Deck 1: An Introduction to the Clinical Interview

Question 1

According to the authors, "Having and holding a nonjudgmental attitude-toward all clients"-is:

A) Impossible
B) Required
C) Realistic
D) Only b and c
E) None of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Clinical interviewing may also be known as:

A) Intake interviews
B) Initial interviews
C) Psychiatric interviews
D) Diagnostic interviews
E) All of the above

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following factors do the authors NOT include in their definition of clinical interviewing?

A) A positive relationship between client and interviewer is established.
B) The client and interviewer work collaboratively (more or less) to establish and achieve mutual goals.
C) Clients are required to modify their perspective and behavior based on the interviewer.
D) The interviewer and client interact verbally and nonverbally.
E) Client-interviewer interactions are influenced by culture, personality, attitudes, and goals.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What are the main reasons why people seek mental health services?

A) Personal growth
B) Subjective distress
C) Someone is forcing the issue
D) All of the above
E) Only a and b

Question 5

Who originally designed a "semi-clinical" interview that included both tightly standardized questions and spontaneous questioning?

A) Sigmund Freud
B) Carl Rogers
C) Jean Piaget
D) Karen Horney
E) Constance Fischer

Question 6

Which of the following is true regarding clinical interviewing?

A) Clinical interviewing involves an explicit agreement between parties for provision of services.
B) It is best to avoid being friendly towards clients, especially clients who are culturally different.
C) There really isn't much difference between a friendship relationship and a therapy relationship.
D) Clinical interviewing involves only behavior that would be considered appropriate under normal social circumstances.
E) None of these are true about clinical interviewing.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is true regarding establishment of common goals during an interview?

A) Client insight is often limited, so therapists should trust their own insight.
B) Clients and interviewers usually have different and incompatible goals.
C) Clients' perspectives should be valued because they are the experts on their issues.
D) If client and interviewer cannot establish common goals, the client should realign his or her goals to match those of the therapist.
E) Typically a consultant should be called in to help therapist and client agree on therapy goals.

Question 8

What are the two primary functions or goals of clinical interviewing?

A) Testing and Assessment
B) Assessment and Helping
C) Case Formulation and Referral
D) Listening and Talking
E) Intervention and Disposition

Question 9

From a cognitive-behavioral perspective, collaborative goal setting is initiated when:

A) The therapist takes note of all the concerns the client mentions and then chooses one to focus on.
B) The therapist works with the client to develop a problem list.
C) The therapist listens nondirectively to the client in hopes that the client will identify the specific concerns he/she wants to work on.
D) The therapist chooses a goal and then asks the client if s/he is okay with the selection.
E) None of the above.

Question 10

When your expert opinion conflicts with your client's perspective, it's good practice to:

A) Defer to your client, at least initially
B) Acknowledge the differences, but emphasize your expertise and authority
C) Openly argue with your client
D) Submit to your client for the duration of therapy
E) Refer your client to another provider

Question 11

The authors note that, ". . . when done well, clinical assessment is or can be"

A) Problematic
B) Therapeutic
C) Enigmatic
D) Theoretical
E) Pragmatic

Question 12

How do solution-focused therapists refer to clients who are highly motivated to attend therapy?

A) Complainants
B) Customers for change
C) Difficult customers
D) Resistant clients
E) Visitors to treatment

Question 13

Which of the following might contribute to negative outcomes?

A) When clinicians are overconfident
B) When clinicians conduct reasonably thorough assessments
C) When clinicians feel pressured to fix clients' problems quickly
D) All of the above
E) Only a and c

Question 14

Which of the following are reasons a client and therapist may not agree on therapy goals?

A) Poor client motivation.
B) Questionable therapist motives or insight.
C) Social-cultural differences.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 15

What is the first skill interviewers should learn in order to conduct effective clinical interviews?

A) How to focus on their own thoughts and feelings
B) How to obtain diagnostic and assessment information about their clients
C) How to quiet themselves and listen to clients
D) How to build rapport with clients
E) How to decide which shoes to wear for the first interview

Question 16

Which of the following is true about collaborative goal-setting?

A) Although ideal, it doesn't occur very often because therapists and clients usually disagree on goals
B) It hasn't been the subject of much empirical research
C) It's considered an evidence-based practice
D) It's not conducive to effective problem-solving in therapy
E) None of the above are true

Question 17

The authors consider it the therapist's professional responsibility to ___________ client self-expression.

