Pocket Prep 2 Flashcards
Which of the following is true about remarriage after divorce?
Correct answer: 30% of divorced persons remarry within a year of divorce
According to statistics, about 30% of divorced persons remarry within a year of their divorce.
When is it appropriate for supervisors to counsel their supervisees?
Correct answer: Under no circumstances
Counselors providing supervision to supervisees should not provide actual counseling services under any circumstances.
To what would a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist (CBT) most likely ascribe a client’s depression?
Correct answer: Faulty thinking
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy generally ascribes much of a client’s depression, anxiety, or other issues to faulty thinking such as catastrophizing, assuming, or other errors in the way a person evaluates their environment and input.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapists generally do not ascribe mental health issues to unresolved grief, developmental trauma, or organic issues.
According to Robert Carkhuff’s scale, what is considered the minimum level of empathic acceptance?
Correct answer: Three
Robert Carkhuff designed a five point scale that describes different levels of empathy, genuineness, and respect. This scale goes from One (zero empathy) to Five (the most desirable level of empathy). Level three on this scale is considered the minimum level of acceptance of another.
Does EMDR require eye movement to be effective in treating conditions caused by trauma?
Correct answer: No, eye movement is not required
Suprisingly, it has been found that, in treating some kinds of conditions caused by trauma, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), does not always need the eye movement component to be effective.
Are treatment plans considered part of psychotherapy notes?
Correct answer: No, under no circumstances
Psychotherapy notes belong to a special class of clinical documentation. These notes are considered separate documentation in their own right, and treatment planning would not be included.
Which of the following cultures is most likely to encourage low-context communication?
Correct answer: Canada
The manner and content of communication changes according to culture. In low-context communication, a direct, explicit message is expected. This way of communication, broadly speaking, is more common in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada.
In high-context communication, much of the message is implicit and depends on context. This is the communicative style more common in the Middle East, Italy, Spain, and many Asian countries.
In group therapy, which of the following would be the most likely if psychodrama was being used?
Correct answer: Roleplaying
Psychodrama has been known since early in the last century as a way in which to help a therapeutic group understand the emotional dynamics at play in a situation brought to the group. Key to this effort is roleplaying, in which different group members take on different roles in the situation to foster greater understanding and empathy.
The other items are not as likely in a psychodrama scenario.
Which of the following is the main purpose of a “safety contract”?
Correct answer: To prevent suicide by agreeing on a contact strategy
A “safety contract,” though it may go by other names, is a document or agreement that stipulates that a person who may be at risk for impulsive suicide will contact someone who can help them rather than go through with ending their life.
It does not have to do with homicide, and it is not an assessment tool.
What is the difference between a cued and an uncued panic attack?
Correct answer: A cued panic attack has an identifiable trigger, while an uncued panic attack does not
Panic attacks can be described as being cued or uncued. A cued panic attack requires a certain environmental or emotional trigger, while an uncued panic attack does not. This distinction is not relative to when panic attacks take place in order.
Which of the following is a known issue with narrative therapy and non-dominant cultures?
Correct answer: Some cultures require an “expert” stance from counselors
Narrative therapy is a social constructivist mode of therapy in which a client is encouraged to change their “story” to better fit their circumstances, needs, and reality. Narrative therapy is very useful with immigrant groups who are often looking to change the way in which they understand their experience. However, the modality requires some adjustment for cultures in which an “expert” stance is required from counselors, as the process is collaborative and much depends on the client’s initiative.
Which of the following would be the most accurate statement about solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT)?
Correct answer: Treatment goals are small and realistic
In solution-focused brief therapy, the point is to quickly identify, assess, and address treatment plan goals that are small and realistic.
In SFBT, treatment goals are not long-term or completely invented by the counselor.
What is meant by the concept of “real culture”?
Correct answer: All behaviors within a culture, including the unapproved behaviors
The concept of “real culture,” which describes all behaviors within a culture including those that are illicit or unapproved, is often counterpoised with the idea of “ideal culture,” which refers to how individuals are supposed to behave.
The concept does not expressly address diversity, advertising culture, or indigenous populations.
How does narrative therapy work?
