ASWB Masters MCQ 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A social worker is presenting a client's case at a multidisciplinary team meeting. To protect confidentiality, the social worker should:
- Share only information directly relevant to the treatment being coordinated
- Obtain written consent from the client before any information is shared (Correct answer)
- Avoid sharing any client information with non-social work professionals
- Share the full case history so team members have complete context
Correct answer: Obtain written consent from the client before any information is shared
Even in multidisciplinary settings, informed written consent should be obtained before sharing client information, and disclosure should be limited to what is necessary for care coordination.
Question 2: A social worker is evaluating the effectiveness of a group intervention using a pre-test/post-test design without a control group. This design is BEST described as:
- A randomized controlled trial
- A quasi-experimental design (Correct answer)
- A single-system design
- A qualitative phenomenological study
Correct answer: A quasi-experimental design
A pre-test/post-test design without random assignment to a control group is classified as quasi-experimental because it lacks full experimental controls.
Question 3: A client asks a social worker to be friends on social media. The social worker should PRIMARILY consider which ethical principle before responding?
- Client self-determination
- Maintenance of professional boundaries (Correct answer)
- Social justice and inclusion
- Fidelity and responsibility
Correct answer: Maintenance of professional boundaries
Accepting social media connections with clients blurs professional boundaries and can compromise the therapeutic relationship, objectivity, and confidentiality.
Question 4: According to Erikson's psychosocial stages, a 70-year-old client who expresses deep regret about 'wasted years' and fears death is likely experiencing which stage conflict?
- Generativity vs. Stagnation
- Integrity vs. Despair (Correct answer)
- Identity vs. Role Confusion
- Intimacy vs. Isolation
Correct answer: Integrity vs. Despair
Ego Integrity vs. Despair is Erikson's final stage, in which older adults reflect on their lives; those who feel their lives lacked meaning may experience despair.
Question 5: A social worker is helping a client set goals. The client says, 'I want to be happier.' Using a task-centered approach, the social worker should NEXT:
- Explore the childhood origins of the client's unhappiness
- Help the client define specific, measurable problems and tasks to address them (Correct answer)
- Refer the client for a psychiatric evaluation for depression
- Accept the vague goal and allow it to evolve naturally over time
Correct answer: Help the client define specific, measurable problems and tasks to address them
Task-centered practice requires operationalizing vague goals into specific, agreed-upon target problems and concrete tasks with clear timelines.
Question 6: A client with schizophrenia refuses antipsychotic medication because it causes weight gain. The social worker's BEST response is to:
- Document the refusal and defer to the psychiatrist's authority
- Explore the client's concerns and collaborate with the treatment team on alternatives (Correct answer)
- Encourage the client to prioritize symptom control over side effects
- Contact the client's family to persuade them to take the medication
Correct answer: Explore the client's concerns and collaborate with the treatment team on alternatives
Respecting client autonomy while advocating for their health requires exploring their specific concerns and working with the team to consider alternative medications or strategies.
Question 7: A social worker practicing from a feminist therapy perspective would MOST likely emphasize which of the following in treatment?
- The role of unconscious drives in shaping the client's behavior
- The impact of social and political power structures on the client's experience (Correct answer)
- Behavioral reinforcement schedules to change maladaptive patterns
- Cognitive distortions as the primary cause of emotional distress
Correct answer: The impact of social and political power structures on the client's experience
Feminist therapy contextualizes personal problems within systemic inequalities, power imbalances, and social structures that affect clients, particularly women and marginalized groups.
ASWB Masters MCQ 5
A social worker is presenting a client's case at a multidisciplinary team meeting.
To protect confidentiality, the social worker should: