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 student from a refugee family is referred for behavioral concerns. The school social worker should FIRST:
Answer: Gather background information through a culturally informed intake including trauma and migration history
A culturally informed intake that includes trauma and migration history provides essential context for understanding and appropriately addressing the student's behavior.
Which practice approach is MOST evidence-based for treating trauma symptoms in school-age children?
Answer: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
TF-CBT is an extensively researched, manualized treatment recognized as the gold standard for trauma symptoms in children and adolescents.
A student repeatedly tests behavioral limits during counseling sessions. Using a strengths-based lens, the school social worker would MOST likely interpret this as:
Answer: An expression of unmet needs or a test of the therapeutic relationship
A strengths-based lens reframes challenging behavior as communication about unmet needs or attempts to establish safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship.
A school social worker is considering whether to share information about a student with the student's probation officer. Under FERPA, this disclosure:
Answer: May be permitted under the juvenile justice exception if state law allows
FERPA includes a juvenile justice exception that allows disclosure to authorized agencies when state law permits and the disclosure serves the student's educational interests.
A school social worker uses motivational interviewing with a student who is ambivalent about attending therapy. Which technique would BEST help the student resolve ambivalence?
Answer: Exploring and reflecting the student's own reasons for change
Motivational interviewing uses reflective listening and exploring the client's own ambivalence to elicit intrinsic motivation for change rather than imposing external pressure.
During a home visit, a school social worker notices signs of significant domestic violence. There are no children present. What is the MOST appropriate immediate action?
Answer: Assess the adult victim's safety and provide information about resources while respecting autonomy
Adults experiencing domestic violence have the right to self-determination; the social worker should assess safety and offer resources while respecting the victim's autonomy and decision-making.
A school social worker wants to evaluate whether a school-wide social-emotional learning program is achieving its goals. The MOST appropriate evaluation method is:
Answer: Conducting a pre/post outcome assessment using validated measures
Pre/post outcome assessment using validated instruments is the most rigorous method for determining whether an intervention has produced measurable change.