Correct answer: By having a client reconstruct their story
Narrative therapy rests on the assumption that human beings live “narratives” that are stories they tell themselves about themselves and others. Narrative therapy works by taking the story one has and reconstructing it to be more supportive of the individual and likely more truthful and devoid of cognitive distortions.
Narrative therapy is not just about trauma, and it is not about creating a story from scratch or under hypnosis.
Should group members change roles in a healthy group?
Correct answer: Yes, in a healthy therapeutic group, roles often change
In counseling groups, roles can often change. In fact, when group members can change roles—for instance, roleplaying various parts in a group member’s situational or therapeutic issue—this often leads to better therapeutic outcomes.
In general, roles are not fixed in healthy therapeutic groups.
Which of the following best explains the “risky shift” phenomenon?
Correct answer: Groups make more radical choices than individuals
The “risky shift” phenomenon addresses the tendency for any group, but therapeutic groups in particular, to make more radical or risky choices than individual members would make. This is another expression of “groupthink,” in which a group takes on a character or performs actions that individual members would not.
The quantity of decisions is not addressed by the concept.
Which of the following should be told to clients about your duty to warn?
Correct answer: “If I really believe you may harm someone, I have to take action.”
Counselors have a duty to warn if the counselor believes that someone else may come to harm. Clients should know that if the counselor really thinks that the client will harm someone, various jurisdictionally-defined steps are likely to follow.
The other responses sound too threatening or restrictive, or don’t relate to the client in layman’s terms.
Which of the following would be an example of reciprocal causality in a marriage?
Correct answer: Partner A in a marriage communicates badly, resulting in partner B becoming hostile and communicating badly
In general, the notion of reciprocal causality in a relationship such as a marriage suggests that one party does not simply create behavior that influences another; rather, it suggests that human interactions of whatever kind involve a circular or reciprocal causality, as in this example.
Which of the following is the most accurate statement about group exercises?
Correct answer: Group exercises should be more robust as the group matures.
A therapeutic group experiences a life cycle that has a definite beginning and progression, though the ending may be in doubt. At the beginning of the group, less robust clinical exercises are probably more useful than in-depth, robust clinical work. As the group progresses, more robust group exercises are more appropriate.
There is no indication that there should be a start or stop to group exercises corresponding to the group’s developmental stage.
What is the point of reframing in counseling?
Correct answer: To redefine events and circumstances
Reframing in counseling refers to the practice of helping a client redefine events and circumstances in their situation, usually with a perspective that puts the client in a different position than the one they entered therapy with. Doing so often helps a client develop a sense of control and may change the inner narrative of their situation, issues, or circumstances for the better.
The concept does not refer to confrontation, unconscious issues, or general communication.
What is another word for “abrecation” as it is used in counseling?
Correct answer: Catharsis
Abrecation is synonymous with the better-known term “catharsis.” First used in psychodynamic contexts, the term refers to the way a purging of emotions takes place during therapy as a result of the process.
Which of the following most accurately captures the dilemma of client self-report?
Correct answer: It is a necessary information gathering tool, but clients often lie
The dilemma of client self-reports is that, to some degree, counselors depend on client self-report in order to formulate care, perform assessment, and arrive at a treatment plan. However, the unfortunate truth is that clients often lie for a variety of reasons, either overtly or by leaving out important information.
Which of the following best captures the meaning of competence in regard to counseling?
Correct answer: Being able to help a client
Competence can mean various things when applied to specific client groups, but in general, being competent means being able to help a client. This involves having the right qualifications, experience, and ability sufficient to meet the client’s need. It also reflects the counselor’s wellness and fitness for their job.
According to Diana Baumrind’s typology of parenting styles, which kind of children will Permissive Passive Indulgent parents produce?
Correct answer: Poor social skills, demanding, drug and alcohol abuse
According to Diana Baumrind’s typology of parenting styles, the Permissive Passive Indulgent parent has a low level of control over the parental situation and is easily manipulated. This style of parent rarely says no, is reluctant to apply punishment, and seeks to be seen as the child’s friend. This style of parenting tends to produce children that have poor social skills, can be very demanding, and that often engage in drug and alcohol abuse.
According to Aaron Beck, what are automatic thoughts?
