Licensed Clinical Social Worker Flashcards
7 cards from real ASWB practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Licensed Clinical Social Worker flashcards as text
A client with borderline personality disorder repeatedly calls the social worker between sessions in crisis. What is the most appropriate clinical intervention?
Answer: Set clear boundaries around between-session contact while validating the client's distress
DBT-informed practice supports limit-setting with empathy, teaching distress tolerance rather than reinforcing crisis-driven contact.
During a mandated reporting situation, a client discloses abuse but begs the social worker not to tell anyone. How should the clinician respond?
Answer: Explain confidentiality limits and report as required by law regardless of the client's wishes
Mandated reporting laws supersede client confidentiality; the clinician must report and should inform the client of this legal obligation.
A client presents with persistent sadness, anhedonia, hypersomnia, and increased appetite for six weeks. Which DSM-5 diagnosis best fits?
Answer: Major Depressive Disorder with atypical features
Hypersomnia and increased appetite are atypical features; a six-week duration with anhedonia meets MDD criteria.
What is the primary purpose of clinical supervision in social work practice?
Answer: To support professional development and ensure client welfare through reflective practice
Clinical supervision integrates administrative oversight, educational support, and reflective processing to protect clients and develop competent practitioners.
A social worker discovers mid-treatment that a new client is the ex-spouse of a former client. What ethical issue is primarily at stake?
Answer: Dual relationship and potential conflict of interest
Treating someone closely connected to a former client creates a dual relationship risk that could compromise objectivity and confidentiality.
Which therapeutic modality is considered the gold standard evidence-based treatment for PTSD according to major clinical guidelines?
Answer: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Prolonged Exposure (PE)
VA/DoD, APA, and ISTSS guidelines recommend trauma-focused CBT approaches including PE and EMDR as first-line PTSD treatments.
A clinician notices strong negative feelings toward a client who reminds them of a difficult family member. This is best described as:
Answer: Countertransference
Countertransference refers to the clinician's emotional reactions to a client, often rooted in the clinician's own unresolved experiences.