Question 1

Working with two brothers in conflict, you sense a tremendous amount of anger in the room. One of your interventions would be to:

Accepted Answer

Anger is not always what it seems. Anger usually represents pain, sadness, hurt, or frustration. No matter what, it can usually be settled by talking things out, which could be a challenge with two young boys. Still, telling them to get a grip or get over it and that they're brothers and family, will likely not have the designated impacted. After all, they're angry and want someone to validate them. As a therapist, your job is to point out that they will need to understand one another before that can happen.

Question 2

A family therapist has made a referral to you. He believes that this mother of four could use her own therapy. When you assess this client, you find that she needs to be reintegrated into the family. Which method might help her to feel most capable of reintegrating herself?

Accepted Answer

Feminist therapy comes from a place of empowerment, liberation, and freedom. Certainly in that respect, she could feel like she was able to be included, contribute to important family roles, and contribute as all wives and mothers should. While the others may have helped her reintegrate, none of them emphasize the importance of liberation like feminist therapy.

Question 3

When assessing a client who has endorsed a history or present behavior that includes acting out sexually, the assessment should always include:

Accepted Answer

While the other information may be important for other aspects of the assessment, it is always pertinent to know if there is a history of sexual abuse perpetrated on the client. If they endorse this, the sexual behavior could come from some unresolved issues when they were exposed to such intimate details and acts at such a young age. Your focus of treatment may shift depending on the answer given.

Question 4

Zachary has run away from home three times. Each time, he has been returned to his parents. It is during school hours and a school resource officer has delivered him to your office for emergency treatment. Your first step would be:

Accepted Answer

As basic as it sounds, when a teenager is delivered to you in crisis, the first thing you need to do is listen. Through listening, you're able to better understand the content and the implications behind what brought him to your office, but you're also able to understand what it means for him to be there. By listening, you open the door to the possibility of being able to provide more help over time and encourage return visits for therapeutic follow-up.

Question 5

If a young child is dealing with issues of encopresis or enuresis, you would encourage the parents to:

Accepted Answer

Discontinuing coercive practices is the most helpful of all options. When coercive practices are used, they can often engender fear in young children. They begin to understand that if they do not perform correctly, they will be punished. As a result, when they have difficulty, they are less likely to come forward and less likely to receive necessary assistance.

Question 6

When terminating treatment, the best termination plans contain:

Accepted Answer

If criteria for achievement are not present, you will have no way of knowing whether or not you were able to meet them. It is never wise to pre-set treatment dates. You cannot presume to know how much time therapy will take or how long a client is willing to stay committed to the process. Information on relapse may be present, but would usually refer back to the same program.

Question 7

When criteria are indicated in a termination plan, it is best to include:

Accepted Answer

Subjectively knowing when you have achieved a goal, versus when you have measured it and obtained a verifiable concrete measurement, are very different. Insurance companies and many groups that require documentation will ask clinicians to document in a quantifiable way just how much they have been able to accomplish.

Question 8

If therapy needs to restart for any reason, the first step should normally be:

Accepted Answer

Reviewing the previous termination and reason for treatment would be a good step. For each person these are different, but can usually provide the same information. For example, did the client terminate or did the therapist reach the conclusion of treatment? Was the termination due to a lack of funds, lack of time, or both? All of these are increasingly important questions if you are going to revisit the case.

Question 9

When collaborating with collateral teams as part of treatment, what is the stance on consent to release information?

Accepted Answer

For each individual with whom you interact, a signed, written consent is required to discuss or coordinate the continuity of care necessary for any of your clients. There are rare exceptions to this rule (i.e. medical staff in an emergency).

Question 10

When documenting what interventions were attempted, it is important to indicate which interventions were successful and which were not. One reason for this might be:

Accepted Answer

The individual in the support group does not have the right to know. Even with informed consent, there is no need to divulge specific information that would go above and beyond the continuity of care summative information that would assist family members. Should anything happen, it is always wise to document your intervention in as much detail as possible so that you will be protected. And nowhere might that protection be more important than in court, where you could be asked to testify.

Quiz 5: Treatment