Correct answer: Scripts in the mind that distort reality
Aaron Beck, considered one of the founders of Cognitive therapy, suggested that most people suffer from “automatic thoughts” that are cognitive distortions unhealthy to the mind. According to Beck, we are often unaware of these structured ways of feeling and thinking until their presence is confronted.
Automatic thoughts are not psychotic or adjacent to psychosis, nor are they usually obsessive.
Why is narrative therapy considered a social constructivist theory?
Correct answer: Narrative therapy involves a person constructing a personal reality
Social constructivist theories suggest that human beings construct their own realities either partially or completely. In narrative therapy, this is done by a person who tells a different “story” than the one that made them seek out therapy to begin with, and thereby constructing a better-fitting personal reality than otherwise might exist.
Narrative therapy does not actually depend on input from the social world, may or may not involve collaboration, and does not depend on independence from society at large.
According to research, who tends to be more introspective?
Correct answer: Those of higher social class
Introspection has been studied to determine who is more prone to the habit of looking inward and examining oneself. In general, it is those in higher social classes that tend to introspect more, simply because their more basic needs have been addressed and they have the luxury of doing so.
This habit of introspection is more related to social class than privilege per se.
In which of the following ways is hypnosis most controversial?
Correct answer: In recalling lost memories
Hypnosis has been used to help many with such issues as pain control, addressing insomnia, and dealing with habit-related problems such as gambling and smoking. It is more controversial when used to reconstruct lost memories; often these are not accurate and referred to most often as “pseudomemories.”
Which of the following is the definitional belief of all racism?
Correct answer: That one race is better than another
Though the topic is in substantial discussion in modern times and is subject to much change, particularly in terms of specific jargon, the essential belief of all racism is that one race is better than another.
Racism does not absolutely depend on ideas about culture or resources.
In terms of experimental design, what is the point of a pre- and post-test?
Correct answer: To more accurately gauge effect of the intervention
In experimental design, it is common to establish a baseline by using a pre-test for whatever index is being measured. After the experiment provides an intervention, a post-test is generally used to help gauge the effect of the chosen intervention.
The purpose of pre-and post-tests in experimental design is not to provide better documentation, satisfy review board requirements, or get feedback from experimental staff.
Which of the following is a requirement of confidentiality standards?
Correct answer: That computer systems demonstrate security
Confidentiality of records means that counselors must be able to demonstrate that their electronic systems are secure enough to assure a standard of privacy.
Confidentiality standards do not suggest that one cannot use accounting or management software, or even that computers cannot do counseling.
If a group leader addresses the issues of the group as a whole, what is this called?
Correct answer: Horizontal intervention
Horizontal interventions in group contexts are when group leaders address the group as a whole. Vertical interventions are those which address individuals.
“Upwards” and “downwards” interventions are fabricated terms in this context.
Which of the following best characterizes the purpose of crisis intervention?
Correct answer: To deal with situational stress
Crisis intervention is a mode of helping that is directed primarily at what is, in essence, a normal process, though it is stressful. Crisis intervention is a brief, time-limited mode of assistance whose purpose is to help a client manage the stress of the crisis situation.
Other modalities would be helping in more detail with trauma, psychopathology, and anxiety.
Which of the following best describes authoritarian parenting?
Correct answer: Bossy parenting, insulting direction, producing anxious and withdrawn children
According to Diana Baumrind’s typology of parenting styles, the authoritarian parenting style is characterized by bossy parenting, insulting verbal abuse and punishment as direction, and unexplained rules, resulting in anxious and withdrawn children who may engage in antisocial behavior.
According to research, what do structured exercises early in the group accomplish?
Correct answer: They tend to improve communication between members
The research seems to support the notion that in a clinical group, early structured activities can help foster communication between members. Something as simple as an “ice breaker” is an example from a less clinical context.
The research does not indicate that early structured exercises elicit authoritarianism, create animosity, or inhibit communication
How does the Rogerian perspective of client-centered counseling aid in client adherence to treatment planning?
Correct answer: By putting the client in a position of power
Carl Rogers founded the school of psychotherapy known by various names as “person-centered” or “client-centered,” which explicitly puts the client in a position of power in knowing and managing their own issues in collaboration with a therapist. By doing so, Rogerian perspectives aid in treatment planning by enabling more than passive participation on the part of clients.
