Professional Values and Ethics Flashcards
7 cards from real LMSW practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Professional Values and Ethics flashcards as text
A client terminates therapy abruptly after three sessions without explanation. The MOST ethical response from the social worker is to:
Answer: Send a letter acknowledging termination and offering to resume services
A brief letter acknowledging the termination, expressing availability for future contact, and providing referral information respects autonomy while fulfilling duty of care.
Which ethical principle is MOST relevant when a social worker advocates for a client's access to resources they are legally entitled to but have been denied?
Answer: Justice
Justice requires that social workers pursue fair access to resources and challenge discrimination or wrongful denial of entitlements on behalf of clients.
A social worker who works with a marginalized population realizes they lack cultural knowledge to serve clients effectively. The MOST ethical response is to:
Answer: Seek education, consultation, and training to develop cultural competence
The NASW Code requires social workers to proactively develop cultural competence through education, training, and consultation to serve diverse populations effectively.
A social worker receives a Facebook friend request from a current client. The MOST appropriate response is to:
Answer: Decline the request and address it as clinical material in the next session
Accepting a client's social media request blurs professional boundaries; declining and processing it therapeutically maintains appropriate limits and uses it clinically.
When a minor client discloses sexual activity with another minor of the same age, the social worker's reporting obligation depends MOST on:
Answer: Whether the activity was consensual and state laws regarding age of consent
Reporting obligations for minor sexual activity depend on state-specific age of consent laws and whether the activity meets the legal definition of abuse or exploitation.
The ethical principle of 'veracity' obligates social workers to:
Answer: Be honest and truthful with clients about services, findings, and limitations
Veracity requires social workers to be truthful and transparent with clients, including about the nature of services, assessment findings, and any limitations.
A social worker practicing from a strengths-based perspective encounters a client in a values conflict. This approach would guide the social worker to:
Answer: Focus on the client's values as assets that can guide problem-solving
The strengths-based perspective views client values as resources and assets that can be leveraged in the helping process, not as deficits to be corrected.