LMSW LICENSING EXAM 2026/2027 74pages

You need 100 correct out of 150 to pass this exam. 1. A 35 year old individual has recently experienced the death of a parent and the loss of a job, and has increased consumption of alcohol. Which of the following areas should be assessed FIRST by the social worker? a. Financial resource availability b. Potential for suicidal behavior c. Need for grief counseling d. Extent of substance abuse Rationale: FIRST, the social worker would act to determine the client’s safety. The only option that addresses the client’s safety is (B). Options A, C, and D may be appropriate later, once the safety of the client has been addressed. 2. The ability to keep personal feelings and needs separate from work relationships BEST represents which social work ethical standard? a. Professional discretion b. Responsibility to the profession c. Professional boundaries d. Responsibility to colleagues Rationale: This requires knowledge of the definition of professional boundaries (C). Since the question asks for the BEST response, the secondary responsibilities in the other options are not correct. 3. A social worker has been treating a client for two months in an agency setting and is experiencing intense sexual attraction toward the client. The social worker’s BEST response is to: a. Consult with an agency supervisor about the case b. Reveal the attraction to the client c. Transfer the client to another agency worker d. Work toward ending the client’s services at the agency Rationale: Consulting with a supervisor (A) is the BEST response because it assists in helping to understand and address the situation. Options B and D are clearly unethical. Transferring the client (C) may be done later but it is unclear if this action is required at this point and there is not enough information in the stem to conclude this. 4. In a routine review of case records at a mental health center, a social work supervisor discovers that case managers routinely refer all Native American clients to either Alcoholics Anonymous or Al-Anon. In discussing this practice with the case managers, the supervisors learns that the referrals are made without obtaining information about the clients’ use or abuse of substances. How can the supervisor effectively address this practice? a. Reprimand case managers providing client services based on stereotyping b. Educate the staff about services provided by Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon c. Provide staff training about culturally competent social work practice d. Allow no referrals to be made without approval from the supervisor Rationale: It is important to provide educational interventions (C) before moving to more restrictive supervisory practices. Options A and D are more restrictive and may be done later, after the provision of base line training first. While staff members may benefit from being educated about AA and Al-Anon (B), it does not address the concern of stereotyping that is occurring. 5. At an intake session, a client requests medication for sleep. Since becoming unemployed the client has used alcohol as a sedative. The client is worried about finances and is afraid of being evicted. The social worker should FIRST: a. Refer the client for evaluation for sleep medication b. Refer the client to public assistance c. Obtain more information about the client’s use of alcohol d. Refer the client to the local unemployment office