Rogerian perspectives do not encourage the client to be passive, and though these approaches might decrease fear and increase rapport, they aid in treatment planning by granting the client a sense of power in the therapeutic relationship.
Is the Rosenthal effect an aspect of informal or formal observation, both, or neither?
Correct answer: Both
The Rosenthal effect suggests that an experimenter’s beliefs about an individual can cause the person observed to behave in a certain way and therefore skew experimental data. It applies to both informal and formal ways of observation.
Which of the following is another name for “nondirective” counseling?
Correct answer: Person-centered
Nondirective counseling is synonymous with person-centered or client-centered approaches in which the counselor’s effort is more directed toward affective considerations such as empathy and less directive of the client in general.
The term does not refer to psychodynamic, behaviorist, or brief therapy modalities.
What is the purpose of a primary prevention group?
Correct answer: To prevent a problem from occurring
A primary prevention group is meant to educate, provide services, or otherwise contribute to preventing a problem from occurring.
Other kinds of groups, such as secondary prevention, attempt to limit harm from a known issue, with tertiary prevention groups seeking to deal with existing problems that are already severe.
Which of the following refers to a group intervention that addresses individuals within the group?
Correct answer: Vertical intervention
When providing counseling to a group, it is common to refer to interventions that address individuals as vertical intervention, and those which address the group as a whole as horizontal intervention.
The other two terms are fabricated in this context
According to the work of Sigmund Freud, what is the most likely result of trauma?
Correct answer: Fixation
According to Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual theory of development, the most likely result of being traumatized is that a person will remain psychologically fixated on that stage, with attendant behaviors and characteristics of personality.
The result of trauma, according to Freud, was not depression, confusion, or retaliation per se.
In terms of family therapy, what is an “irrelevant distractor”?
Correct answer: A communicative role
Virginia Satir, as a part of experimental conjoint family therapy, offered terminology for various roles that do not serve the purpose of addressing family issues when they are present. One of these is the “irrelevant distractor,” who, when the family system is under stress, will resort to the strategy of using irrelevant information to block progress. The term applies to the person and not the material of their distracting behavior.
What do “overprotective,” “avoidant,” and “acceptant” all have in common, according to the work of Anne Roe?
Correct answer: They are all parenting styles
According to Anne Roe, there are three parenting styles: overprotective, avoidant, and acceptant. Each of these styles has implications for the child’s later desire for and ability to have fruitful connections with others and endure relationship stresses such as separation.
Anne Roe did not use the terms to refer to attachment, depression, or anxiety.
Is a counselor more or less effective when they are of the same gender and ethnicity as their client?
Correct answer: Research does not show a correlation in this regard
Though the research is not robust, there is no substantial evidence to suggest that counselors are more or less effective with those with whom they share ethnic or gender similarity.
What is the ideal size for a therapeutic group?
Correct answer: Six to eight
In order to accomplish their work effectively, therapeutic groups should have an optimal size of about six to eight people. With more, focus tends to be lost, and with fewer, the therapeutic gain of the group process tends to be less.
To which of the following does codependency refer?
Correct answer: The phenomenon of being addicted to an addicted person
Though the term can refer to various aspects of relational dynamics in substance abuse, the concept of codependency essentially refers to one person being “addicted” to caregiving, supporting, or otherwise engaging in an unhealthy relationship of support for a person who is experiencing substance use issues.
The term does not refer to two people being addicted to the same substance, though this does sometimes occur in codependent scenarios.
Which of the following is a true statement regarding bullying?
Correct answer: Girls are more bullied than boys
According to research, girls are more bullied than boys. This is not variable according to frequency or severity.
Which of the following is the most accurate statement regarding unconditional positive regard?
Correct answer: The counselor accepts the client
Carl Rogers and the humanistic school of counseling coined the term “unconditional positive regard” to refer to the stance of the counselor with respect to the client. The counselor is expected to accept the client as an individual in need of helping; not necessarily believing or trusting the client. The concept refers to more than listening to the client.
Of the following, who would be the best candidate for implosive therapy?
