Question 1: The 21-question Bricklin Perceptual Scales (BPS) are used to assess depression in people aged 13 and older.

• False (Correct answer)
• True

Correct answer: False

This statement is false. The Bricklin Perceptual Scales (BPS) are not used to assess depression. They are a forensic assessment tool primarily designed to evaluate parental capacity and child custody issues, focusing on a parent's perceptions of their child and their parenting abilities. Common depression scales include the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) or the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).

Question 2: A group therapy practice called choreographing has a participant take on the role of the protagonist's alter ego.

• False (Correct answer)
• True

Correct answer: False

This statement is false. The group therapy practice where a participant takes on the role of the protagonist's alter ego is characteristic of psychodrama, specifically a technique called 'doubling.' Choreographing, while involving movement and spatial arrangements in therapy, is a broader term and does not specifically define this alter ego role.

Question 3: The degree to which responders can discern what the items are assessing is known as face validity.

• False
• True (Correct answer)

Correct answer: True

This statement is true. Face validity refers to the extent to which a test or assessment appears, on the surface, to measure what it is supposed to measure. If responders can easily understand what the items are assessing and agree that the test seems relevant to the construct being measured, it is said to have good face validity.

Question 4: ACT stands for Assertive Community Treatment. Individuals with severe functional impairments, serious and chronic mental illnesses, or personality disorders, who have avoided or not adequately responded to conventional outpatient mental health care and psychiatric rehabilitation programs, are the clients serviced by ACT. People who get services from ACT may struggle with multiple issues at once, such as homelessness, substance addiction issues, or contact with the legal system.

• False
• True (Correct answer)

Correct answer: True

This statement is true. Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is an evidence-based, intensive, and integrated approach designed for individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses who have complex needs and often struggle with traditional outpatient services. The description accurately outlines the target population and the comprehensive, multidisciplinary nature of ACT services, which address co-occurring issues like homelessness and substance abuse to promote recovery and community integration.

Question 5: Social connection lengthens lifelong selection processes, and conversing with family members as opposed to friends enhances the likelihood that elderly people's emotional stability will be maintained.

• criterion validity
• face validity
• construct validity (Correct answer)
• content validity

Correct answer: construct validity

Construct validity refers to the degree to which a test or instrument accurately measures the theoretical construct it is intended to measure. The statement describes a complex theoretical relationship between abstract concepts like 'social connection,' 'lifelong selection processes,' and 'emotional stability' in elderly people. If a research study were to investigate these relationships, it would need to ensure its measures accurately reflect these underlying theoretical constructs, thus relating to construct validity.

Question 6: A type of response bias in which a general or initial assessment of a person (or any other thing being evaluated) transfers or spreads into an assessment of more particular traits or qualities, even though there is no logical justification for or connection between the overall assessment and other qualities being judged

• Face Validity
• Fundamental Attribution Error
• Halo Effect (Correct answer)
• Projection

Correct answer: Halo Effect

The Halo Effect is a cognitive bias where an observer's overall positive or negative impression of a person, object, or brand influences their feelings and thoughts about that entity's specific traits or qualities. For example, if someone is perceived as generally attractive, they might also be assumed to be intelligent or kind, even without specific evidence, because the initial positive impression 'spreads' to other attributes.

Question 7: Social connection lengthens lifelong selection processes, and conversing with family members as opposed to friends enhances the likelihood that elderly people's emotional stability will be maintained.

• socioemotional selectivity theory (Correct answer)
• schizotypal personality disorder
• activity theory
• disengagement theory

Correct answer: socioemotional selectivity theory

Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) proposes that as people age, their social networks become more selective, prioritizing emotionally meaningful relationships, often with close family and long-term friends. The theory suggests that older adults actively choose to maintain social interactions that enhance their emotional well-being and stability, aligning perfectly with the statement that conversing with family members enhances emotional stability in elderly people.

Question 8: Bipolar I disorder is the client's current diagnosis, and you are treating him or her for a mood illness. The client is operating slowly and has lost weight as a result of a decreased appetite.<br> <br> What additional qualifier should be added to the client's diagnosis?

• Bipolar I disorder, with atypical features
• Bipolar I disorder, with melancholic features (Correct answer)
• Bipolar I disorder, with catatonia
• None of the above

Correct answer: Bipolar I disorder, with melancholic features

Melancholic features are a specifier for major depressive episodes (which can occur in Bipolar I disorder) characterized by severe anhedonia (loss of pleasure), psychomotor retardation (operating slowly), significant weight loss or anorexia (decreased appetite), and profound despondency. The client's presentation of 'operating slowly' and 'lost weight as a result of a decreased appetite' directly aligns with these diagnostic criteria for melancholic features.

Question 9: You inquire about the young woman's motivations for seeking treatment during an initial evaluation. The woman talks about her unfulfilling profession, her issues with her marriage, her nervousness, and how she has a negative view of herself. <br> <br> You most likely would:

• Avoid offering suggestions so the client does not feel criticized
• Suggest the client seek group treatment rather than individual therapy
• Focus on the client's poor self-image, since it is the most serious problem in your opinion
• Help the client identify the primary issue she would like to focus on during therapy (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Help the client identify the primary issue she would like to focus on during therapy

When a client presents with multiple concerns during an initial evaluation, the most empowering and effective approach is to help them prioritize. By assisting the client in identifying the primary issue they wish to focus on, the social worker respects their self-determination and ensures that therapy addresses their most pressing and personally relevant goals, fostering engagement and a sense of control over their treatment.

