in social work practice?
• Social workers are allowed to terminate services when:
• When you and a client are not from the same ethnic or racial group, it is essential that the social worker:
• Acculturation is BEST defined as which of the following?
• Which of the following is NOT associated with low ego strength?
• Which statement about the DSM-5 change in functioning assessment is correct?
• A social worker is seeing a family for therapy. A 17-year-old daughter states that her father molested her when she was 6. The father confirms and is remorseful. The social worker is a mandated reporter. What should the social worker do?
• Which statement about task-centered practice is NOT true?
• Which statement is NOT true about DSM-5 Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders?
• A client in a group facilitated by a social worker has a red face and appears visibly upset when he talks about his current relationship with his family. When the social worker states that he can see how the client is not happy about his current situation based upon his physical symptoms, the client says, "Everything is fine." The client is MOST likely exhibiting:
• When working with an involuntary client, which action is most effective during engagement?
• Which of the following best describes a common extrapyramidal side effect associated with antipsychotic medications that can cause involuntary movements?
• A hospital social worker is charged with completing a biopsychosocial-spiritual-cultural assessment on a client upon admission. In the biological section of the assessment, the social work lists the client's current medications, weight, height, blood pressure, and subjective assessment of well-being. The social worker then moves on to the psychological section of the assessment. When the social worker's supervisor looks at the biological section, it will be viewed as:
• Tardive dyskinesia is a side effect of taking antipsychotic medications that affects which of the following?
• Theories of human development in social work emphasize all of the following EXCEPT:
• In crisis intervention, what is the primary objective in the initial phase?
• For audiotaping sessions used for supervision, what is the ethical requirement?
• All of the following may be viewed as indicators of resistance EXCEPT:
• In the stages of change model, which stage best describes someone who is considering changing but has not yet acted?
• Upon intake, a single mother admits to binge drinking on weekends. She states that she is not going to stop this behavior. Using a harm reduction approach, a social worker should:
• Which of the following is NOT a limitation of using existing case records as the basis for practice evaluations?
• A client struggles to reach a treatment goal, so the social worker breaks it into small steps and rewards progress after each step. This technique is known as:
• Which action does not violate state laws when performed outside the social work context but is unethical when done by a social worker with a current adult client, except?
• Which statement about confidentiality in group work is true?
• Which concept best describes maintaining professional boundaries and limiting self-disclosure in clinical practice?
• Which assessment tool is commonly used to screen cognitive status in older adults?
• After assessment, what follows in the problem-solving process?
• A client has dilated pupils, appears jittery, and complains that 'he just needs to get some sleep.' The client is MOST likely using which of the following substances?
• A social worker believes there may be an ethical dilemma in his agency. According to steps in ethical problem-solving, the social worker should FIRST consult:
• Which is a level of awareness defined by Freud?
• Which of the following is the FIRST goal of assisting clients who have suffered a life crisis?
• In Erikson's psychosocial development theory, which stage corresponds to school-age children developing competence?
• Which of the following statements is true about confidentiality in legal proceedings involving mental health treatment?
• Entropy is BEST defined as:
• Which change occurred from DSM-IV to DSM-5 regarding Conduct Disorder?
• Which of the following is TRUE about risk factors for violence?
• Which of the following is NOT a respondent behavior by a client?
• If social workers engage in appropriate physical contact with clients, all of the following must be present EXCEPT:
• A client reports that he was just diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. This cancer is associated with which of the major body systems?
• A social worker is faced with a former intimate partner seeking therapy after a long hiatus. The most ethical stance is:
• In the first session, a young woman sobs that she won't get through her recent divorce and feels alone; the best response to instill hope is to
• A client has just been fired from his job and he is focusing solely on the stress associated with the financial challenges that he is facing. Using a systems approach, the social worker can expect his unemployment to:
• Which of the following is NOT a change to the Neurodevelopmental Disorders listed in the DSM-5?
• Which of the following is an example of a boundary crossing?
