Deck 5: Common Concerns of Beginning Helpers

Question 1

It is useful to think of resistance as

A) something to be gotten around quickly so that clients can change.
B) a client's stubborn attempt to remain in safe ways.
C) a phenomenon that will destroy a working relationship.
D) the very material that can productively be explored in the helping relationship.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In __________, clients project onto helpers reactions to the political context that has shaped their experience.​

A) ​countertransference
B) ​political transference
C) ​resistance
D) ​self-doubt

Answer 2

B

Question 3

All of the following are examples of a counseling situation that could lead to countertransference EXCEPT

A) You have been a victim of domestic abuse and your male client discloses that he hit his wife because he couldn't get her to stop nagging him about his drinking.
B) Your client is having problems with her 16-year-old daughter who keeps running away from home. Your own teenage daughter recently did the same thing and you are still reeling from the incident.
C) Your client is having problems making a decision about his career. You remember having similar struggles before deciding to go into the helping field.
D) You worked through your issues in counseling and discuss the possibility for countertransference with supervisor to remain alert.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

If you had a client who appeared to work very hard at getting you to push him or her away, what would be the most therapeutic way of dealing with this situation?

A) Explore with the client how this behavior could be serving him or her.
B) Let the client know that you are aware of his or her games and that you refuse to be manipulated.
C) Tell your client that if this pattern continues, you'll certainly discontinue seeing him or her.
D) Refer the client to another helper.

Question 5

_____ refers to a variety of behaviors that is sometimes associated with difficult clients, but which needs to be understood and explored in the helping relationship.

A) Transference
B) Countertransference
C) Resistance
D) Confrontation

Question 6

John seeks your help because his wife has threatened to leave him if he doesn't improve his communication. He tells you that he is a loner and that his wife knew that when she married him. John claims that their marriage is fine and is there only to appease his wife. An INEFFECTIVE​ way to deal with John would be to

A) challenge his attitude, in order to break down his defenses and look at the part he is playing in the breakdown of the relationship.
B) ask John how he is being affected by his wife's problems, which may lead to problems that he wants to deny.
C) direct your questioning to how John felt when he approached the office for the counseling session.
D) ask John what areas he thinks that his wife needs help with.

Question 7

_____ refers to the unrealistic reactions that therapists have toward their clients, which are likely to interfere with their objectivity in the counseling process.

A) Transference
B) Countertransference
C) Resistance
D) Confrontation

Question 8

Simply having feelings toward a client

A) automatically means that the helper is having countertransference reactions.
B) may be an indicator that the helper is feeling deep empathy and compassion for the client.
C) indicates that a referral may be in order.
D) is dysfunctional and creates problems in the counseling process that need to be addressed.

Question 9

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be an example of a transference situation?

A) Clients who make you into something you are not
B) Clients who want information about the helping process
C) Clients who displace anger onto you
D) Clients who are not able to accept boundaries

Question 10

_____ refers to the unconscious process whereby clients project onto a helper past feelings or attitudes they had toward significant people in their lives.

A) Transference
B) Countertransference
C) Resistance
D) Confrontation

Question 11

Students in human services and counseling programs sometimes bring up all the following EXCEPT

A) ​their lack of anxiety.
B) fears.
C) ​perfectionist strivings.
D) ​other personal concerns.

Question 12

Barbara constantly compliments and attempts to flatter her counselor with statements such as "You're such a neat person," "I'm glad that you're my counselor," and "You are the reason that I am feeling better." The best counselor response would be

A) "I'm pleased that you see me in a positive light, but more important is the fact that you are feeling better because you are willing to work on yourself and do the things that are necessary for change."
B) "I'm glad that I'm your counselor too. We seem to have a good relationship and I seem to be helping you feel better about yourself."
C) "It's good to work with a client who appreciates my efforts."
D) "I'm sure you would work well with anyone."

