Deck 2: Establishing a Working Alliance

Question 1

An accurate empathic response by the therapist: ​

A)repeats what the client has said.
B)makes the therapist's feelings about the client overt.
C)is not a component of client change.
D)makes the client feel heard, seen and compassionately understood.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following constitutes an open-ended invitation? ​

A)"When we talked on the telephone you said you were having trouble with your boss. What is the problem there?"
B)"I'd like to begin by learning more about the concerns that have brought you to therapy. What has been the difficulty?"
C)"I understand you are having difficulty with you husband. What is the problem?"
D)"Your physician has referred you to me for help with your agoraphobia. How long have you had it?"

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The most important component of the definition of a collaborative process is: ​

A)agreement on shared therapeutic goals by therapist and client.
B)establishment of a relationship based on trust, acceptance and competence.
C)collaboration on tasks designed to bring about successful outcomes.
D)All of the above are correct, all are equally important.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

To keep therapy from reenacting common but dysfunctional family patterns, the therapist and client want to begin their own relationship by: ​

A)triangulating invested third parties into the client's problem matrix.
B)establishing a hierarchal role relationship that is familiar to the client.
C)guiding the new client as to where to begin, and what they might talk about.
D)beginning their relationship as a stable dyad.

Question 5

When a collaborative relationship has been established: ​

A)The therapist and client share an active role.
B)The therapist maintains a passive role.
C)The therapist maintains a directive role.
D)The responsibility for therapy rests with the client.

Question 6

Which of the below components IS NOT used to define a working alliance? ​

A)A client/therapist agreement on the problem(s) and sharing therapeutic goals
B)A specific theoretical orientation used to establish collaboration
C)Collaboration and agreement regarding how to meet treatment goals
D)Development of a collaborative relationship based on trust, acceptance, and competence

Question 7

One of the best ways to evaluate the success of an initial interview is for therapists to ask themselves: ​

A)"Was I able to create a corrective emotional experience for my client?"
B)"Do I feel like I made contact with this person and have a genuine feeling for who he or she is?"
C)"Was I able to listen to my client without responding emotionally to his/her experience?"
D)"Did I identify all of the client's recurrent themes?"

Question 8

​ In fostering a collaborative process, when a client has been in treatment before, it's necessary to:

A)ask the client what brought them to their initial treatment.
B)explain your techniques and expectations as their new therapist.
C)ask the client what was and wasn't helpful in previous therapeutic encounters.
D)adapt to the client's expectations of therapy by building upon the previous therapist's techniques.

Question 9

Beginning therapists can find an integrating focus by: ​

A)deciding what the client needs to do to change.
B)identifying recurrent themes.
C)asking the client what is wrong.
D)dealing with each problem as it arises.

Question 10

According to Attachment Theorists, a secure attachment configuration between the client and the therapist is established when the therapist's______helps contain and soothe the client's distress. ​

A)attuned responsiveness
B)non-judgmental stance
C)acknowledgment that the therapist sees the client as others do
D)recognition of patterns

Question 11

One of the most effective ways therapists can help their clients change is to: ​

A)offer advice and reassurance.
B)validate and confirm their subjective experience.
C)give them concrete ways to behave differently.
D)encourage them to see that things are not so bad.

Question 12

According to R.D. Laing, people stop feeling "crazy" when: ​

A)they accept responsibility for their behavior.
B)they change their negative life circumstances for a new and productive lifestyle.
C)their subjective experience is validated.
D)family members no longer invalidate their feelings.

Question 13

Empathic understanding is: ​

A)a technique used by therapists to convey to a client he/she has had the same counseling issues and experiences as the client and can relate.
B)a respectful attitude and non-judgmental stance that conveys warmth and concern for the client's distress.
C)exploring themes and developmental experiences.
D)establishing attachment with the client.

Question 14

It is important to consider______when engaging in therapy with clients from some cultural groups: ​

A)countertransference issues
B)reenacting familiar relational patterns
C)gender
D)acknowledging differences and inviting clients to explore the concerns together.

Question 15

In order to establish a collaborative relationship, the therapist may have to: ​

A)actively encourage or facilitate the client's participation and initiative.
B)ask the client to provide more historical information.
C)lead the client towards more affectively relevant material.
D)clarify his or her credentials and competence.

Question 16

Creating a working partnership is a treatment goal that establishes a new middle ground of in the therapist-client relationship.

A)re-adaptive schemas
B)passive interaction
C)shared control
D)structure

Question 17

The best way for a therapist to demonstrate his/her understanding of the client's experience is: ​

A)to say "I hear you."
B)to say "I know just what you mean."
C)to say "I understand completely."
D)articulating the central meaning of what the client has said.

Question 18

is one of the most common consequences of systematic invalidation. ​

A)Apathy
B)Schizophrenia
C)Disempowerment
D)There are no consequences.

Question 19

To identify recurrent themes from a client, the therapist needs to find a(n)   . ​

A)presenting symptom
B)predominant affect
C)integrating focus
D)precipitating factors

Question 20

In order for a client to feel understood, it is sometimes important for the therapist  to: ​

A)break social rules by responding to the central affective meaning in the client's message.
B)reassure the client, by talking him/her out of painful feelings.
C)avoid acknowledging the client's need to depend on the therapist.
D)encourage transference within the therapeutic relationship.

Question 21

Explain the concept of systematic invalidation and its consequences for the individual. ​

Question 22

The term "conflicts over initiating" concerns the new client's non-response to their therapist's initial open-ended request to begin. How can the therapist utilize "process comments" to engage the client, and without "taking over" and telling the client  what to do? ​

Question 23

Discuss several ways that the therapist can demonstrate understanding of their client's problems. ​

Question 24

Discuss the potential limitations of adopting either a primary directive or nondirective approach to therapy. ​

Question 25

How might a client's family structure and cultural backgrounds be addressed in the initial meeting to facilitate collaborative interaction? ​

Question 26

Discuss the ways in which performance anxieties impede the therapist's understanding. ​

Question 27

Discuss why it is that change can only occur in the context of care and understanding. ​

Question 28

Explain how a new client's maladaptive schemas and developmental experiences may be challenging, and what the therapist can do to address them in establishing a collaborative relationship. ​

Question 29

In meeting a client for the first time, what initial questions should one ask to explore         the client's knowledge and expectations about counseling? ​

Question 30

What is the alternative approach to primary directive and non-directive approaches? How do you know when to use each of these three approaches? ​