Deck 12: Identifying Key Problems or Challenges

Question 1

Advanced reflecting is also known as all of the following EXCEPT

A) advanced empathy.
B) additive reflecting.
C) additive empathy.
D) going beyond.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

All of the following are useful for clients in the contemplation stage EXCEPT

A) state or restate the problems or challenges to be sure there is a clear understanding.
B) delineate clear goals and the timing of beginning steps.
C) discuss the client's perception of both the advantages and disadvantages of making a change.
D) support the client's feelings of ambivalence toward making a change.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Janice tells you on the first session that her mom is forcing her to come see you, and she has nothing she wants to work on. Which two motivational interviewing skills would be particularly helpful at this stage?

A) Identifying discrepancies and rolling with resistance
B) Expressing empathy and identifying discrepancies
C) Support self-efficacy and rolling with resistance
D) Expressing empathy and supporting self-efficacy

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Identifying discrepancies involves pointing out an incongruity between the client's _____________ and ______________.

A) present behavior; actions
B) thoughts; words
C) present behavior; something s/he values
D) values; the practitioner's values

Question 5

Guidelines to be followed during a crisis include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) staying calm in order to acknowledge the crisis and offer hope.
B) creating safety for everyone involved.
C) exploring the object-relations causes of the client's distress.
D) using your skills to listen, ask questions, and express empathy.

Question 6

Which of the following is an appropriate statement to make if a practitioner wants to roll with resistance?

A) "I can see you're having trouble deciding between spending time studying and hanging out with your friends. Your parents have a point though about studying hard so you can get into a good college."
B) "I can see you're having trouble deciding between spending time studying and hanging out with your friends. Is there any part in your parents' position about studying that makes sense to you?"
C) "I can see you're having trouble deciding between spending time studying and hanging out with your friends. Maybe you should study first and then hang out with your friends."
D) "I can see you're having trouble deciding between spending time studying and hanging out with your friends. However, your friends really are a bad influence on you."

Question 7

One client-centered method that helps clients explore and resolve ambivalence about making changes is known as _________.

A) psychoeducation
B) motivational interviewing
C) interpersonal therapy
D) resistance rolling

Question 8

What is the difference between a pattern and a theme?

A) A theme refers to a consistent way of thinking, feeling, or behaving while a pattern refers to an idea/point of view shared by several people.
B) A theme is unique to the individual and therefore is more difficult to change than a pattern.
C) A pattern is unique to the individual and therefore more difficult to change than a theme.
D) A pattern refers to a consistent way of thinking, feeling, or behaving while a theme refers to an idea/point of view shared by several people.

Question 9

The process of coming to an agreement about problems and goals involves

A) fixing the client's presenting problem.
B) doing a thoughtful and complete assessment.
C) having the practitioner determine a list of the most salient goals with little input from the client.
D) having the client determine a list of the most salient goals with no input from the practitioner.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT one of the skills involved in motivational interviewing?

A) Identifying discrepancies
B) Expressing empathy
C) Supporting self-efficacy
D) Motivating change

Question 11

What are clients in the preparation stage preparing to do?

A) Set goals and think about steps necessary to achieve their goals.
B) Weigh the pros and cons of changing a behavior.
C) Decide on a problem to work on.
D) Cope with a crisis.

Question 12

A practitioner wants to roll with resistance with one of her clients who is in the pre-contemplation stage. What should she focus on?

A) Determining persuasive arguments supporting the need for change.
B) Point out inconsistencies between the client's behaviors and words.
C) Identify cognitive distortions in the client's ideas about his/her situation.
D) Accepting and understanding the client's point of view.

Question 13

Rene is upset that her teenage child is failing school. She tells the practitioner that the school is not doing enough to ensure that her child attends school on a regular basis. How might the practitioner move Rene from pre-contemplation to contemplation?

A) Show empathy by telling Rene that she is absolutely correct and that the school has failed her and her child.
B) Tell Rene that not only has the school failed her, more specifically, the teacher has also failed her.
C) Help Rene see her part of the problem and how she has never set expectations with her child to attend school regularly.
D) Help Rene identify goals for therapy that she could work on.

Question 14

During times of crisis, which of the following is one thing that practitioners should NOT do?

A) Deal with the immediate needs of those involved.
B) Determine the most effective immediate response.
C) Work on deep-seated and subconscious personality issues.
D) Be directive.

Question 15

When working with clients in the contemplation stage, which of the following is NOT one of the goals at this stage?

