ASWB Bachelors Basic 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client discloses they have a plan to harm their neighbor. The social worker's FIRST obligation is to:
- Maintain confidentiality because the client disclosed this in session
- Warn the potential victim and notify appropriate authorities (Correct answer)
- Refer the client to psychiatric services and take no other action
- Document the disclosure and consult with a supervisor at the next team meeting
Correct answer: Warn the potential victim and notify appropriate authorities
The duty to warn (Tarasoff) requires social workers to take reasonable steps to protect identifiable third parties from serious threats.
Question 2: The concept of 'unconditional positive regard,' central to person-centered therapy, means the worker:
- Agrees with everything the client says to build rapport
- Accepts the client as a person without conditions or judgment (Correct answer)
- Focuses exclusively on the client's positive behaviors
- Avoids giving the client any constructive feedback
Correct answer: Accepts the client as a person without conditions or judgment
Carl Rogers defined unconditional positive regard as accepting the client's worth as a person regardless of their behaviors or attitudes.
Question 3: A social worker using a task-centered approach would MOST likely:
- Explore the client's childhood experiences to understand current problems
- Identify specific, time-limited tasks the client can complete to address a defined problem (Correct answer)
- Help the client restructure irrational beliefs causing distress
- Focus sessions on building the therapeutic alliance over several months
Correct answer: Identify specific, time-limited tasks the client can complete to address a defined problem
Task-centered practice is a structured, short-term model where client and worker collaboratively identify and complete concrete tasks.
Question 4: Which federal law primarily governs the confidentiality of substance use disorder treatment records?
- HIPAA
- Title IV-E
- 42 CFR Part 2 (Correct answer)
- FERPA
Correct answer: 42 CFR Part 2
42 CFR Part 2 provides stricter confidentiality protections for substance use disorder records than standard HIPAA rules.
Question 5: An elderly client's daughter asks the social worker to share the client's medical information without the client's consent. The worker should:
- Share all information since family members have a right to know
- Decline and explain that information requires client consent unless an exception applies (Correct answer)
- Contact the physician to authorize the release
- Document the request and share the information at the next family meeting
Correct answer: Decline and explain that information requires client consent unless an exception applies
Clients control their own information; without a legal exception or signed release, sharing with family members violates confidentiality.
Question 6: In the ecological systems framework, the 'goodness of fit' concept refers to:
- The quality of the therapeutic relationship between worker and client
- The match between an individual's needs and the resources available in their environment (Correct answer)
- A client's readiness to change problematic behaviors
- The degree of cultural similarity between worker and client
Correct answer: The match between an individual's needs and the resources available in their environment
Goodness of fit describes how well the demands and resources of the environment match the individual's needs and capacities.
Question 7: A social worker is conducting a biopsychosocial assessment. Which dimension is MOST relevant to the 'social' component?
- History of mental health diagnoses
- Current medications and physical health conditions
- Family relationships, social support networks, and housing (Correct answer)
- Cognitive functioning and emotional regulation
Correct answer: Family relationships, social support networks, and housing
The social dimension of a biopsychosocial assessment covers interpersonal relationships, community ties, and environmental factors.
ASWB Bachelors Basic 4
A client discloses they have a plan to harm their neighbor.
The social worker's FIRST obligation is to: