LMSW Social Work Practice Models 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Bowen's Family Systems Theory introduced the concept of 'differentiation of self,' which refers to:
- The ability to maintain one's identity and emotional autonomy while remaining in contact with others (Correct answer)
- The process of separating from the family of origin through geographic distance
- The capacity to identify one's role within the family hierarchy
- The ability to resolve triangulation within the family system
Correct answer: The ability to maintain one's identity and emotional autonomy while remaining in contact with others
Differentiation of self is the ability to maintain one's own identity, values, and thinking while staying emotionally connected to others.
Question 2: Which practice model would a social worker MOST likely use when a client presents with a specific phobia and wants a structured, short-term intervention?
- Psychoanalytic Model
- Narrative Therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) (Correct answer)
- Structural Family Therapy
Correct answer: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is the evidence-based first-line treatment for specific phobias, using techniques like cognitive restructuring and exposure therapy.
Question 3: In the Life Model (ecological approach), the concept of 'transactions' refers to:
- Financial exchanges between client and social worker
- Mutual, reciprocal exchanges between people and their environments (Correct answer)
- Verbal agreements made in the contracting phase of treatment
- Behavioral exchanges reinforced through operant conditioning
Correct answer: Mutual, reciprocal exchanges between people and their environments
In the Life Model, transactions are the reciprocal, continuous exchanges between people and their environments that shape both.
Question 4: A social worker using a Psychoeducational approach would MOST likely:
- Explore childhood trauma to uncover repressed memories
- Provide clients and families with information about mental health conditions and coping strategies (Correct answer)
- Challenge irrational beliefs through Socratic questioning
- Map the family genogram across three generations
Correct answer: Provide clients and families with information about mental health conditions and coping strategies
Psychoeducation combines psychological support with education about a condition, helping clients and families understand and manage symptoms effectively.
Question 5: The 'miracle question' is a technique associated with which practice model?
- Structural Family Therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (Correct answer)
- Psychodynamic Theory
Correct answer: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
The miracle question ('If a miracle happened overnight and your problem was solved, what would be different?') is a signature SFBT technique.
Question 6: Which of the following scenarios BEST illustrates the use of 'reframing' in family therapy?
- A therapist helps a couple practice active listening skills
- A therapist relabels a teenager's rebellion as a sign of healthy individuation (Correct answer)
- A therapist assigns a paradoxical homework task to disrupt a symptom cycle
- A therapist draws a genogram to map family patterns across generations
Correct answer: A therapist relabels a teenager's rebellion as a sign of healthy individuation
Reframing changes the conceptual meaning of a behavior by placing it in a different context, such as redefining rebellion as developmentally appropriate individuation.
Question 7: According to Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model, which stage comes immediately AFTER conducting a thorough biopsychosocial assessment?
- Establishing rapport and a collaborative relationship (Correct answer)
- Establishing priorities and generating alternatives
- Generating and exploring alternatives
- Formulating an action plan
Correct answer: Establishing rapport and a collaborative relationship
In Roberts' model, after assessment, the worker focuses on establishing rapport and a collaborative, empathic relationship before exploring alternatives.
LMSW Social Work Practice Models 4
Bowen's Family Systems Theory introduced the concept of 'differentiation of self,' which refers to: