ASWB Masters Basic 4

Question 1

A social worker notices she feels unusually irritated and impatient with a client who reminds her of her critical mother. This reaction is BEST described as:

Accepted Answer

Countertransference

Answer

Countertransference occurs when the social worker's own unresolved feelings are triggered by the client, affecting the therapeutic relationship.

Question 2

A parent enrolls her child in therapy and later requests to review all session notes. Regarding the child's right to confidentiality, the social worker should FIRST:

Accepted Answer

Consult state law and agency policy regarding minor's privacy rights

Answer

Minor confidentiality rights vary by state and clinical context, requiring the social worker to review applicable law and policy before responding.

Question 3

The concept of 'learned helplessness' as developed by Martin Seligman MOST directly relates to which condition?

Accepted Answer

Depression

Answer

Seligman's learned helplessness model, where repeated uncontrollable negative events lead to passive resignation, is a foundational model for understanding depression.

Question 4

A social worker is conducting a mental status examination. Which domain is being assessed when the social worker asks a client to count backwards from 100 by sevens?

Accepted Answer

Concentration and attention

Answer

Serial sevens is a standard concentration and attention task used in mental status examinations to assess cognitive processing.

Question 5

A social worker is working with a recently widowed 72-year-old man who has become socially isolated. From a life-span development perspective, his isolation is MOST consistent with which Eriksonian challenge?

Accepted Answer

Integrity vs. Despair

Answer

Late adulthood involves Erikson's Integrity vs. Despair stage, where loss, isolation, and reflection on life's meaning are central developmental challenges.

ASWB - Association of Social Work Boards Practice Test

ASWB - Association of Social Work Boards Practice Test

ASWB Masters Basic 4