Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Practice Exam

What is the best approach for a social worker to empower a client who feels depressed and hopeless?

1. Suggesting medical intervention immediately

2. Sharing personal experiences to create rapport

3. Asking questions to identify client strengths and successes

4. Encouraging the client to seek support from friends

The correct answer is: Asking questions to identify client strengths and successes

Empowering a client who feels depressed and hopeless is most effectively achieved by asking questions to identify their strengths and successes. This approach focuses on fostering a sense of agency within the client, allowing them to recognize their own resources and resilience. When a social worker facilitates a conversation that uncovers the client's past achievements, personal strengths, and coping strategies, it helps shift their perspective from feelings of helplessness to a recognition of their capacity for overcoming challenges. This strengths-based approach is central to many therapeutic modalities and enhances the client's motivation to pursue positive change. The emphasis on strengths can also help to counteract negative self-perceptions that often accompany depression, leading clients to feel more empowered and capable of initiating steps towards improvement in their life circumstances. By reframing the conversation in terms of what the client has done well, the social worker assists the client in building self-efficacy, enhancing their belief in their own abilities to manage depression and other life stressors. This technique contrasts with other approaches like suggesting immediate medical intervention, which may overlook the importance of the client's perspective, or merely sharing personal experiences, which may not directly address the client’s feelings of hopelessness. Encouraging support from friends can be beneficial but may not be as effective as directly facilitating the client's