PRACTICE ASWB EXAM 3 -
PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS,
VALUES, & ETHICS QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH SOLUTIONS 2024
Question ID #47754: A social worker begins working in therapy with a young married couple. In the third
session, the wife suddenly asks the social worker if she has any children. What is the social worker's BEST
response?
Select one:
A. No, do you?
B. What would it mean to you if I did?
C. I'm wondering why you ask.
D. I'm sorry, but my personal life really should not concern you. - ANSWER C is correct: When you are
asked by a client to reveal personal information, you may share that information you're comfortable
doing so. It's also useful to facilitate exploration of the feelings that underlie the client's inquiry. Choices
"B" and "C" exemplify responses that invite this exploration. Because "B" sounds defensive, "C" is the
best answer. An even better response would include a reflection of the feelings (as perceived by the
social worker) underlying the question (e.g., "I gather that you're concerned about my ability to
understand you and help with your difficulties").
The correct answer is: I'm wondering why you ask.
Question ID #47205: During the first interview, a client mentions that she has been seeing a psychologist
for individual therapy for the past four months. The client says that she would like to see both the social
worker and the psychologist because she feels that she would benefit the most if she did this. The
psychologist has been helping the client feel less anxious around other people and develop her social
skills. What should the social worker do?
Select one:
A. Continue seeing the client and help her clarify her motives and goals for coming in.
B. Explain to the client that it would be unethical to see her while she is receiving services from another
therapist and discontinue seeing her.
C. Contact the psychologist to see if their services would be redundant and, if they are, tell the client that
he cannot continue seeing her while she is seeing the psychologist.
D. Help the client clarify her reasons for seein - ANSWER D is correct: It was important to read each
response before choosing one: "A" is a pretty good choice, but "D" is better because it includes the
,added step of evaluating whether it would be in the client's best interests to see both you and the
psychologist at the same time. Although social workers are not prohibited from seeing clients who are
receiving services from another mental health professional, a social worker would not want to duplicate
the services of another provider for an extended period of time. From both a clinical and ethical
perspective, the best way to approach this situation would be for you to help the woman clarify her
goals and needs with regard to the services provided by you and the other therapist, and then use that
information to determine the most appropriate course of action for meeting her needs and preserving
her welfare. If you ended up treating this woman, you would want to seek her permission to contact the
psychologist so that you could coordinate your efforts on her behalf, avoid duplication of services, and
work toward congruent goals.
The correct answer is: Help the client clarify her reasons for seeing both a social worker and the
psychologist and then evaluate whether it is appropriate for her to see both.
Question ID #48165: A social worker has started working in family therapy with a Mexican American
family. After meeting with the family three times at her office, she visits their home to complete her
assessment. The mother has prepared a meal and asks the social worker to eat with the family. What is
the BEST way for the social worker to respond?
Select one:
A. Remind the clients of the purpose of her visit and decline the invitation.
B. Decline the invitation and explain the ethical problem.
C. Decline the invitation with a polite excuse, such as telling the family that she has just eaten.
D. Accept the invitation to share the meal. - ANSWER D is correct: Because personalismo (personal
connection and warmth) is a basic value of Hispanic cultures, Hispanic clients may develop a personal
bond with their therapist once trust has developed. The only behavior described in the question is the
mother's invitation (i.e., there's no other behavior that you could perceive as a potential violation of
therapeutic boundaries); therefore, it's appropriate for you, as a test-taker, to interpret the mother's
invitation as a reflection of personalismo and, therefore, decide to accept it. As a social worker, your
responsibility is to set therapeutic boundaries with your clients that are not only clear and appropriate,
but also culturally sensitive.
The correct answer is: Accept the invitation to share the meal.
Question ID #47222: A social worker who is also a teacher at the local community college is providing
counseling to a newly married couple who is having trouble adapting to married life. After getting their
permission to do so, the social worker videotapes the couple during one of their sessions. What is true
about this situation?
Select one:
A. The social worker can never use the tape for educational purposes.
, B. The social worker can avoid being sued for using the tape in a college lecture as long as he receives
verbal consent from the clients.
C. The social worker can use the tape in a college lecture as long as he does not exploit the clients.
D. The social worker can use the tape in a college lecture if he gets signed permission to do so from the
clients. - ANSWER D is correct: This is the correct answer based on NASW's Code of Ethics. Information
gathered on videotape needs to be handled as carefully as case notes or any other revealing information
about clients. Because there is no adequate way to disguise the identities of individuals shown in a
videotape, the social worker must get written permission (valid consent) from the clients before showing
the videotape to others.Answer A: NASW's Code of Ethics (1.03f) states that a social worker must get a
client's informed consent before audiotaping or videotaping the client and must get the client's informed
consent before allowing a third party to observe therapy sessions or other services provided to the
client. Therefore, after getting the clients' informed content, the social worker could use the tape for
educational purposes.Answer B: The social worker should get signed releases from the clients, not just
verbal consent, before using this clinical information for educational purposes.Answer C: It's true that
the social worker must avoid exploiting the clients, but more than that is necessary for it to be ethical to
use the videotape as a teaching tool in a college lecture: Before using the tape at all, the social worker
has to get signed releases from the clients.
The correct answer is: The social worker can use the tape in a college lecture if he gets signed permission
to do so from the clients.
Question ID #48219: The primary element in determining "vicarious liability" is:
Select one:
A. the social worker's intentions.
B. the disparity in training and experience.
C. the presence or absence of a contract.
D. whether or not a waiver had been signed. - ANSWER B is correct: Vicarious liability is a form of
secondary liability in which a superior (such as a supervisor) is ultimately responsible for the acts
performed by his or her subordinates (such as supervisees). Underlying vicarious liability is the doctrine
of respondeat superior (Latin for "let the master answer"), which is based on the employer-employee
relationship. This doctrine makes the employer responsible for a lack of care on the part of an employee
in relation to those to whom the employer owes a duty of care. For respondeat superior to apply, the
employee's negligence must occur within the scope of his or her employment. In supervision, then, a
supervisor is ultimately responsible for the actions of a supervisee who is performing an assigned task
because it is presumed that the supervisor has approved the supervisee's actions, and, if they are
performed incompetently, the supervisor is held responsible for having delegated actions to a person
who was not competent to perform them.
The correct answer is: the disparity in training and experience.