Correct answer: A person with a fear of spiders
Implosive therapy involves the client imagining a feared stimulus in the safe setting of the counselor’s office. It is used to address fear on the part of clients, and would therefore be appropriate to a person with a fear of spiders.
As fear is not the major issue, it would not benefit as a service those who are experiencing delusions, those with substance use problems, or a person with bipolar disorder.
Which of the following is one of the common critiques of behavior therapy?
Correct answer: It does not yield insight
Behavior therapy is widely used in its various forms to help increase desired behavior and extinguish undesirable behavior. One of the most common critiques of behavior therapy is that it yields no real insight, as its focus is not on internal process but on exhibited behavior.
Behavior therapy does work, is not too complicated for most people (it is routinely practiced by people with no training), and it is relatively easy to measure.
Do Rogerian factors such as warmth and genuineness affect client outcomes?
Correct answer: Research does not support the idea that Rogerian factors support positive therapeutic outcomes
Though of definite help in establishing rapport and eliciting information from clients, the research does not support the idea that Rogerian factors support positive therapeutic outcomes per se. Therapeutic outcomes seem to be more related to what the client does, rather than what the therapist does
Which of the following is true according to assimilation-contrast theory?
Correct answer: Clients tend to see counselor statements as more congruent with their own beliefs than they actually are
According to assimilation-contrast theory, when a counselor makes a statement that a client agrees with, the client is more likely to see the counselor’s statement as more aligned with the client’s beliefs than they actually are.
This theory does not suggest that clients think counselor statements are irrelevant, or that counselors are not trustworthy.
Are group modalities indicated for persons in crisis?
Correct answer: No, group modalities are generally unsuitable for persons in crisis
Crisis is a time-limited state in which normal states of stress are elevated. In general, groups are not suitable for persons in crisis, as the individual nature of any crisis forces a client’s attention inward. In addition, the problem solving aspect of an individual’s response to crisis requires much individual attention.
This does not change if the group concentrates on the individual. Rather than causing harm, group modalities for persons in crisis simply do not provide the kind of clinical attention that would be the most useful.
Of the three types of prevention groups, primary, secondary, and tertiary, which is the most individualized
Correct answer: Tertiary
Prevention groups seek to limit the harm of a situation or condition, or prevent such a situation or condition from happening in the first place. Primary prevention seeks to prevent a situation altogether, secondary prevention seeks to prevent a problem from becoming more severe, and tertiary prevention seeks to address an already severe problem from a management perspective.
Of the three, the tertiary prevention group would be the most individualized, as it deals with the individual difficulties present in long-standing, chronic problems.
According to Sigmund Freud, what is the essence of dreaming?
Correct answer: Wish fulfillment
Sigmund Freud’s belief about dreams was that they were the unconscious mind’s way of playing out either negative or positive wish fulfilment about events that took place during the day that the dream occurred.
Freud did not believe that dreams were reprocessing, distraction, or social recalibration per se.
Which of the following is a common liability of groups?
Correct answer: Lack of appropriate therapeutic goals
In many groups, particularly those considered “unstructured,” one common potential liability is the lack of concrete, appropriate therapeutic goals for the group members. A therapeutic group should have goals, though there is flexibility in exactly how these are formulated and applied.
In terms of overall effectiveness, which is more effective, group or individual work?
Correct answer: Group and individual work are similar in effectiveness
Though there is some research to indicate that individual therapy is more effective with depressed clients, across the broad range of clients, group and individual work have similar degrees of effectiveness.
Which is the most likely third party that would require client information?
Correct answer: Insurance companies
For various reasons related to payment, insurance companies will regularly be in need of client information.
Though not uncommon, it is far less common to be required to provide information to court systems. Less common are the requirements, if any, of institutional review boards and professional journals.
If you desire to record sessions, does a client have to agree to this?
Correct answer: Yes, they must agree for you to record sessions
Counselors are not allowed to record clients without their knowledge or consent, though the particulars of the prohibition may vary by jurisdiction.
What is the difference between anxiety and phobia?
What is the difference between anxiety and phobia?
