LMSW LMSW Social Work Practice Models Questions and Answers 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Narrative Therapy, the concept of 'externalizing the problem' means:
- Blaming external circumstances for the client's issues
- Separating the person from the problem so they are not defined by it (Correct answer)
- Referring the client to external community resources
- Identifying external stressors that caused the presenting problem
Correct answer: Separating the person from the problem so they are not defined by it
Externalizing the problem is a core Narrative Therapy technique that separates the person's identity from the problem, empowering them to address it.
Question 2: The Task-Centered Practice model is best described as:
- A long-term psychodynamic approach focused on unconscious conflicts
- A brief, structured intervention targeting specific client-identified problems through concrete tasks (Correct answer)
- An ecological model addressing person-in-environment fit
- A strengths-based model emphasizing client resilience
Correct answer: A brief, structured intervention targeting specific client-identified problems through concrete tasks
Task-Centered Practice is a short-term, structured model in which clients and workers collaboratively identify target problems and assign tasks to resolve them.
Question 3: Which theoretical perspective emphasizes that behavior is shaped by its consequences through reinforcement and punishment?
- Psychodynamic theory
- Humanistic theory
- Behavioral theory (Correct answer)
- Systems theory
Correct answer: Behavioral theory
Behavioral theory, rooted in operant conditioning, holds that behaviors are learned and maintained by reinforcing or punishing consequences.
Question 4: In the Stages of Change (Transtheoretical) Model, a client who acknowledges a problem exists but is not yet committed to taking action is in which stage?
- Precontemplation
- Contemplation (Correct answer)
- Preparation
- Action
Correct answer: Contemplation
The Contemplation stage involves ambivalence—the client recognizes a problem but has not yet decided to act, often weighing pros and cons.
Question 5: The Psychosocial model of social work practice, developed by Florence Hollis, primarily draws from:
- Behavioral and cognitive theories
- Psychoanalytic theory and ego psychology (Correct answer)
- Systems theory and ecological perspectives
- Existential and humanistic frameworks
Correct answer: Psychoanalytic theory and ego psychology
The Psychosocial model integrates ego psychology and psychoanalytic concepts to understand the person in their social context.
Question 6: A social worker using Structural Family Therapy would focus primarily on:
- Exploring multigenerational family patterns using a genogram
- Changing dysfunctional family structures, hierarchies, and subsystems (Correct answer)
- Identifying irrational beliefs held by individual family members
- Teaching communication skills through behavioral rehearsal
Correct answer: Changing dysfunctional family structures, hierarchies, and subsystems
Structural Family Therapy, developed by Salvador Minuchin, targets problematic family structures, boundaries, and hierarchies to improve functioning.
Question 7: Which practice model uses the concept of 'motivational interviewing' as a core technique to enhance a client's intrinsic motivation?
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Crisis Intervention Model
- Stages of Change / Transtheoretical Model (Correct answer)
- Psychodynamic Therapy
Correct answer: Stages of Change / Transtheoretical Model
Motivational Interviewing was developed alongside the Transtheoretical Model to help clients move through stages of change by resolving ambivalence.
In Narrative Therapy, the concept of 'externalizing the problem' means: