LMSW Treatment and Intervention Planning Questions and Answers Flashcards

A client with borderline personality disorder repeatedly calls the social worker between sessions during moments of distress. Which intervention best balances safety and limit-setting?

Answer: Establish a structured crisis plan with designated contact times and emergency resources

A structured crisis plan specifies when and how to reach the worker while also providing emergency resources, balancing safety with therapeutic boundaries.

When using Motivational Interviewing, a social worker reflects a client's statement that she wants to quit drinking but enjoys socializing at bars. This reflection of both sides is called:

Answer: Double-sided reflection

A double-sided reflection acknowledges both the client's desire to change and their ambivalence, evoking their own motivation.

A social worker is developing a safety plan for a client with passive suicidal ideation. Which element is MOST critical to include?

Answer: Means restriction strategies

Means restriction — removing or securing lethal means such as firearms or medications — is evidence-based and significantly reduces suicide risk.

An adolescent client discloses that her parents are pressuring her to end therapy. The BEST first step is to:

Answer: Explore the parents' concerns and consider a family session

Exploring the parents' concerns and offering a family session can address their reservations while keeping the adolescent engaged in treatment.

Which treatment modality is MOST evidence-based for clients diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Answer: Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

Exposure and Response Prevention is the gold-standard, empirically supported treatment for OCD, reducing compulsions by breaking the anxiety-compulsion cycle.

A social worker notices a client's treatment goals have not been reviewed in eight months despite minimal progress. The MOST appropriate action is to:

Answer: Conduct a formal treatment plan review and update goals collaboratively with the client

Regular, collaborative treatment plan reviews ensure goals remain relevant, measurable, and aligned with the client's current needs.

A trauma-informed approach to treatment planning prioritizes which of the following?

Answer: Building safety and stabilization before processing trauma

Trauma-informed care follows a phase-based model in which establishing safety and stabilization precedes trauma processing.