LMSW-FREE Lmsw 1 Flashcards

A client informs their social worker that they intend to seriously harm an identifiable former coworker. What is the social worker's PRIMARY obligation under the duty-to-protect principle?

Answer: Take reasonable steps to protect the potential victim, which may include warning them and/or notifying law enforcement

The duty to protect, grounded in the Tarasoff ruling, requires social workers to breach confidentiality when a client poses a credible, serious threat to an identifiable third party. Reasonable steps typically include warning the potential victim and notifying authorities.

According to Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory, which life stage is associated with the central conflict of 'Intimacy vs. Isolation'?

Answer: Early adulthood (approximately ages 19–40)

Erikson's sixth stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, occurs in early adulthood. During this period, individuals strive to form deep, committed relationships. Those who cannot develop intimacy risk experiencing profound isolation and loneliness.

A social worker feels unusually irritable and dismissive toward a client who reminds them of a critical parent. This emotional reaction in the social worker is BEST described as:

Answer: Countertransference

Countertransference refers to the social worker's own unresolved feelings or past experiences being activated by the client, which can distort the therapeutic relationship. Recognizing and managing countertransference is a core component of ethical, reflective practice.

Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory BEST explains human development by emphasizing that:

Answer: Individuals develop within nested, interacting environmental systems ranging from immediate family to broad cultural forces

Bronfenbrenner's model places the individual at the center of concentric systems (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem) that mutually influence one another and shape development across the lifespan — a foundational framework in social work's person-in-environment perspective.

During a session focused on alcohol use, a social worker asks, 'What would need to change in your life for you to feel ready to cut back on drinking?' This question BEST illustrates which Motivational Interviewing strategy?

Answer: Developing discrepancy

Developing discrepancy is a core MI strategy in which the practitioner helps the client recognize the gap between their current behavior and their own stated goals or values. Highlighting this gap, without confrontation, increases intrinsic motivation to change.

A social worker's supervisor instructs them to overstate a client's diagnostic severity on an insurance claim to secure reimbursement the agency needs. The social worker should FIRST:

Answer: Refuse to falsify the documentation and address the concern through appropriate internal or professional channels

The NASW Code of Ethics requires honesty, integrity, and accurate record-keeping. A social worker must refuse to participate in fraud and should escalate the concern through appropriate channels — such as agency administration, an ethics committee, or the state licensing board — rather than immediately involving law enforcement or the client.