.spoke-cta{margin:24px 0}a.btn-join{display:inline-block;background:#2b6cb0;color:#fff!important;padding:12px 20px;border-radius:8px;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.4}.spoke-q>li{margin:0 0 22px}.spoke-q ul{margin:6px 0 6px 18px}.spoke-table{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;margin:18px 0}.spoke-table th,.spoke-table td{border:1px solid #d6dee8;padding:8px 12px;text-align:left;vertical-align:top}.spoke-table thead th{background:#f0f5fa}.spoke-sources{margin-top:32px;padding-top:16px;border-top:1px solid #e2e8f0;font-size:.92em;color:#4a5568}.spoke-sources a{word-break:break-word}
The frameworks and rules that recur on the ASWB Clinical exam. Skim before test day, then prove it
with practice.
The order of clinical operations
When a question asks what to do first: ensure safety, then
engage, assess (biopsychosocial), diagnose, plan,
and only then intervene. Assess before you act.
Ethics essentials (NASW Code)
- Protect confidentiality within its limits; duty to protect/warn for serious,
foreseeable harm to an identifiable person - Support client self-determination; obtain informed consent (ongoing)
- Maintain professional boundaries; avoid dual relationships
Defense mechanisms (know the common ones)
- Projection, denial, repression, displacement, sublimation, reaction formation, regression,
rationalization
Theories & models
- Psychodynamic (Freud); attachment (Bowlby);
psychosocial stages (Erikson) - CBT (Beck/Ellis); family systems (Bowen);
structural family therapy (Minuchin); solution-focused and
narrative approaches
Unlock 600+ LCSW practice questions across 4 full-length simulators — $19.99 lifetime →
Sources & references
The exam facts on this page are drawn from official certifying-body materials, reviewed 2026-06-18 by the DrCertifications exam-prep team (10+ years in exam preparation and publishing).