Question 10: You query Alice, your client, "What do you think your coworkers would say if a future employer asked them what they think about you?" You are evaluating:

• Dependency
• Reality testing
• Self-concept (Correct answer)
• None of the above

Correct answer: Self-concept

This question directly assesses how a client perceives their own identity, characteristics, and reputation through the lens of others. Self-concept encompasses an individual's beliefs about themselves, including their self-image and self-esteem. By asking what coworkers would say, the social worker is evaluating the client's understanding and perception of their own self-concept in a social context.

Question 11: Which of the following BEST encapsulates the NASW's recommendations for using self-disclosure?

• It is only used with informed consent
• It is up to the social worker's discretion
• It is only used as a last resort (Correct answer)
• It must be approved by a supervisory authority

Correct answer: It is only used as a last resort

The NASW Code of Ethics advises social workers to use self-disclosure cautiously and only when it serves a clear therapeutic purpose for the client. It should not be used for the social worker's personal benefit. Therefore, self-disclosure is generally considered a last resort, employed only when other interventions have been ineffective or when it is deemed essential for building rapport or normalizing an experience in a very specific and limited way.

Question 12: Natasha, a 15-year-old girl, comes out to her parents as a lesbian during a family therapy session with you. After that, her father adds, "Don't you know what this will do to your grandfather?" and her mother responds, "I simply, I can't believe it." <br> <br> What should you start

• Encourage Natasha's parents to see the positive side of her news and emphasize her positive qualities
• Offer to meet with Natasha's parents separately
• Ask Natasha's parents why they feel the need to say those things
• Give everyone a chance to express themselves, and encourage Natasha to express her emotional reactions to her parents' statements (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Give everyone a chance to express themselves, and encourage Natasha to express her emotional reactions to her parents' statements

In a family therapy session, especially after a significant disclosure like coming out, it is crucial to facilitate open communication and emotional expression from all family members. Natasha's parents have reacted, and Natasha needs the opportunity to process and express her own feelings in response to their statements. This approach creates a safe space, validates everyone's experience, and allows the social worker to understand the family dynamics for further therapeutic intervention.

Question 13: You are meeting Maggie, your client, for her intake meeting. Maggie dislikes meeting with you or anyone else since she has Schizoid Personality Disorder. She says she hears voices urging her to tell you lies. When telling the tale of a family friend who passed away, she similarly shows little emotion. When you try to get to know Margey through regular back-and-forth discussions, she doesn't appear all that interested and instead seems to be asking seemingly harmless questions out of suspicion. <br> <br> Which of Maggie's aforementioned deeds or behaviors is NOT a sign of schizoid personality disorder?

• Avoidance of people
• Fearfulness of intimacy
• Hallucinations (Correct answer)
• Look of empathy

Correct answer: Hallucinations

Schizoid Personality Disorder is characterized by a pervasive pattern of detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression. Key features include social isolation, indifference to praise or criticism, and a lack of desire for intimacy. Hallucinations, such as hearing voices, are psychotic symptoms typically associated with disorders like Schizophrenia or Schizotypal Personality Disorder, not Schizoid Personality Disorder.

Question 14: A social worker named Anthony has been assisting Jake, who has been in a crisis since being released from prison and has nowhere to go, for about a month. Anthony and Jake are now meeting to create a detailed list of things for Jake to undertake in order to start resolving his issue after the two have grown close and Kai has had an opportunity to explore his feelings (s). <br> <br> Which of the four crisis intervention objectives does Anthony's strategy BEST illustrate?

• Developing adaptive coping skills
• Helping strengthen coping skills during Jake's crisis
• Returning Jake to a previous level of functioning (Correct answer)
• Relieving the impact of stress with emotional and social resources

Correct answer: Returning Jake to a previous level of functioning

The primary goal of crisis intervention is to help individuals stabilize and return to their pre-crisis level of functioning as quickly as possible. By developing a detailed action plan for Jake to resolve his immediate issue of homelessness, Anthony is directly working towards restoring Jake's stability and helping him regain a sense of control and normalcy, which aligns with the objective of returning to a previous level of functioning.

Question 15: A family that has recently immigrated from Afghanistan requests your case management services so that they can be connected to resources that can help them with some basic requirements. The family's lone speaker of both English and Dari, which is only used by her parents, is the 15-year-old daughter. You accept the referral even though you can only comprehend and speak English.

• Unethical because you have not determined if the daughter is willing to translate
• Ethical because the daughter will be available to translate for/to the parents
• Unethical because you cannot speak to or understand all family members (Correct answer)
• None of the above

Correct answer: Unethical because you cannot speak to or understand all family members

It is unethical for a social worker to rely on a minor child to translate for their parents, especially in sensitive professional contexts. This practice places an undue burden on the child, compromises confidentiality, and can lead to misinterpretations or incomplete communication, preventing the social worker from fully understanding the parents' needs and providing effective, culturally competent services. Professional interpreters should always be used to ensure accurate and confidential communication.

Question 16: While Isabella, an eight-year-old girl, excels in activities like dancing and martial arts, her parents are worried about her conduct and claim that she is "clumsy" and "sloppy" in tasks that call for exact handling and/or positioning of objects (for example handwriting, sewing, setting the dinner table and pouring water). <br> Which of the following accounts for these differences in Isabella's skills is MOST likely

• The presence of a learning disability that specifically affects Isabella's capacity to do visuospatial tasks
• A developmental course that is typical, in which there is a progression beginning with mastering control over whole body movement, with later development of fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination
• Isabella most likely is responding with anxiety about her parents' vigilance and concern over her task performance, which negatively impacts her ability to successfully complete tasks that require the skills in question
• None of the above

Child development typically follows a pattern where gross motor skills (large muscle movements like dancing and martial arts) develop before fine motor skills (small, precise movements like handwriting and pouring). Isabella's proficiency in whole-body activities and difficulty with tasks requiring fine motor control and eye-hand coordination is a common and typical developmental progression, not necessarily indicative of a disability or anxiety.