A) Support the client's feelings of ambivalence about making a change.
B) Encourage the client to acknowledge and believe in their ability to carry out and succeed with specific goal-oriented tasks.
C) Help the client gain a clearer understanding of what they want.
D) Help the client become aware of patterns and themes related to their problem.

Question 16

When do many clients seek professional help?

A) As soon as they notice a problem.
B) When the problems have persisted with little detrimental effect on their life.
C) When they have time to work on problems.
D) When the problems in their life have persisted for some time and seem overwhelming.

Question 17

A ___________ exists anytime the immediate problems are so serious that the individuals involved are in shock and/or are unable to cope with the situation.

A) crisis situation
B) severe mental disorder
C) therapy session
D) goal

Question 18

When working with clients in the pre-contemplation stage, the goal is to move the focus from:

A) something the client cannot change to something the client can change.
B) something the client can change to something the client cannot change.
C) an internal locus of control to an external locus of control.
D) blaming others to blaming themselves.

Question 19

The purposes of advanced reflecting are:

A) to help clients recognize what they really value and to invite them to have insight, self-awareness, and/or deeper understanding of their situation.
B) to help clients create goals and to share intuitive hunches with clients.
C) to express empathy towards clients and to help clients feel accepted by the practitioner.
D) to point out discrepancies between the client's behaviors and values and to plan to maintain changed behaviors.

Question 20

Before a major change is possible, clients generally need to be in which stage?

A) Pre-contemplation
B) Contemplation
C) Preparation
D) Action

Question 21

You and your client have spent the past several weeks in the contemplation stage weighing the pros and cons of your client's weekend binge drinking with friends. Together, you have explored the negative impact this drinking has on your client's schoolwork and family relationships. This week, your client decides that she will continue in her drinking behavior but will implement safety measures such as always identifying a designated driver. As a practitioner, you disagree with her decision. What should you do?

A) Support your client in her choice while continuing to encourage the client to weigh the pros and cons of the behavior and engaging in other skills to move her from contemplation to preparation.
B) Self-disclose a past experience in your life when binge drinking had a negative impact.
C) Refuse to see the client until she decides to make more positive decisions in her life.
D) Help the client see the error of her ways and thinking by telling her that she is wrong and stating what you would do in her place.

Question 22

Your client is grieving the loss of his daughter, who recently passed away in a skydiving accident. Since the death of their daughter, your client and his wife have been experiencing marital conflict. This session, your client talks about a recent argument he had with his wife about a memorial fund. In addition, your client tells you that he has not been able to concentrate on work. Give three examples of practitioner statements that move from reflecting feeling and content to identifying the problem.

Question 23

The skill of supporting self-efficacy is the same as the skill of ________.

A) Identifying pros and cons
B) rolling with resistance
C) identifying strengths
D) clarifying goals

Question 24

Your client is a low-income single parent who has just had her children taken away by child protective services CPS) for neglect. She currently has no job and often spends her welfare check partying with her friends. She lives with her parents and 4 other siblings in a small 2-bedroom apartment. Her social worker at CPS has told her that she needs to get her own place, find a job, and "clean up her act" before she can get her children back. Help her partialize her problem to determine the most effective way to regain custody of her children.

Question 25

A practitioner's role is to __________ clients in the choices they make, even when the practitioner feels that the client should ______.

A) criticize; obey the practitioner.
B) criticize; not make any changes.
C) support; terminate the therapeutic relationship.
D) support; make other choices

Question 26

It is more helpful to state a problem in ______ because it is allows the client to move toward something rather than away from something.

A) negative terms
B) positive terms
C) the long-term
D) the short-term

Question 27

For each of the following problems, restate the problem in positive terms.

A) I want to stop drinking so much.
B) I want to quit smoking.
C) I don't want to fight with my daughters any more.
D) I don't want to get in trouble in school any more for fighting.
E) I want to stop hitting my wife when I'm angry with her.

Question 28

Your client has decided that he wants to work on managing his anger at work and at home and is preparing to set goals. Describe which stage of change your client is at, and what you might to do to develop a mutually agreed-on focus of work. What might be the desired outcomes?

Question 29

Partializing involves

A) breaking a complex problem into manageable parts.
B) preferring one option to another.
C) making problems seem more overwhelming than they actually are.
D) communicating only part of the problem to the client.

Question 30

Your client was referred to you by his company because of several interpersonal conflicts with coworkers. He is currently at the contemplation stage and is at a point of indecision regarding whether he wants to work on managing his anger more appropriately. Give statements that exemplify each of the following techniques:

A) Expressing empathic understanding of ambivalence
B) Advanced reflecting
C) Identifying patterns and themes