LCSW Treatment Planning and Goal Setting — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is the BEST example of a measurable treatment objective?
- Client will feel less depressed
- Client will attend three support group meetings per week for the next eight weeks (Correct answer)
- Client will gain insight into family patterns
- Client will improve communication with spouse
Correct answer: Client will attend three support group meetings per week for the next eight weeks
A measurable objective is specific, observable and time-limited. Attending three meetings a week for eight weeks can be counted and checked. The other options are vague goal statements.
Question 2: Which approach to developing treatment goals is MOST consistent with social work values?
- The social worker sets goals based on the diagnosis
- Goals are taken from the agency's standard protocol
- The client's family decides the goals
- The social worker and client develop the goals together (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The social worker and client develop the goals together
Client self-determination is central to social work. Goals set together with the client increase motivation, ownership and the chance of success.
Question 3: In a treatment plan, how do goals differ from objectives?
- Goals are broad, long-term outcomes; objectives are specific, measurable steps toward them (Correct answer)
- Goals are measurable; objectives are general statements
- Objectives are set by the client; goals are set by the agency
- They mean the same thing
Correct answer: Goals are broad, long-term outcomes; objectives are specific, measurable steps toward them
Goals describe the overall desired outcome, such as reduced anxiety. Objectives break that goal into concrete, measurable, time-bound steps.
Question 4: At intake, a client reports passive suicidal ideation, an eviction notice due in 30 days and conflict with a partner. What should the treatment plan prioritize FIRST?
- Couples counseling
- Housing search
- Assessing and addressing the client's safety (Correct answer)
- Exploring childhood experiences
Correct answer: Assessing and addressing the client's safety
Safety comes first. Suicide risk must be assessed and addressed before other goals, in line with a hierarchy-of-needs approach to planning.
Question 5: After eight sessions, a client has made no measurable progress toward treatment goals. What should the social worker do FIRST?
- Terminate services
- Review the treatment plan and progress with the client (Correct answer)
- Refer the client to a psychiatrist
- Increase the session frequency
Correct answer: Review the treatment plan and progress with the client
When progress stalls, the first step is to review the plan with the client: whether the goals are still relevant, what barriers exist, and whether the interventions fit. Only then should the plan be changed, the client referred, or services ended.
Question 6: When choosing interventions for a treatment plan, which factor is MOST important?
- The interventions the social worker likes best
- The least time-consuming option
- Whatever the client's insurance prefers
- Evidence of effectiveness for the client's problem, along with the client's goals and preferences (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Evidence of effectiveness for the client's problem, along with the client's goals and preferences
Evidence-based practice combines the best research evidence, clinical expertise, and the client's values and preferences. The treatment plan should reflect all three.