• Which of the following would be considered a protective factor that reduces the risk of dangerousness to others?
• To determine whether changes in client outcomes are due to the program rather than external factors, which evaluation design is best?
• Which is NOT a standard step in the problem-solving process?
• A client arrives for the initial session with a coworker. The BEST initial response is to:
• Which statement about transgender clients is true?
• A 69-year-old client with COPD; primary prevention needs include:
• A social worker receives a call from a former girlfriend who is now married and wants counseling. The social worker has not seen the former girlfriend in more than 10 years. The appropriate action is:
• A client reports being under police surveillance with no corroborating evidence. This most likely reflects a:
• Which statement about using existing case records for practice evaluations is NOT accurate?
• A social worker in a mental health agency is very upset by the passage of legislation that, in his opinion, will be detrimental to some of his clients. He is asked by an advocacy organization to join a protest that he does on his own time and without identifying his employer. His agency director is very upset by his participation because the board of directors of the mental health agency supported this legislation. The social worker's actions are:
• A social worker asks two staff to independently record the frequency of a behavior and submit their tracking sheets to her without sharing them with one another. The social worker is using which of the following approaches to ensure reliability of the data collected?
• Which of the following is an example of a role reversal?
• In family systems theory, what term describes the specialized roles within a family unit?
• Which is a essential component of informed consent?
• Regarding race and ethnicity, which statement is true?
• In ethics, dating a supervisee is unethical due to what ethical concern?
• After a house fire, a child begins to use baby talk and thumb-sucking, and wants to sit on the mother's lap in public. This is an example of the defense mechanism known as:
• A man is seeing a social worker because he is struggling to "find himself" as his children have become adults and left the family home. He feels that his job has become mundane and he is feeling "bored with life." This client is MOST likely in which stage of psychosocial development?
• When evaluating a foster care program, which outcome is most objective?
• All of the following are associated with Borderline Personality Disorder EXCEPT:
• A client with a terminal illness is referred to a pain management group to minimize discomfort. This service is BEST described as which level of prevention?
• During an initial session, a client says, 'I can’t wait for advice on how to fix the problems.' In this situation, the social worker should:
• A school social worker asks the parents of a boy who is Asian to come in for a conference because he has been experiencing problems at school. The grandparents attend with the parents. Their presence MOST LIKELY can be viewed as an indication that:
• In treating co-occurring disorders that meet diagnostic thresholds, the recommended approach is to:
• A client stopped coming to sessions abruptly after 6 weeks. He asks for a copy of his record about a month later. There is nothing in the record that is harmful to the client, but the social worker refuses to give it to him. In this situation, the social worker's actions are:
• Which of the following BEST describes most older adults regarding typical mental functioning?
• A client reports she wants to discuss ending her marriage with her priest; the social worker should FIRST:
• Best describes benefit of peer supervision in social work practice?
• Imaginary friends appear in which Piaget stage?
• The audiotaping of therapy sessions for supervision is unethical if... ?
• A mother is upset because she believes her 4-year-old daughter is being 'selfish.' The most developmentally appropriate way for the social worker to respond is to:
• According to Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, the client who was often criticized by parents in childhood and now has poor self-esteem experiences a crisis in which stage?
• Which statement best describes positive punishment in behavioral terminology?
• In cases with language barriers, which approach is most appropriate for obtaining accurate information and ensuring informed consent?
• In the DSM-5, Dysthymia is now called:
• A social worker joined the board of a domestic violence agency; which activity would be ethical?
• A client with Stage 4 cancer is referred to a pain management group to minimize discomfort. The provision of this service is BEST represented as which of the following?
• A social worker is contacted by a man distraught about his mother, who was a client; he questions whether information about her treatment can be shared. The appropriate response is:
• The process of measuring outcomes against goals is best described as?
• Internal validity in program evaluation refers to whether observed effects are due to the intervention and not confounding factors.
• What term describes rewarding successive approximations toward a goal in behavior modification?
• A social worker who is treating a couple asks the therapist to provide a child custody recommendation to the court because they have worked with the couple for months. What should the social worker do?