Which of the following is a valid reason not to use the theory of Carl Rogers in inpatient treatment
Correct answer: There is no reason not to use the theory of Carl Rogers in inpatient treatment
The work of Carl Rogers is often called a humanistic way of mental health treatment. There is no reason why his techniques, which stress genuineness and the value of every person as an individual, should not be used in inpatient settings.
Acute patients may or may not benefit from the use of these techniques, reject them, or use them; they can still be used effectively with the majority of patients.
Which of the following is not a category of roles identified by specialists in group counseling?
Correct answer: Structural
Specialists in group counseling identify three roles in a group: task (a job that needs done), maintenance (tending to group process), and self-serving roles.
“Structural” is not such an identified role category.
Which of the following is most accurate about retired people in terms of modern demographics?
Correct answer: The number of retired people is increasing
Owing to well-known and well-established shifts in demographics in modern populations worldwide, people are living to much greater ages. This results in more and more people who are retired living longer and needing psychological services for longer at a more vulnerable time in their lives.
Which of the following is the main problem with dual relationships?
Correct answer: They can interfere with the helping process for a client
Dual relationships, which in some cases cannot be avoided, are mainly a problem due to the fact that care for the client can be compromised. Objectivity can suffer if the therapeutic relationship is not the only relationship at work.
These relationships are not always morally wrong, do not always invite legal consequences, and are not always in violation of codes of ethics or conduct.
What is androcentric bias?
Correct answer: Bias oriented toward men
“Androcentric bias” is a term that emerged from feminist therapy, which suggests that most therapeutic interventions and theories have at their heart a bias oriented toward men in general.
The term does not necessarily imply that women are excluded, only that the first consideration is that of men
Which of the following refers to the “death instinct”?
Correct answer: Thanatos
Sigmund Freud postulated two compelling forces in the psyche; the death instinct, or “thanatos,” and the life instinct, or “eros.” Freud believed that all instincts in human beings fell into one of these two classes.
Which of the following is true of a bimodal curve
Correct answer: It has two peaks
In research, results are often graphed to indicate statistical direction. In a bimodal curve, the results are clustered around two modes or peaks in the graphed results
What is the technique of “blocking” used for in group therapy?
Correct answer: Keeping the group concentrated on the group work
“Blocking” in a group context is designed to help keep the group concentrated on the group work. What is being “blocked” are distractions, gossip, or harmful behavior.
The point is not to suppress what could be productive engagement with challenging material, controlling group membership, or accurately distributing group focus.
A consultant would be more likely to work in:
Correct answer: An organizational setting
Consultants, though they are sometimes used in clinical settings for specific purposes, are much more likely to lend their efforts to work in organizational settings, or in situations where broader organizational issues are the focus.
With which of the following kinds of clients would contracting be most indicated?
Correct answer: Clients who are not making progress
Contracting with clients is an idea from the school of behaviorism that is used most often when clients are not making progress. A contract between therapist and client would allow the therapeutic relationship to continue with visible, mutually-agreed milestones and benchmarks.
Which of the following is the best description of confirmation bias?
Correct answer: Accepting supporting information, ignoring conflicting information
Confirmation bias refers to the way people often accept information that supports their pre-existing idea, and ignore that which conflicts with their pre-existing idea. The brain seems to prioritize information that supports existing beliefs.
Why is group therapy cost-effective in treatment?
Correct answer: More patients can be served at the same time
Group therapy is considered highly effective both in terms of efficacy and cost. Essentially, a single therapist can serve more people, providing them therapeutic gain in a context that is more economical than serving single patients.
Group therapy is variably reimbursable and resource-heavy in practice.
If a counselor’s responses are about equal to the client’s in terms of empathy, what kind of empathy is this?
Correct answer: Basic empathy
Allen E. Ivey suggests that basic empathy is that style of empathy that neither adds nor subtracts from a client’s awareness and understanding. It demonstrates a basic level of understanding and feeling the client experiences.
The other terms are fabricated.
What is “proxemics”?
Correct answer: The study of personal space
Proxemics refers to the study of personal space, specifically that which is experienced in relationship to other people. One’s notion of personal space is defined by culture, temperament, climate, and other factors; it is significant in counseling due to its implications for communication and comfort in client relationships.
The term does not refer to a study of body image, dementia, or affiliation.
