Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Clinical Exam – Sample

A DSM IV diagnosis of a specific disorder generally includes a criterion of:

A 15 year old female patient at a mental health clinic complains that for the past three weeks she has been uncharacteristically angry and irritable and has had difficulty concentrating on school work. She says that she feels “down in the dumps”. Her appetite has diminished and though weighing 120 pounds a month earlier, she has lost 9 pounds. She has difficulty sleeping and has withdrawn from after school activities that she had previously found interesting and enjoyable. During the interview she seems constantly in motion, rising several times and walking around the room before returning to her chair. It is most likely that she is suffering from:

Children who suffer physical, mental or emotional injuries inflicted by caretaking adults are commonly termed:

During an intake interview, a client addresses numerous issues and concerns. She has been coping with multiple personal health issues, a child is having problems in school, and her husband is increasingly abusing alcohol which is affecting their marriage. As she talks, her speech becomes rapid and intense, reflecting the stress she feels at each of these concerns. At this juncture, the social worker�s BEST response would be to:

Person-centered therapy demonstrates emotional understanding and sensitivity towards the client�s point of view. The clinical social worker�s job is to listen and give complete attention to what the client is verbalizing. Which three attitudes on the part of the professional make this therapy productive?

A county mental health case management social worker is called about a potentially abusive situation in a residential care facility. A client with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and a history of amphetamine abuse has threatened a female developmentally-delayed co-resident. He stated that unless she would have sex with him, he would destroy a very expensive electronic keyboard that her parents had given her. When she refused, he removed the instrument from its case, pulled back the felt coverings, and poured water over the instrument. The facility wants to evict the client for his behavior. His parents are contending that no one was hurt and that the client shouldn�t be held accountable due to his mental health condition. They state they will pay for the damaged instrument. The BEST response by the social worker would be to:

A social worker is called to evaluate a 64-year-old male with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He lives in an assisted living facility, and was brought to a hospital Emergency Department by his daughter. She had taken him to lunch, and became distressed when he refused to return to the facility. He states he wants to live in his motor home, as he resents the loss of privacy at the facility. His daughter confirms he owns a working, fully self-contained motor home (i.e., stove, shower, refrigerator, etc). He has adequate funds. He plans to park the motor home in a nearby Kampgrounds of America (KOA) campground, where all utilities can be hooked up. He can have food and other supplies delivered. However, it is November and it is unseasonably cold. The doctor confirms that the patient is prone to pneumonia, and the daughter states, �He will die if he doesn�t return to the facility.� The patient refuses to consider any other living situation. In this situation, the social worker should:

Crisis is a normal part of life, and individuals try to maintain equilibrium by using coping mechanisms. Sometimes the usual techniques do not work when a problem is threatening. People in crisis may experience guilt, feelings of anxiety, helplessness, and fear. Which of the following criteria are used to determine whether a situation constitutes a crisis?

A patient presents at an ambulatory care facility and is in obvious psychological distress, showing severe anxiety and paranoia. The clinician is unable to determine the exact configuration of the patient’s symptoms, but is certain that it is an Anxiety Disorder. The worker is unable to determine if the is order is primary, caused by the patient’s severe kidney disease or related to other factors such as the patient’s continuing substance abuse. The most likely DSM IV diagnosis is;

A diagnosis of Schizophreniform Disorder is generally applied to clients whose psychotic symptoms: