ASWB Bachelors Prep 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A BSW is facilitating a psychoeducational group for caregivers of adults with dementia. This is an example of which type of group?
- Therapy group
- Task group
- Support and education group (Correct answer)
- Self-help group
Correct answer: Support and education group
Psychoeducational groups combine support with skill-building and education, making them support and education groups rather than therapy or task groups.
Question 2: When a BSW uses the strengths perspective, the worker is PRIMARILY focused on:
- Diagnosing the client's pathology and deficits
- Identifying what is working well and what resources the client already has (Correct answer)
- Challenging the client to acknowledge their weaknesses
- Prioritizing professional expertise over client knowledge
Correct answer: Identifying what is working well and what resources the client already has
The strengths perspective shifts focus from problems and deficits to identifying clients' existing abilities, resources, and resilience.
Question 3: An adult client discloses during a session that they are being financially exploited by their adult child. The BSW's FIRST responsibility is to:
- Call the police immediately on behalf of the client
- Assess the client's safety and their wishes regarding intervention (Correct answer)
- Contact adult protective services without informing the client
- Advise the client to cut off contact with the abusive child
Correct answer: Assess the client's safety and their wishes regarding intervention
Assessment of safety and client wishes is the essential first step; adult clients retain autonomy to make decisions about their own situations.
Question 4: Which theoretical framework explains poverty and inequality as resulting from imbalances of power and resources within society rather than individual failings?
- Psychodynamic theory
- Cognitive-behavioral theory
- Social learning theory
- Conflict theory (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Conflict theory
Conflict theory attributes social problems like poverty to structural power imbalances and resource competition between groups rather than individual deficiencies.
Question 5: A BSW working in a school setting notices a student's grades have dropped significantly since their parents' divorce. The BEST initial approach is to:
- Contact both parents to discuss the academic decline
- Meet with the student to explore their experience and identify needed supports (Correct answer)
- Recommend the student for special education evaluation
- Advise the teacher to give the student extra time on assignments
Correct answer: Meet with the student to explore their experience and identify needed supports
Engaging the student directly to understand their perspective is the foundation of a person-centered assessment before any other interventions.
Question 6: The process of 'termination' in social work practice refers to:
- Firing a client from services for non-compliance
- The planned ending of the professional relationship and consolidation of gains (Correct answer)
- Abruptly ending services when funding is cut
- Transferring a client to another worker without preparation
Correct answer: The planned ending of the professional relationship and consolidation of gains
Termination is an intentional, planned phase of the helping process focused on reviewing progress, consolidating gains, and preparing the client for independence.
Question 7: A BSW learns that a client with a serious mental illness has stopped taking their prescribed medication. The client does not meet criteria for involuntary hospitalization. The BSW should:
- Discharge the client for non-compliance with treatment
- Explore the client's reasons for stopping medication and problem-solve collaboratively (Correct answer)
- Immediately notify the prescribing psychiatrist and defer all decision-making to them
- Contact the client's family to enforce medication compliance
Correct answer: Explore the client's reasons for stopping medication and problem-solve collaboratively
Exploring the client's perspective on medication and collaboratively problem-solving respects autonomy while addressing the clinical concern.
ASWB Bachelors Prep 4
A BSW is facilitating a psychoeducational group for caregivers of adults with dementia.
This is an example of which type of group?