In therapy, what are “exception question”
Correct answer: Questions that ask clients when they are not experiencing their issue of concern
An “exception question” is often asked in brief therapy so that a counselor can know when a client is not experiencing their issue of concern. Such a question could be something like, “When are you not anxious?” The technique puts attention on the fact that the client is not always in a state of dysfunction.
Such questions are not meant to distract or elicit information about the client’s major issue of concern, but when it is not experienced.
Which of the following contexts is necessary for a biopsychosocial interview?
Correct answer: Cultural context
A biopsychosocial interview will contain many elements of assessment, aimed at establishing as full a picture as possible of the client’s situation. A biopsychosocial interview must contain the cultural context in which the client exists as a guide to culturally-informed treatment.
The other contexts are fabricated terms for the purposes of this
Which of the following refers to adaptable, adjustable intelligence?
Correct answer: Fluid intelligence
Fluid intelligence refers to that element of intellectual functioning that is adaptable to the situation and is more adjustable to circumstances. Crystallized intelligence refers to intelligence that is more fixed and rigid.
A-factor intelligence and S-factor intelligence are fabricated terms.
Which of the following is a downside to group unity?
Correct answer: Conformity
Human groups, in whatever context, form in various stages. Clinical counseling groups follow these norms, including their negative aspects, such as groupthink and conformity. Thus, too much unity can prevent individual group members from speaking out, or can enforce tacit norms that have not been part of the clinical design of the group.
The other items are not considered downsides to group unity commonly found in therapeutic groups
Should gambling addiction be treated similarly to other addictive disorders?
Correct answer: Yes, the treatment modalities are similar
Though many treatment considerations around gambling disorder are novel, the therapeutic consensus seems to be that a gambling addiction problem can be treated in much the same way as other addictions, including (and principally) cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Gambling issues can be treated in this way with or without a substance use co-occurring component.
Which of the following best defines a group process?
Correct answer: The way in which group material is handled
In group work, a process refers to the way in which group material is handled, such as what to do with the input group members give to the group.
A process in this context would not refer to group work content per se, the goals of the group, or the characteristics of group members
Which of the following would be an example of family sculpting
Correct answer: Family members arranging themselves spatially
Family sculpting is a term from family therapy in which, during the course of the family therapy session, family members arrange themselves to reflect their relationships spatially; thus, members who do not feel close would arrange themselves distally and so on.
The term does not refer to art or family design.
What is the paradox of religious and spiritual involvement for clients?
Correct answer: Spirituality offers benefits but can create strain
There is a paradox involved in clients embracing religion or spirituality, or in therapists relying on religious or spiritual content. Though spirituality and religion can offer a number of benefits, the same content can create issues. For example, religion is capable of increasing a client’s well being through mood, identification with an other, and marital satisfaction; however, religion can also create anxiety and depression.
Who provides the motivation in motivational interviewing
Correct answer: The client
Motivational Interviewing is a style of clinical interviewing that seeks to aid the client in finding their own motivation for change. This is in contrast to other styles of behavioral interview in which the counselor might be more directive with a change process. It is believed that adherence and commitment to change is better when the motivation for change comes from within the person.
Which of the following specifically refers to reinforcing small behaviors that approximate the larger and more desirable behavior sets
Correct answer: Shaping
Shaping refers to the technique of reinforcing small behaviors that approximate the larger and more desirable behavior sets that are the eventual goal.
Operant conditioning refers to the general technique of consequencing behavior. Classical conditioning refers to the general technique of pairing things together. Systematic desensitization is the technique of managing response to a feared stimulus by staged exposure
What is the point of confrontation in counseling?
Correct answer: To call attention to something
Confrontation has a somewhat negative connotation, but its use in counseling can be constructive. Simply put, its real purpose is to call attention to something that is of therapeutic value to confront, such as an inconsistency or lack of clarity in a client statement or response. In this way, it is actually an aid to understanding.
Confrontation is not meant, in this context, to create conflict, disrupt delusion, or just to call out client untruths.
With which of the following is crisis intervention mainly concerned?
Correct answer: Those who are experiencing a normal reaction to stress
Crisis intervention is mainly directed at helping those individuals who are experiencing the overwhelming stress that is definition to a state of crisis. Pathology per se is not addressed as part of crisis intervention; abnormal behavior or symptoms will require another modality to address effectively.
