Domain II · Assessment and Planning · 33% of the exam
Assessment and Planning: biopsychosocial assessment, risk, and service planning
Outline: draftBy The Licensure Professor
Study material in progress. This is a lesson outline, not finished lesson text. Nothing on this page is official exam content. Items were written for this site and checked against published sources. They have not yet been reviewed by a licensed social worker.
Learning objectives
- Complete the components of a biopsychosocial assessment across the lifespan.
- Recognize indicators of trauma, abuse and neglect, substance use, and co-occurring conditions.
- Choose methods for assessing risk of harm to self and others, strengths, resilience, and readiness for change.
- Use the DSM-5-TR and the mental status examination appropriately within a social work assessment.
- Connect assessment findings to goals, service plans, and appropriate resources.
Key terms
- Biopsychosocial assessment
- Social determinants of health
- Mental status examination
- Co-occurring disorders
- Risk assessment
- Strengths perspective
- Defense mechanisms
- Typical and atypical development
- Motivation and readiness for change
- Triage
- Service plan
Suggested sources
- Ashford, J. B., LeCroy, C. W., & Rankin, L. (2025). Human behavior in the social environment: A multidimensional perspective (7th ed.). Cengage.
- Hepworth, D. H., Vang, P. D., Blakey, J. M., Schwalbe, C., Evans, C. B. R., Rooney, R., Rooney, G. D., & Strom, K. (2023). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills (11th ed.). Cengage.
- American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Association Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
- Sue, D. W., Rasheed, M. N., & Rasheed, J. M. (2016). Multicultural social work practice: A competency-based approach to diversity and social justice (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
- Association of Social Work Boards. (2026). ASWB examination guidebook (08/2026). https://www.aswb.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-Social-Work-Licensing-Exam-Guidebook-5.4.2026.pdf
Ethics content on this section follows the NASW Code of Ethics (National Association of Social Workers).