A) Limit
B) Encourage
C) Forbid
D) Both a and b
E) None of the above

Question 18

What do solution-focused therapists call clients who attend therapy only when coerced?

A) Visitors to treatment
B) Complainants
C) Customers for change
D) A pain in the backside
E) Both a and b

Question 19

The clinical interview is considered:

A) The most fundamental component of mental health training
B) Exclusively an assessment interview
C) An optional first-session experience
D) Both a and b
E) None of the above

Question 20

Ethical professional relationships include which of the following:

A) Informed consent
B) Compensation for services
C) Minimal relationship boundaries
D) All of the above
E) Only a and b

Question 21

When should therapists begin using specific counseling or psychotherapy interventions?

A) Once they have quieted themselves and listened to the client's communications.
B) Once they have developed a positive relationship with their clients.
C) Once they have identified their client's needs and therapy goals through diagnostic and assessment procedures.
D) All of the above
E) Only A and B

Question 22

A positive working relationship has a better chance of being developed between interviewer and client if, during the initial interview, the interviewer:

A) Identifies the most appropriate intervention technique to use with the client.
B) Focuses on how to be with the client instead of what to do with the client.
C) Assures the client that his or her problems will be solved.
D) Gives good advice to the client to demonstrate competence and experience.
E) Provides his or her services for free.

Question 23

When a therapist is forming and testing hypotheses rather than coming to premature and faulty conclusions about clients he/she is employing which culturally-specific skill?

A) Dynamic sizing
B) Developing cultural knowledge
C) Scientific mindedness
D) Developing self-awareness
E) None of the above

Question 24

The authors claim that it may not be possible to ever:

A) Completely reach "multicultural competence."
B) Learn too many psychoanalytic techniques
C) Be too directive with a client.
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 25

Multicultural humility includes which of the following?

A) An other-orientation instead of a self-orientation
B) Respect for others and their values/ways of being
C) An attitude that includes a lack of superiority
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 26

Which of the following is a principle of multicultural competence?

A) Self-awareness
B) Cultural knowledge
C) Culture specific expertise
D) All of the above
E) Only b and c

Question 27

Culture-sensitive advocacy refers to:

A) Attaining knowledge about specific cultures
B) Employing scientific mindedness
C) Employing dynamic sizing
D) Nurturing your cultural self-awareness
E) None of the above

Question 28

Developing cultural self-awareness can be especially challenging from members of what culture?

A) The minority culture
B) The dominant culture
C) The majority culture
D) Developing self-awareness is equally difficult for members of any culture.
E) None of the above

Question 29

The process of assessment + diagnosis + treatment plan = goal attainment is:

A) Straightforward and linear
B) Complex and not perfectly linear or unidimensional
C) Unrelated to clinical interviewing
D) Exclusively relegated to session 2
E) None of the above

Question 30

Stereotyping is:

A) A natural, but inadvisable phenomenon
B) Unavoidable
C) Avoidable in all circumstances
D) All of the above
E) Only a and b

Question 31

Quieting yourself in an interview is important because:

A) It helps clients to open up and express themselves.
B) It allows you to focus more clearly on your own thoughts.
C) It allows you to listen well to the clients.
D) All of the above are correct.
E) Only A and C are correct.

Question 32

Which of the following is a culture-specific skill essential for mental health professionals?

A) Scientific mindedness
B) Dynamic sizing
C) Speaking multiple languages
D) All of the above
E) Only a and b

Question 33

Microaggressions refer to:

A) Negative thoughts about minority persons that are never enacted
B) Small negative behaviors that have little or no effect on minority persons
C) Brief and commonplace communication of prejudice and discrimination
D) Both a and b
E) None of the above

Question 34

When using the culturally-specific skill of dynamic sizing, a therapist is:

A) Comparing the differences between cultural groups
B) Recognizing when generalizations based on group membership are appropriate and when they're not.
C) Knowing when to come to scientific conclusions about clients.
D) All of the above
E) Only b and c

Question 35

Regardless of their theoretical orientation, what do almost all counselors and psychotherapists agree on?

A) The need for a structured interviewing style.
B) The importance of developing a positive relationship with clients.
C) The importance of obtaining diagnostic information as soon as possible.
D) The need for the client to modify his or her worldview to fit the interviewer's perspective.
E) None of the above