Chapter 9. Focusing

Question 1

Which of the following is a reason to focus client conversation?

a. The client gives you three full minutes of problematic stories.	
b. The client insists that you start solving issues immediately.	
c. You and the client are overwhelmed by the number of client issues.	
d. All of these choices are good reasons to focus client conversation.

Answer 1

d. All of these choices are good reasons to focus client conversation.

Question 2

Clients tend to talk about or focus on topics to which the counselor or counselor give primary attention. This is known as

a. counselor focus.	
b. topical priorities.	
c. selective attention.	
d. session structuring

Answer 2

c. selective attention.

Question 3

The community genogram is particularly helpful for us in understanding

a. the client.	
b. the family.	
c. the client's family contextual issues.	
d. the cultural/environmental/contextual issues.	
e. the client's problem more fully.

Answer 3

d. the cultural/environmental/contextual issues.

Question 4

The family genogram is particularly helpful for us in understanding

a. the client.	
b. the family.	
c. the client's family contextual issues.	
d. the cultural/environmental/contextual issues.	
e. the client's problem more fully.

Answer 4

c. the client’s family contextual issues.

Question 5

Identify how the counselor is trying to focus the client by using this question: “What are some of the strengths that you gain from your spiritual orientation?”

a. Client focus	
b. Theme or problem focus	
c. Significant others focus	
d. Mutuality, immediacy, counselor focus	
e. Cultural /environmental/contextual focus

Answer 5

e. Cultural /environmental/contextual focus

Question 6

Identify how the counselor is trying to focus the client by using this question: “So you learned in your family that trying harder helped work things out?”

a. Client focus	
b. Theme or problem focus	
c. Significant others focus	
d. Mutuality, immediacy, counselor focus	
e. Cultural/environmental/contextual focus

Answer 6

c. Significant others focus

Question 7

Identify how the counselor is trying to focus the client by using this question: “Could you tell me more about that issue?”

a. Client focus	
b. Theme or problem focus	
c. Significant others focus	
d. Mutuality, immediacy, counselor focus	
e. Cultural/environmental/contextual focus

Answer 7

b. Theme or problem focus

Question 8

Identify how the counselor is trying to focus the client by using this response: “Sounds like you are punishing yourself when you are trying so hard to be responsible.”

a. Client focus	
b. Theme or problem focus	
c. Significant others focus	
d. Mutuality, immediacy, counselor focus	
e. Cultural/environmental/contextual focus

Answer 8

a. Client focus

Question 9

Advocacy is

a. speaking out for your clients.	
b. working in the school or community.	
c. working for social change.	
d. all of these choices.	
e. none of these choices.

Answer 9

d. all of these choices.

Question 10

Under which of the following conditions will simply talking with the clients about their issues NOT be enough, and the counselor may need to consider advocacy or another approach to resolve a social justice issue?

a. As an elementary school counselor, you are helping a student who feels overwhelmed with her homework assignments.
b. As a personal counselor, you are working with a woman facing divorce.
c. As a personnel officer, you discover systematic bias against promotion for women and minorities.
d. As a high school guidance counselor, you are helping graduating seniors prepare their paperwork for college.

Answer 10

c. As a personnel officer, you discover systematic bias against promotion for women and minorities.

Question 11

According to Ivey, consciousness represents the psychological present. What is the typical length of the psychological present?

a. 10 to 75 milliseconds
b. 100 to 750 milliseconds
c. 1 to 3 seconds
d. None of the above

Answer 11

b. 100 to 750 milliseconds

Question 12

Working memory can hold _____ items.

a. 5±2
b. 6±2
c. 7±2
d. 8±2

Answer 12

c. 7±2

Question 13

Focusing the interview enables ____.

a. increased ability to intentionally direct (or not direct) client talk
b. increased cognitive complexity
c. broadened understanding through exploring different perspectives
d. all of the above

Answer 13

d. all of the above

Question 14

Focusing often results in ____.

a. increased cognitive complexity
b. broadening understanding through looking at different points of view
c. increased ability to direct client talk (or not direct due to your awareness)
d. all of the above

Answer 14

d. all of the above

Question 15

The word problem:

a. is useful to label clients issues.
b. is in itself a problem.
c. offers immediate insight.
d. identifies in itself solutions.

Answer 15

b. is in itself a problem.

Question 16

The idea of _____________ suggests that our family and community history and experiences live within each of us.

a. citizen of the county
b. member-of-society
c. person-in-community
d. being-in-relationship

Answer 16

c. person-in-community

Question 17

The idea of person-in-community was developed by ______ (1994), who pointed out that our family and community history and experiences live within each of us.

a. Onwuegbuzie
b. Ogbonnaya
c. Oberne
d. Octavio

Answer 17

b. Ogbonnaya

Question 18

The community genogram is used to help clients understand how their ________ might affect their current feelings and thoughts.

a. behavior
b. hobbies
c. history
d. careers

Answer 18

c. history

Question 19

The community genogram provides:

a. an opportunity for the client to present her or his family in an individually-unique way.
b. a chance to see the client’s community of origin and how it might represent the unique
client’s culture.
c. an opportunity to compare the community of origin with one’s present community setting.
d. all of the above.

