ASWB Clinical Practice Test

ASWB Clinical Ethical Principles & Responsibilities Practice Questions

Ethical Principles & Responsibilities makes up 6 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest ASWB Clinical practice test. Here are 10 of the 24 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.

Updated 2026-11-10 by the Tigertest team. Based on the ASWB Clinical content outline (2026 Examination Guidebook). Original questions; 50 per test, weighted like the real exam. Not affiliated with ASWB.

1. 1. A clinical social worker starts couples therapy. Before the first session she should FIRST explain her policy on:

   • A.Her own marital history
   • B.Secrets told by one partner
   • C.How fees rise each year
   • D.Which partner chose the therapist

   Answer: B. In couples work the social worker states up front how she will handle information one partner shares alone (a no-secrets or limited-secrets policy), so neither partner is surprised later. It is part of informed consent for conjoint treatment.

2. 2. A client in an outpatient therapy group asks whether other members will keep what she says private. The BEST answer is that:

   • A.Nothing said in group is ever repeated
   • B.Only the leader may discuss the sessions
   • C.The law binds members as it binds staff
   • D.It is expected but not guaranteed

   Answer: D. Group members are asked to keep confidentiality, but they are not bound the way a licensed professional is, so the social worker cannot promise it. Saying so is part of informed consent for group treatment.

3. 3. A client asks to read her full record, including the private process notes her therapist keeps separately from the chart. Under HIPAA, the therapist:

   • A.May deny access to those notes
   • B.Needs a court order to keep them
   • C.Must release them within one day
   • D.Must first remove the diagnosis

   Answer: A. HIPAA excludes psychotherapy notes kept apart from the medical record from the client's general right of access. The rest of the record, such as diagnoses, treatment plans and session dates, must generally be provided.

4. 4. A clinician wants to audio-record therapy sessions for her own supervision. What must she obtain FIRST?

   • A.Her supervisor's signature only
   • B.A copy of the client's photo ID
   • C.The client's written consent
   • D.Approval from the client's insurer

   Answer: C. Recording a session requires the client's informed consent, including who will hear the recording, how it is stored and when it is destroyed. The client may refuse without losing services.

5. 5. A client with fluctuating dementia is asked to consent to a new treatment. Capacity to consent is BEST judged by whether she can:

   • A.Score in the normal range on a memory test
   • B.Agree with her adult children
   • C.Understand and weigh this decision
   • D.Recall the date and the season

   Answer: C. Capacity is decision-specific: the person must understand the information, appreciate how it applies to her, reason about options and express a choice. A low memory score does not by itself remove capacity for every decision.

6. 6. A clinical social worker plans to start offering EMDR next month after reading a book about it. The ethical concern is:

   • A.Practicing outside her competence
   • B.Failing to tell the client's doctor
   • C.Using a technique without a research base
   • D.Charging a fee that is too low

   Answer: A. EMDR requires specialized training and consultation. Reading alone does not establish competence, and the code allows a new technique only after appropriate education, training and supervision.

7. 7. A client moves to another state and wants to keep weekly video sessions. Licensure rules generally look to:

   • A.Where the insurer is based
   • B.Where the agency is incorporated
   • C.Where the clinician was trained
   • D.Where the client is located

   Answer: D. Most jurisdictions treat the practice as occurring where the client is, so the social worker must be licensed or authorized there (or under a compact the state has joined). Rules vary by state.

8. 8. During an emergency, an unconscious client's treating physician calls a therapist for the client's medication list. The therapist may share it because:

   • A.Any request from a hospital is valid
   • B.It is a medical emergency
   • C.The physician is a licensed provider
   • D.The client signed in at the clinic

   Answer: B. Confidential information may be disclosed without consent when needed to prevent serious harm, as in a medical emergency, limited to what is needed. Outside an emergency the social worker would normally seek the client's consent before sharing with another provider, so the emergency is what justifies the disclosure here.

9. 9. A clinician wants to discuss a difficult case with a colleague from another agency for advice. She should:

   • A.Ask the colleague to sign a release
   • B.Share the minimum, without identifiers
   • C.Send the full chart so nothing is missed
   • D.Wait until the case has been closed

   Answer: B. Consultation is encouraged, but the social worker discloses only the minimum needed and avoids identifying the client unless the client consents. The colleague cannot consent on the client's behalf.

10. 10. A therapist learns that her client has died. The family asks for his treatment records. Confidentiality:

    • A.Passes to the oldest child
    • B.Applies only to the diagnosis
    • C.Ends on the date of death
    • D.Survives the client's death

    Answer: D. The duty of confidentiality survives the client's death. Records may go only to the personal representative or as the law allows, so the social worker checks who holds that authority before releasing anything.