According to research, how many people does it take to produce conformity in a group?
Correct answer: Three
The phenomenon of conformity in groups has been studied to indicate exactly when a process of groupthink begins to take hold. The available research seems to suggest that it takes as little as three persons in a group to begin producing conformity.
What is the main purpose of summarization in counseling?
Correct answer: To verify understanding
Summarization is a technique that involves the counselor restating what they understand the client to have said. This technique is meant to let the client hear what they are understood to have expressed during a session, and to give the client a chance to make corrections if needed.
Though the technique may improve rapport and illuminate inconsistencies, that is not its main purpose. Summarization is not expressly meant to address trauma.
What is the most likely result of a negative feedback loop, according to family therapy
Correct answer: Homeostasis
Family therapy assumes that families are systems with complicated but identifiable dynamics that define the family’s function, dysfunction, and identity. Feedback loops are what the family uses in communicating with itself; positive feedback loops are thought of as resulting in change, while the negative variety does not induce any change at all. Much energy in family systems is devoted to preserving even a dysfunctional status quo or homeostasis.
The result of a negative feedback loop will not be change, nor will it generally result in abuse.
How is hair-pulling classified in the DSM-5?
Correct answer: As an obsessive-compulsive or related disorder
Hair-pulling (trichotillomania) is classified as an obsessive-compulsive or related disorder in the DSM-5.
In clinical groups involving children, should there be more or less participants than in adult groups?
Correct answer: There should be less participants than in an adult group
Children can benefit from clinical groups, but there are considerations that complicate their participation. For various reasons having to do with focus, discipline, and attention, a clinical group for children should optimally be at around three or four, as opposed to eight in an adult group
Which of the following is true about sliding fee scales?
Correct answer: They are ethical and legal
Though they may be difficult to administer properly, sliding fee scales (in which clients pay differentially based on their ability to pay) are both ethical and legal.
Under which of the following circumstances would you assess a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF)?
Correct answer: Under no circumstances, as it is no longer used in formal diagnosis
The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), a number from 1 to 100 that roughly assessed a client’s overall level of functioning, is no longer used as part of a formal diagnosis. Some counselors may still find it useful.
Which of the following is the best short definition of congruence as it applies to counseling?
Correct answer: Behaving like one’s true self
Congruence, a term first used in this respect by Carl Rogers, suggests that counselors should attempt to behave like their true selves as much as possible in an attempt to lend genuineness to the therapeutic process and remove affectations that distract from the work at hand.
The other items relate to some of the ethics of the profession at large, but are not definitions of congruence.
What is the focus of solution-oriented therapy?
Correct answer: A plan of action
Solution-oriented therapy deals with a current problem or set of problems in a client’s life that need attention. The focus of therapy is not as much on an understanding of self, therapeutic rapport, or the exploration of trauma; rather, this type of therapy is to arrive at a plan of action that addresses the problem or problems at hand.
Which of the following best describes authoritative parenting?
Correct answer: High expectations, rules are explained, child is happy and emotionally-regulated
According to Diana Baumrind’s typology of parenting styles, the authoritative style of parenting is characterized by high expectations but the rules are explained to the child. This style of parenting seems to result in children that are happy and emotionally-regulated, with good social skills
Which of the following traits has been proven by research to be the most useful in group leaders?
Correct answer: None
Despite the fact that such items as flexibility, enthusiasm, and common sense are considered helpful to some degree, research has yet to reliably identify any single trait as more valuable than the rest in group leaders.
Which of the following traits has been proven by research to be the most useful in group leaders?
Correct answer: None
Despite the fact that such items as flexibility, enthusiasm, and common sense are considered helpful to some degree, research has yet to reliably identify any single trait as more valuable than the rest in group leaders.
According to person-centered counseling, should the counselor present as a professional?
Correct answer: No, the counselor should not present as a professional
According to Carl Rogers’ person-centered counseling, the counselor’s affect and presentation are key to therapeutic effort. Within this school of counseling, genuineness and acceptance of the client are stressed, with the counselor’s professional expertise not being presented as openly as in other styles of therapy.
