ASWB Clinical Trivia 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which assessment tool is commonly used to screen for alcohol use disorder in clinical settings?
- PHQ-9
- CAGE questionnaire (Correct answer)
- GAD-7
- Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale
Correct answer: CAGE questionnaire
The CAGE questionnaire (Cut, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener) is a widely used four-item screening tool for alcohol use disorder.
Question 2: In solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), the 'miracle question' is used to:
- Explore the root cause of the presenting problem
- Help clients envision life without the problem to identify goals (Correct answer)
- Challenge irrational beliefs about future outcomes
- Reframe the problem in systemic terms
Correct answer: Help clients envision life without the problem to identify goals
The miracle question invites clients to imagine a future where the problem is resolved, helping them articulate concrete therapeutic goals.
Question 3: A client with obsessive-compulsive disorder is BEST treated with which evidence-based approach?
- Psychoanalytic therapy
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP) (Correct answer)
- Supportive therapy only
- Hypnotherapy
Correct answer: Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
Exposure and response prevention is the gold-standard behavioral treatment for OCD, involving gradual exposure to fears while preventing compulsive rituals.
Question 4: When a client's cultural background leads them to express emotional distress through physical symptoms, this is referred to as:
- Malingering
- Somatization (Correct answer)
- Conversion disorder
- Factitious disorder
Correct answer: Somatization
Somatization is the expression of psychological distress through physical symptoms, often culturally mediated and not intentionally produced.
Question 5: According to attachment theory, an infant who is distressed when the caregiver leaves but easily soothed upon return demonstrates:
- Avoidant attachment
- Secure attachment (Correct answer)
- Disorganized attachment
- Anxious-ambivalent attachment
Correct answer: Secure attachment
Secure attachment is characterized by distress at separation and easy comfort upon reunion, reflecting confidence in the caregiver's availability.
Question 6: A social worker practicing from a strengths perspective would MOST likely ask a client:
- What childhood experiences led to your current problems?
- What has helped you cope successfully in the past? (Correct answer)
- How severe is your dysfunction on a scale of 1 to 10?
- What diagnosis explains your current symptoms?
Correct answer: What has helped you cope successfully in the past?
The strengths perspective focuses on clients' existing resources and past successes rather than deficits or pathology.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes the clinical concept of 'transference'?
- The therapist's emotional reaction to the client
- The client redirecting feelings from past relationships onto the therapist (Correct answer)
- The process of transferring case files between providers
- Generalizing skills learned in therapy to daily life
Correct answer: The client redirecting feelings from past relationships onto the therapist
Transference occurs when a client unconsciously projects feelings, expectations, or desires from past significant relationships onto the therapist.
ASWB Clinical Trivia 5
Which assessment tool is commonly used to screen for alcohol use disorder in clinical settings?