Exam Prep Blog: August 2012

It may feel like we are bombarding you all with defense mechanisms these days, but as Bethany said in her blog post on psychological phenomena two weeks ago, they're really important to know for the LMSW exam! So without further ado, this week we are going to discuss introjection. Let's get started with a sample question. Question: Which of the following BEST defines introjection? A. When unacceptable aspects of one's own personality are rejected or attributed to another person or entity. B. When an individual takes aspects or feelings from another person or object and directs them internally

Ok folks, this week we're diving into the topic of confidentiality. I might say this every week, but there are few topics on licensure exams that matter more than this one -- protecting clients' privacy and confidentiality is a key ethical standard for both social workers and MFT's. Test makers and state licensing bodies want to ensure that you understand the importance of confidentiality and the cases in which there is a "compelling professional reason" to disclose information without consent. Here's one way this topic might come up on your exam: Sample: A therapist specializing in art

Social Work Exam Prep: Hallucinations We're switching gears this week and moving from gender roles to hallucinations. Hallucinations have often been portrayed in the movies and media in a variety of ways. I think one of the more commonly known movies is, "A Beautiful Mind," which depicts a professor's struggle with schizophrenia along with the hallucinations and delusions that accompanied his disease. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a great movie and provides an interesting depiction of hallucinations and this man's life and struggles. Alright, so let's get started with a sample question

No one wants to think about malpractice...I know I don't! But we have to -- it's a risk that we take when we choose to enter a profession whose focus is helping others. One of the most important ways you can protect yourself against malpractice is through the process of informed consent. Of equal importance, this process also (hopefully) protects the client from inadvertently or unknowingly entering into a situation that could lead to uncomfortable emotions, pain, regression, etc. Obtaining informed consent is a crucial part of the therapeutic relationship. Test-makers and licensing bodies

Alright everyone, this week we are looking at the concept of gender roles. This term can be somewhat sticky because it is often disputed and criticized by a wide variety of theorists. Even just the term gender has many definitions and can vary person-to-person depending on what it means for that specific individual. Before we get too much into it, let's look at a sample question. Sample Question: The concept of gender roles is BEST defined as: A. An individual's sexual preference or orientation B. The degree to which an individual patterns oneself after members of the same sex C. The behaviors

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago, my colleague Emily Pellegrino did an excellent blog post on defense mechanisms (if you haven't seen it yet, check it out!). We're going to be looking at them again tonight as our attention turns to psychological phenomena. It may seem redundant, but defense mechanisms come up repeatedly on exams, and you, the test-taker, need to understand not only what purpose they serve, but also how to identify major defense mechanisms when they are described in a stem. Let's take a look at a sample question. Sample: A 35 year-old woman seeks the services of a therapist in

Apparently the F's are a little scarse for finding social work terms, so this week we are talking about a lesser discussed term: Free association. Free association was developed and used by Freud throughout his work in psychoanalysis. While it's a pretty simple process, it can actually be pretty difficult if you try it yourself! Before I give away too much, let's get started with a sample question so we can gain a better understanding of this term. Sample Question: Which of the following BEST describes the process of free association in therapy? A. The process of temporarily considering a

Okay folks, this week we're turning to the topic of therapy theories. This is one of the topics in which there's a pretty significant difference in the amount of information that you might need to know, and it all depends on your discipline. MFT's, as I understand it, are tested on minute details of various therapy theories; they must know history, different schools within the same theory, etc. LCSW's, on the other hand, in most cases need only to know the major concepts of the theory and how they might apply to a clinical situation. I'll apologize in advance to all the MFT's out there if this

I think empowerment is a fitting topic for this week as the Olympics have been constantly streaming through my T.V. While I love watching the events themselves, my favorite is hearing the athlete's stories and seeing the various obstacles they have faced in their lives. I'd like to think (as cheesy as it sounds) that I've felt a bit inspired and even empowered by all the athlete's accomplishments. As social worker's, empowerment is a ongoing theme throughout our work and important to helping client's reach their own goals. Here's a sample question to get us started: Sample Question: Which of

It's Tuesday, and even though I'm glued to the Olympics, it's time for another Hot Topic! This week we're moving on to Medication Management. This topic could include things like common medications, when to refer for a medication evaluation, and collaborating with a psychiatrist. Let's look at a sample test item: Sample: A 37 year-old man is admitted to the emergency room after being found wandering naked in a local park. When the social worker interviews him, he speaks rapidly, seems euphoric, and repeatedly tries to tell the social worker about his plan to create a "major art piece" in the