Answer 19

d. all of the above.

Question 20

A counselor is most likely looking for ________ and ________ when he or she suggests to the client that creating a community genogram may be helpful.

a. “free-form” client activity; client creativity
b. client developmental history; to identify client strengths
c. detail client strengths; detail client issues
d. community of origin; present community

Answer 20

b. client developmental history; to identify client strengths

Question 21

What type of client is MOST likely to benefit from a community genogram?

a. Clients from nuclear families
b. Clients who can trace their family over time
c. Adopted clients
d. All of the above

Answer 21

d. All of the above

Question 22

Which of the following can be used to identify personal and multicultural strengths?

a. Post the community genogram on the wall.
b. Focus on one single dimension of the community.
c. Develop two positive stories from groups within the community.
d. All of the above.

Answer 22

d. All of the above.

Question 23

The family genogram is ____.

a. only for family counseling
b. a good way to help a client focus on family issues
c. a technique for advanced therapy
d. all of the above

Answer 23

b. a good way to help a client focus on family issues

Question 24

When beginning a new interview / counseling relationship, the focus is usually on:

a. the individual.
b. the family.
c. the group.
d. the cultural / environmental context.

Answer 24

a. the individual.

Question 25

How are your friends helpful to you?” By using this question, how is the interviewer trying to focus the client?

a. Client focus
b. Theme or issue focus
c. Significant others
d. Cultural context / environmental

Answer 25

c. Significant others

Question 26

In working with some Asian and Southern European peoples, which focus is often more appropriate than typical middle-class U.S. focusing?

a. The individual
b. The cultural / environmental context
c. Mutual focus emphasizing “we”
d. Mutual focus emphasizing different cultures

Answer 26

c. Mutual focus emphasizing “we”

Question 27

Feminist counseling is more likely than traditional counseling to focus on ____.

a. the individual
b. the family
c. others and their sexism or racism
d. mutuality

Answer 27

d. mutuality

Question 28

Which one of the following statements is NOT true of mutuality focus?

a. Mutuality can be controversial and should be used infrequently.
b. Mutuality can be powerful as it uses the interviewer as an instrument.
c. Mutuality is not a legitimate focus area.
d. Mutuality focus puts the client and interviewer on an equal level

Answer 28

c. Mutuality is not a legitimate focus area.

Question 29

There are many ways to focus attention in the counseling session. What are other focus possibilities besides individual client focus, problem focus, and interviewer focus?

a. Other, family, mutuality, and environmental context
b. Other, significant relationships, community, and culture
c. Culture, family, environment, and context
d. Mutuality, family culture, community and context

Answer 29

a. Other, family, mutuality, and environmental context

Question 30

Multiculturally-oriented counseling is more likely than traditional counseling to focus on ____.

a. the individual
b. the family
c. others and their sexism or racism
d. the cultural / environmental context

Answer 30

d. the cultural / environmental context

Question 31

Which one of the following statements is NOT true of cultural / environmental focus?

a. Environmental context is not a legitimate focus area.
b. Environmental context is person-as-community.
c. Environmental context is the impact of how the client grew up in community.
d. Environmental context includes cultural, gender, and race impacts on client development.

Answer 31

a. Environmental context is not a legitimate focus area.

Question 32

“Financially, things were tight last time. How will it be this time?” ____ is the primary focus of this
paraphrase and open question.

a. The client
b. The main theme or problem
c. Mutuality
d. Focus on cultural / environmental / contextual issues

Answer 32

d. Focus on cultural / environmental / contextual issues

Question 33

What is the focus of the following counselor’s statement? “Women often take all the responsibility and have to stand alone and work it out.”

a. Focus on the client
b. Focus on the main theme or problem
c. Focus on mutuality
d. Focus on cultural / environmental / contextual issues

Answer 33

d. Focus on cultural / environmental / contextual issues

Question 34

“What do you see in your genogram that reminds you of good times?” By using this question, how is the interviewer trying to focus the client?

a. Client focus
b. Problem or issue focus
c. Significant others
d. Cultural context / environmental

Answer 34

d. Cultural context / environmental

Question 35

Which one of the following examples is NOT an example of a counselor acting for social justice or as
an advocate?

a. A career counselor helps a 40-year-old business manager face a career change.
b. A high-school counselor initiates school policies and awareness programs against
oppression in the classroom.
c. An elementary school counselor works with a child who is being bullied on the
playground.
d. A social worker helps an abused wife and her children obtain shelter.

Answer 35

a. A career counselor helps a 40-year-old business manager face a career change.