Exam Preview for 1183: The Ethics of Harm Reduction: Approaches in

The Ethics of Harm Reduction: Approaches in Social Work Practice

Please note: exam questions are subject to change.

1. According to HARM REDUCTION, social workers should help clients with drug problems to: Maintain lifetime abstinence Use more drugs Reduce risks associated with their drug use Cure the disease of addiction
2. According to HARM REDUCTION, social workers should help clients with drug problems to assess: The client’s unconscious drive to use mood-altering drugs. The biological and psychological causes of their drug use. Problems from the client’s family of origin. Harms or risks associated with their current drug use.
3. HARM REDUCTION may be used with clients who: Have drug or alcohol problems (only). Are in abusive relationships (only). Want to stop using alcohol or drugs altogether. Are involved in any behaviors that may be risky.
4. Which of the following is NOT an example of a harm reduction approach for people who use heroin: A methadone maintenance program. A detoxification and abstinence program. A needle exchange program for people who use heroin. Teaching clients how to clean their needles.
5. A harm reduction approach facilitates client self-determination by: Focusing clients on the importance of total abstinence. Starting with the client and focusing on risks that the client wants to address. Requiring clients to focus on the greatest risks to their wellbeing. Putting social workers in the role of expert advice givers.
6. Social workers may use harm reduction to facilitate client empowerment by: Treating every client the same and providing every client with the same intervention options. Assuming that clients do not have mental capacity and are unable to make good decisions for themselves. Providing clients with many choices for dealing with risky behaviors or situations. Offering clients abstinence-only treatments.
7. When explaining assessment according to a harm reduction approach, social workers should inform clients that they will ask clients to: Disclose the sources of their trauma and anxiety. Discuss family history of abuse, addiction, and dysfunction. Analyze their interactions with friends, work colleagues, and neighbors. Identify any risks that they are concerned about in relation to a behavior or situation that may be causing them problems.
8. According to utilitarianism, harm reduction may be ethically justified when: The client does not have mental capacity and cannot make rational decisions for their own best interests. The client believes in social justice. The consequences of harm reduction are better than the consequences of alternative interventions. Harm reduction leads to greater pain and unhappiness for the client in the long-term.
9. According to deontology, harm reduction may be ethically justified because this approach: Promotes ethical principles such as client autonomy and social justice. Violates the principle of “do no harm” (nonmaleficence). Allows social workers to determine which risks are most important to consider. Benefits the majority of society even if it hurts clients and people from vulnerable backgrounds.
10. To promote the ethical principle of “respect for the dignity and worth of all people” by using harm reduction approach, social workers should: Inform clients about what is good and bad in their recent patterns of behavior. Refuse to help clients unless they first admit to having a problem and accepts moral responsibility. Start helping clients by dealing with their concerns and priorities (which may include managing risky behaviors). Ignore the clients’ culture and treat all clients the same.