ASWB LCSW Social Work Clinical Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the ASWB LCSW Social Work Clinical Exam with practice questions that include detailed explanations and hints. Enhance your understanding of clinical principles to pass your exam with confidence!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

What is the primary focus of treatment in Psychoanalytic Theory?

Alter behaviors through conditioning
Deal with repressed materials in the unconscious
Enhance self-awareness through mindfulness
Develop practical coping strategies

The correct answer is: Deal with repressed materials in the unconscious

The primary focus of treatment in Psychoanalytic Theory is to deal with repressed materials in the unconscious. This approach, founded by Sigmund Freud, emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind in influencing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Freud posited that many psychological issues stem from unresolved conflicts and repressed emotions from early life experiences. Psychoanalytic therapy involves techniques such as free association, dream analysis, and exploring transference to help clients uncover these hidden memories and feelings. By bringing these unconscious materials into conscious awareness, individuals can work through their conflicts, leading to greater emotional insight and resolution. This focus on the unconscious sets Psychoanalytic Theory apart from other therapeutic approaches. While conditioning is important in behaviorism, enhancing self-awareness through mindfulness is more aligned with cognitive-behavioral therapies, and developing practical coping strategies typically falls within a more solution-focused or behaviorally oriented framework. Therefore, addressing repressed materials is central to achieving the therapeutic goals in Psychoanalytic Theory.