Clinical Intervention Strategies Flashcards
7 cards from real MSW practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Clinical Intervention Strategies flashcards as text
A client with PTSD is avoiding all reminders of their trauma. Which evidence-based intervention directly targets avoidance as a core mechanism?
Answer: Prolonged Exposure Therapy
Prolonged Exposure Therapy systematically reduces avoidance by having clients confront trauma-related stimuli through in vivo and imaginal exposure.
During a session, a client discloses that their partner is monitoring all their phone calls and isolating them from family. What is the social worker's FIRST priority?
Answer: Assess the client's immediate safety
Safety assessment is always the first priority when indicators of intimate partner violence are present.
Which motivational interviewing technique involves reflecting back an amplified version of the client's ambivalence to elicit change talk?
Answer: Amplified reflection
An amplified reflection overstates the client's resistance, often prompting them to argue toward the change side of their ambivalence.
A social worker is using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) with a client who self-harms. Which DBT skill module specifically addresses tolerating crisis without making situations worse?
Answer: Distress Tolerance
Distress Tolerance skills teach clients to survive crises without engaging in harmful behaviors that worsen the situation.
In structural family therapy, the term 'enmeshment' refers to which family dynamic?
Answer: Overly diffuse boundaries with loss of individual autonomy
Enmeshment describes blurred boundaries where family members are overly involved in each other's lives, limiting individuation.
A clinician using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) asks a client to observe their thoughts as passing events rather than facts. This technique is called:
Answer: Cognitive defusion
Cognitive defusion creates psychological distance from thoughts by helping clients see thoughts as mental events rather than literal truths.
When conducting a biopsychosocial assessment, which domain specifically examines the client's support network, cultural background, and community resources?
Answer: Social domain
The social domain of a biopsychosocial assessment encompasses relationships, culture, socioeconomic status, and environmental resources.