ASWB Clinical Ethical Service Delivery Practice Questions
Ethical Service Delivery makes up 7 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest ASWB Clinical practice test. Here are 10 of the 28 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated 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. A therapist's former client of three years asks her to join his small business as a paid consultant. The MAIN ethical risk is:
- A.Creating a conflict with his insurer
- B.Exploitation of the former client
- C.Losing a source of future referrals
- D.Violating the client's lease terms
Answer: B. A business relationship with a former client is a dual relationship. The social worker weighs the risk of exploitation and harm, and the burden of setting clear boundaries falls on her, not the client.
2. A clinician in private practice is asked by a client to also treat the client's teenage daughter individually. The BEST response is to:
- A.See both of them in the same hour
- B.Ask the daughter to keep it secret
- C.Agree, since she knows the family well
- D.Refer the daughter elsewhere
Answer: D. Treating a family member individually can compromise objectivity and confidentiality for both clients. The social worker considers the conflict of interest and usually refers the daughter to another clinician.
3. A client in long-term therapy asks the social worker whether she has ever been divorced. The MOST important question for the social worker is:
- A.Whose needs the disclosure would meet
- B.Whether other clinicians would answer
- C.Whether the client will tell others
- D.How long ago the divorce took place
Answer: A. Self-disclosure is judged by whether it serves the client's treatment rather than the worker's needs. The social worker may also explore why the client is asking before deciding.
4. During a video session, a 9-year-old client says her stepfather hits her with a belt. The therapist should:
- A.Ask the mother whether it is true
- B.Note it and raise it next week
- C.Report to child protection
- D.Wait to see the child in person first
Answer: C. A reasonable suspicion of child abuse triggers the mandated report regardless of the session format. The social worker does not need proof and should not investigate or alert the alleged abuser first.
5. A client says he will kill himself tonight, has pills saved and refuses any help. The clinician's duty is to:
- A.Schedule a session for next week
- B.End treatment to limit liability
- C.Take steps to protect his life
- D.Keep it private as he asks
Answer: C. Imminent risk of self-harm is a limit of confidentiality. The social worker acts to protect the client, which may mean arranging emergency evaluation or hospitalization, and documents her actions.
6. A social worker learns from a client that another therapist is having a sexual relationship with a current client. She should FIRST:
- A.Consult about her reporting duty
- B.Post the details to warn others
- C.Ignore it, since it is not her client
- D.Confront the other therapist in public
Answer: A. Sexual contact with a client is a serious violation. The social worker consults a supervisor, the code and her state's law, which may require a report to the licensing board, while protecting her own client's confidentiality.
7. Which documentation practice BEST supports quality care and legal protection?
- A.Notes that quote every word said
- B.Notes rewritten after a complaint
- C.Notes kept only in her memory
- D.Prompt notes after each session
Answer: D. Timely, accurate and relevant notes support continuity of care and accountability. Altering records after a complaint is falsification, and verbatim transcripts add risk without clinical value.
8. A clinician closes her practice. What must she plan for regarding client records?
- A.Keeping only those of paying clients
- B.Secure storage for the legal period
- C.Shredding them the day she closes
- D.Giving them to her former clients' families
Answer: B. Records must be stored securely and kept for the period set by state law and insurer contracts, with clients told how to request copies. A professional will or records custodian is good practice.
9. An in-network clinician bills a client for the gap between her full fee and the amount the insurer paid. Network contracts usually bar this practice, called:
- A.Bundled billing
- B.Balance billing
- C.Sliding scale billing
- D.Incident-to billing
Answer: B. Balance billing is charging the client the difference between the provider's fee and the plan's allowed amount. In-network contracts generally forbid it, so the client pays only the agreed copay or coinsurance.
10. Under incident-to billing rules, a service billed under a supervising clinician's number generally requires that:
- A.The client pays the full fee in cash
- B.The session lasts less than 30 minutes
- C.The supervisor never meets the client
- D.The payer's supervision rules are met
Answer: D. Incident-to billing lets some services by staff be billed under a supervising provider only when the payer's requirements, such as supervision and the provider's involvement, are met. Billing under another's number otherwise misrepresents who provided care.
Practice all 28 ethical service delivery questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free ASWB Clinical training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
Start practicingFree to start. No account needed.