Social Work Practice Flashcards
7 cards from real SSW practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Social Work Practice flashcards as text
A school social worker is co-facilitating a group for students experiencing parental divorce. During the third session, members begin challenging the facilitators' rules. This is MOST consistent with which group development stage?
Answer: Storming
Tuckman's storming stage is characterized by conflict, resistance, and challenges to leadership as group members assert themselves.
A parent refuses to consent to mental health services for her child who has expressed suicidal ideation. The school social worker should:
Answer: Consult with the school attorney and consider an emergency safety plan while pursuing other options
When safety is at immediate risk and consent is refused, the social worker must balance parental rights with duty to protect by consulting legal counsel and implementing a safety plan.
A school social worker documents that a student 'appears sad and withdrawn.' This is an example of:
Answer: Subjective inference
Describing a student as 'sad and withdrawn' involves interpretation of behavior rather than factual observation, making it a subjective inference.
Which intervention strategy is MOST appropriate when a student reports feeling overwhelmed by a trauma memory during a counseling session?
Answer: Use grounding techniques to help the student return to the present
Grounding techniques help trauma-exposed students regulate their nervous system and return to the present moment when overwhelmed by trauma memories.
Under FERPA, a non-custodial parent with no court order restricting access requests their child's education records. The school social worker should:
Answer: Provide access because FERPA grants rights to both parents unless restricted by court order
FERPA grants education record rights to both parents regardless of custody status unless a court order specifically restricts a parent's rights.
A school social worker is assigned a caseload that includes students from several cultural backgrounds. To provide culturally responsive services, the practitioner should FIRST:
Answer: Examine personal biases and assumptions about those cultures
Cultural humility begins with self-reflection and examining one's own biases and assumptions before engaging with clients from different backgrounds.
A student discloses that she is being bullied online by classmates and feels afraid to come to school. Which intervention addresses BOTH the individual and systemic levels?
Answer: Counseling the student while collaborating with staff to implement a school-wide anti-bullying protocol
Effective bullying intervention combines direct support for the victim with systemic prevention efforts at the school level.