Question 13

Which of the following "reflects the deep patterning of old experiences in relationships as they emerge in current life"?

A) Transference
B) Obsessive compulsive disorder
C) Psychosis
D) Relational de já vu

Question 14

A sign that countertransference may be occurring is when the counselor recognizes that he or she

A) is not easily irritated by the client.
B) feels intense anger toward a person that the counselor hardly knows.
C) allows the pain of the grieving client to be manifested.
D) is aware that the client is typically working much harder than the counselor during the session.

Question 15

Michael is seeking counseling because he is lonely and is looking for ways to meet people. You suggest various places to meet others, yet each suggestion is met with a "Yes, but" response. Frustrated, you sense that you are working harder than Michael to generate solutions. You should

A) tell him how frustrated and discouraged you feel.
B) renegotiate with the client what he wants.
C) continue to suggest other alternatives until Michael reacts positively.
D) refer the client to another person who may offer better suggestions.

Question 16

Jane arrives at each weekly counseling session with a disaster. She usually starts each session with, "You won't believe what happened to me this week…" and continues with a litany of woes. The most appropriate counselor response would be

A) "You need to examine the way you thrive on chaos."
B) "You must feel overwhelmed by all those problems."
C) "Why don't you sit quietly for a moment and reflect on what is the one concern that is most pressing to you at this time."
D) "You need to look at the part you are playing in all these situations."

Question 17

If clients have an expectation that you will take care of them in ways that their parents never did, it probably means that

A) they are delusional.
B) they are experiencing countertransference.
C) they are experiencing transference.
D) you have offered them false promises.

Question 18

Which of the statements below is NOT true about transference?

A) It usually operates on an unconscious level.
B) It constitutes a repetition of past material in the present.
C) It causes a distortion in the way clients perceive and react to the counselor.
D) It provides clients with clarity about the real relationship they have with the counselor.

Question 19

Every time Dan arrives at his therapist's office for a session, she runs late because the previous client seems to need extra time at the end of his sessions. Dan is livid and complains quite loudly that he is angry and wants to know why she is always running late for her appointments. You can assume that

A) he is simply manifesting transference and this needs to be processed with Dan.
B) he is exhibiting an irrational response triggered from a past situation.
C) his anger could be a justifiable reaction.
D) Dan is self-centered and wants immediate attention upon his arrival to the office.

Question 20

The Coreys encourage trainees to approach resistive behaviors with

A) impatience and judgment.
B) interest and respect.
C) complete neutrality.
D) intermittent reinforcement.

Question 21

__________, a form of countertransference, can result from helpers being exposed to the pain that clients express, especially if counselors are not aware of their own unresolved personal issues. ​

A) ​Transference
B) ​Resistance
C) ​Empathy fatigue
D) ​Self-doubt

Question 22

A __________ is when helpers temporarily put their reactions aside and later process them in their own therapy.​

A) political transference
B) ​parallel process
C) ​resistance
D) ​transference

Question 23

Briefly explain ​the ethics codes regarding referral.

Question 24

__________ can be evoked by the helper's ​reactions to highly charged political issues.

A) ​Resistance
B) ​Self-doubt
C) ​Political transference
D) ​Political countertransference

Question 25

Briefly explain the importance of keeping current with issues in the helping professions.​

Question 26

__________ is a humanistic, client-centered, directive counseling approach in which the therapeutic relationship is central to understanding the change process.​

A) ​Psychoanalytic
B) ​Cognitive behavioral
C) ​Motivational interviewing
D) ​Psychodrama

Question 27

__________ is both an ethical and a legal concept.​

A) ​Competence
B) ​Motivational interviewing
C) ​Parallel process
D) ​Resistance

Question 28

Describe the difficulties someone in the helping field experiences when working with involuntary clients.​

Question 29

Define passive aggressive behavior. Explain how to effectively treat this type of client.​

Question 30

From an ethical perspective, describe the importance of competence. ​