Masters Practice Flashcards

A social worker employed by a managed care organization is told to limit sessions to six visits regardless of client need. This creates an ethical dilemma primarily involving:

Answer: Professional obligations to clients versus obligations to the employer

Social workers are ethically obligated to act in clients' interests but also operate within organizational constraints, creating a conflict between professional duty and employer directives.

Which of the following BEST describes the concept of 'parallel process' in clinical supervision?

Answer: Dynamics in the client-worker relationship being replicated in the supervisory relationship

Parallel process occurs when relational patterns between a worker and client unconsciously recreate themselves in the supervisory relationship.

A client from a collectivist cultural background defers all treatment decisions to their adult children and objects to being seen individually without family present. A culturally competent social worker should:

Answer: Explore the client's preferences and negotiate a treatment approach that honors their cultural values

Cultural competence requires adapting practice to honor the client's values; family-centered decision-making is normative in many collectivist cultures.

According to Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, a 45-year-old client struggling with a sense of stagnation and lack of purpose is most likely experiencing conflict in the stage of:

Answer: Generativity vs. stagnation

Generativity vs. stagnation is Erikson's stage for middle adulthood, centered on contributing to the next generation versus feeling unproductive.

A social worker discovers mid-treatment that a new client is the ex-spouse of a close friend. The MOST appropriate action is to:

Answer: Consult with a supervisor and consider referring the client to another provider

This situation presents a conflict of interest that compromises objectivity; consultation and likely referral protect both the client and the social worker.

Which of the following is the PRIMARY goal of crisis intervention?

Answer: Restoring the client to at least their pre-crisis level of functioning

Crisis intervention is time-limited and aims to stabilize the client and restore equilibrium to pre-crisis functioning, not to achieve deeper therapeutic change.

A social worker is using narrative therapy with a client who feels defined by their anxiety disorder. The technique of 'externalizing the problem' involves:

Answer: Separating the client's identity from the problem so the problem can be examined as distinct from the person

Externalization is a core narrative technique that positions the problem as separate from the person — 'the anxiety' rather than 'I am anxious' — creating space for agency.