• A consultant’s report recommends service changes that the social worker believes would harm clients. The appropriate action is to
• Which of the following is NOT a symptom of Wernicke's encephalopathy or Korsakoff's syndrome?
• A social worker receives a subpoena for a former client's record. The social worker should FIRST:
• Which diagnosis is MOST likely to be given as the result of mental status examinations?
• Latency stage occurs during which ages?
• In social work practice, which statement about transference is true?
• Which perspective on human behavior emphasizes capacity for change, growth, and meaning?
• In establishing boundaries with clients from diverse backgrounds, which practice is essential?
• Which reliability assessment is concerned with the consistency of items within a single test?
• In evaluating program outcomes, which factor most directly influences external validity?
• Which statement about task-centered approach is NOT true?
• A 16-year-old client who has often been bullied is advised to walk away from incidents to reduce teasing. The behavioral mechanism at work is:
• Which statement about attachment and bonding is NOT true?
• A social worker employed to work with juvenile offenders has developed an innovative program that has yielded very positive outcomes. The director is skeptical about its ability to achieve the same outcomes. The director is expressing concerns about:
• A social worker is evaluating the effectiveness of a mental health outpatient treatment program. He constructs an evaluation strategy that consists of collecting data on the quality of services by holding focus groups with current clients so they can relay their firsthand experiences. In addition, he uses existing agency data to compute the proportion of clients who have been rehospitalized since admission. The social worker is conducting what type of evaluation?
• An agency is required by its funder to make extensive modifications to its human resource policies. The agency director is worried about the financial health of the agency and reports that the agency does not have the money to hire someone to complete this task. The social worker's wife is a human resource manager at a large corporation and agrees to work with the agency for a few weeks at a deeply discounted rate in order to meet the requirements. According to the Code of Ethics, this situation is:
• The person-in-environment classification uses all of the following factors to evaluate a client EXCEPT:
• Which of the following would be an UNETHICAL use of identifying client data?
• After discovering they attend the same church as a client, a social worker continues to attend church and sees the client occasionally in the pews without direct contact. This is... ?
• In structural family therapy, which technique is used to understand and diagnose structures that maintain families' dysfunctional interactions?
• Hodgkin's disease is associated with which major body system?
• Which parenting style is associated with the most negative outcomes for children?
• A social worker regularly refers clients to a colleague who offers treatment; the colleague offers season football tickets when referrals are made. The worker accepts the tickets but donates them to charity. This conduct is:
• Most important factor in choosing an appropriate intervention or treatment strategy?
• Genetic counseling is most appropriate for all of the following groups EXCEPT:
• At the end of a family session, the social worker says, 'During the last hour, each of you had a chance to discuss your frustrations with one another and how your actions were perceived as hurtful, though they were not intended.' This statement is MOST likely aimed at:
• In DSM-5, how are substance use and abuse categorized?
• When making level of care determinations, which criterion is primarily used in behavioral health settings?
• To enhance culturally competent practice when working with clients from different ethnic backgrounds, the most appropriate step is to:
• A man comes in to see a social worker and tells her that, after years of substance use, 'he has had enough' and gave up using heroin two days ago. He appears anxious and agitated and reports vomiting, as well as being unable to sleep. In order to meet his immediate treatment needs, the social worker should:
• Which statement is true about youth who are not heterosexual and/or gender conforming?
• When clients sue social workers for malpractice, social workers fulfill ethical obligations by:
• Which is the MOST important reason that self-monitoring is used as a social work technique?
• In family systems theory, the term 'mascot' refers to a family member who
• In a dysfunctional family, the 'mascot' role is to
• Gambling disorder is categorized under a new non-substance-related disorders category in DSM-5.
• According to Erikson, psychosocial development follows which sequence of relationship formation?
• A client was recently discharged from inpatient hospitalization; several days later he is jittery, agitated, rambling, and has trouble sleeping. Which medication is most likely prescribed at discharge?