Deck 9: The Three Tasks of Stage I: Help Clients Tell the Story, the Real Story, and the Right Story

Question 1

Which of the following statements is most accurate about Stage I-A of the helping framework?

A) Helpers help clients to (1) tell their stories, (2) identify the most important story to begin working on it, and (3) stay focused on issues that will make a difference in their lives.
B) Helpers help clients to (1) identify their problems, (2) outline solutions, and (3) create an action plan for moving forward.
C) Helpers help clients to (1) tell their stories, (2) reframe their stories to develop new, more useful perspectives, and (3) overcome the most significant of their problems.
D) Helpers help clients to (1) tell their stories, (2) reframe their stories to develop new, more useful perspectives, and (3) stay focused on issues that will make a difference in their lives.

Answer 1

Helpers help clients to (1) tell their stories, (2) reframe their stories to develop new, more useful perspectives, and (3) stay focused on issues that will make a difference in their lives.

Question 2

A client's reluctance to self-disclose most likely signals ____.

A) a fear of developing a dependent relationship with the helper
B) a general inability to share aspects of himself or herself with others
C) a sign of antisocial personality
D) a need to control the situation

Answer 2

a general inability to share aspects of himself or herself with others

Question 3

Which of the following is not a helper's goal during Stage I-A?

A) Establish a good rapport with the client.
B) Help clients to gain clarity about the issues they face.
C) Keep the clients from acting on their problems before they are ready.
D) Help reduce any stress a client might be feeling when beginning the helping experience.

Answer 3

Keep the clients from acting on their problems before they are ready.

Question 4

Which of the following is not an example of a "precursor" or "regulator" (Hanna, 2002) indicating a person's readiness to benefit from the helping experience?

A) An ability to cry when the helper mentions something that feels very sad
B) A sense of necessity that one must do something about a problem or issue
C) The sufficient will or effort to make changes in one's life
D) A willingness or readiness to experience anxiety or difficulty

Question 5

A client comes for his first session with you. He seems anxious and starts talking by saying "Yesterday, I felt so nervous that I couldn't leave the house. It took every bit of strength I had to come here today." Then he stops talking. In accordance with Stage I, you want to help him to tell his story. Which of the following might you do to help him to continue in the way most beneficial to him?

A) Ask him whether anxiety and sadness characterize his life.
B) Gently suggest that his anxiety is about meeting new people and the more often he does it, the easier it will be.
C) Ask him to tell you more about his anxiety.
D) Ask him what other problems he is facing.

Question 6

If a client thinks that a problem is critical, even though by objective standards the problem does not seem that bad, then ____.

A) the client cannot be helped
B) for that client, it is critical
C) you should immediately apply the tasks of Stage I
D) you are working with a severely disturbed person with no sense of reality

Question 7

According to Egan, which of the following is not a purpose for discussing the client's past?

A) To prepare for action in the future
B) To identify problems too deep to address
C) To make sense of the present
D) To be reconciled to or liberated from the past

Question 8

Read the following and answer the question:
CLIENT: Someone said that good things can come from evil things. What happened to my son was evil. But we'll give him all the support he needs to get through this. Though I had the same thing happen to me, I kept it all in until now. It was all locked up inside. I was so ashamed, and my shame became part of me. When I let it all out last week, it was like throwing off a dirty cloak that I'd been wearing for years. Getting it out was so painful, but now I feel so different, so good. I wonder why I had to hold it in for so long.
This statement by the client about the past exemplifies which of the following?

A) That he is using his recollections to reconcile with or liberate himself from his past
B) That he is using his recollections to prepare himself to make changes for the future
C) That he is using his recollections to remain stuck in the past
D) That he is using his recollections to make sense of the present

Question 9

Which of the following is not one of Egan's methods to help clients to explore their problems and identify unexploited opportunities?

A) Help clients search for resources
B) Help clients talk productively about the past
C) Help clients see every problem as an opportunity
D) Help clients assess their interpersonal skills

Question 10

The severity of clients' presenting issues can be simply understood as the combination of ____.

A) distress, frequency, and uncontrollability
B) distress, resources, and uncontrollability
C) resources, frequency, and predisposition
D) resources, predisposition, and attitude

Question 11

One of the key tasks in initial meetings with clients as they are telling their stories is to ____.

A) help them clarify key issues within their story
B) arrive at a firm diagnosis regarding their story
C) gauge the objective truthfulness of their story
D) define a course of action with a specific timeline

Question 12

Effective helpers learn to focus on clients' stories and are most able to highlight ____.

A) how they will be able to solve the clients' problems as presented
B) deficits in clients' coping strategies
C) unused resources that clients have
D) dysfunctions in clients' histories

Question 13

When starting to explore the problem situation, it is most important to ____.

A) start where the client starts in telling the story
B) avoid asking questions
C) lead the client through the story
D) fill in the gaps in the client's story as needed

Question 14

In helping clients to challenge the quality of their participation, which of the following principles most addresses a client's attitude or perception of being a victim and failure to act?

A) Inviting clients to own their problems and unused opportunities
B) Inviting clients to state their problems as solvable
C) Inviting clients to explore their "problem-maintenance structure"
D) Inviting clients to move on to the right stage and task of the helping process

Question 15

Which of the following correctly states one of the principles of getting value from the helping process that Egan advocates using as guidelines for choosing issues to work on in counseling?

A) Start with the issue least painful to the client, then progress gradually to more painful ones.
B) Start with a larger problem situation, then wait until later to address corresponding subproblems.
C) Start with issues most important to the client, whether she or he is willing to work on them or not.
D) Start by determining whether the helping process is indicated or should be continued or not.

Question 16

In initial sessions with clients, it is important to ____.

A) provide empathy
B) avoid linking any issues to actions or potential actions
C) engage with the client in a business-like manner
D) establish a timeline for completing therapy

Question 17

Compare and contrast "the story," "the real story," and "the right story." How do they pervade the entire helping process? Describe how Stage I constitutes an assessment and discuss the importance of linking the problem management process to action.

Question 18

Pennebaker wrote that "an important…feature of therapy is that it allows individuals to translate their experiences into words." Why is this critical, and what can clients gain from this translation?

Question 19

Identify and discuss different styles of storytelling. How might counselors respond to these types of storytelling? What does it mean to "start where the client starts," and why is this important? How can a counselor estimate the severity of a problem? What are the implications of the use of multiplication rather than addition in the formula noted in the text?

Question 20

How can a counselor help clients clarify key issues, discuss context, identify unused opportunities, and talk productively about the past? What can clients gain from talking about the past? How can counselors help clients identify unused resources?

Question 21

Why is it essential for counselors to help clients to "move into action" from the beginning of therapy? How can a counselor accomplish this?