Question 1

Lately, Charlie and Angelica have been having problems in their relationship. Both are having trouble communicating their true feelings to each other. Which therapy might be MOST beneficial to them?

Accepted Answer

Couples therapy is specifically designed for helping couples improve their communication, resolve conflicts, and deepen their intimacy. This would be the most appropriate therapy for Charlie and Angelica, who are having problems communicating their true feelings to each other. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and Gestalt therapy are mostly individual therapies, while interpersonal therapy focuses on improving interpersonal relationships, but not specifically on couples.

Question 2

Lindsay has obsessions about contamination and washes her hands hundreds of times per day. During therapy, Lindsay is asked to get her hands dirty on purpose and then leave them dirty for several hours. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Lindsay is being exposed to the source of her obsession (contamination) and then prevented from engaging in her compulsive behavior (hand washing). This is an example of exposure therapy with response prevention, which is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. It involves gradually exposing the individual to the feared situation or object while preventing them from performing their compulsive behavior, with the goal of decreasing the anxiety and distress associated with the obsession and reducing the compulsive behavior.

Question 3

Allison has been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Her eating disorder seems to be related to her overcontrolling parents, perhaps being her way of having some control. What kind of therapy would be MOST helpful to Allison and her parents?

Accepted Answer

Family therapy would be the most helpful for Allison and her parents because the eating disorder seems to be related to their relationship and their need for control. Family therapy would address the underlying family dynamics and provide tools for healthier communication and problem-solving.

Question 4

Research has found that mindfulness meditation is helpful for:

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that mindfulness meditation can help prevent relapse in depression. While it may also have some benefits for individuals with other mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the evidence is not yet conclusive. However, there is no evidence to suggest that it can eliminate phobias.

Question 5

In couples therapy, treatment strategies target changes in:

Accepted Answer

Couples therapy aims to address and improve the relationship dynamics between both parties. It is not solely focused on changing one person's behavior or treating a diagnosed disorder. Both individuals are encouraged to participate in therapy and work together towards resolving conflicts and improving communication.

Question 6

Jean-Luc has a fear of the dentist. He is taken to the dentist's office every week for a month. Each time, he stays a bit longer and realizes that it is not such a scary place. Jean-Luc's therapist is using which behavior therapy?

Accepted Answer

The therapist is using exposure therapy, which involves gradual and repeated exposure to the feared object or situation in order to decrease the fear response. This is evident in Jean-Luc's weekly visits to the dentist's office, where he stays longer each time and realizes that it is not as scary as he initially thought. Aversion therapy involves pairing an unpleasant stimulus with a behavior in order to decrease that behavior, operant conditioning involves shaping behavior through consequences, and interpersonal therapy focuses on improving communication and relationships.

Question 7

Adam had always been the problem child of the family, getting in trouble for skipping school and routinely disobeying his parents and their rules for him. His parents arranged a family therapy session, and Adam was surprised to hear the therapist say that:

Accepted Answer

The therapist's statement that the family system was broken implies that there are issues beyond just Adam's behavior that need to be addressed. This suggests that Adam is not solely to blame for the family problems, and that the whole family needs to work together to improve their dynamics. Options B and C place sole blame on either Adam or his parents, which is not helpful or productive in resolving the underlying issues. Option D is not an appropriate course of action for a family therapy session, as it is important for all family members to be present and willing to work together towards a resolution.

Question 8

The technique, frequently used by cognitive therapists, of teaching clients to question the automatic beliefs, assumptions, and predictions that often lead to negative emotions and to replace them with more realistic beliefs is called:

Accepted Answer

The technique described is known as cognitive restructuring, which involves challenging and changing automatic negative thoughts and beliefs. Cognitive dissonance is a psychological phenomenon involving conflicting beliefs or behaviors, mindfulness meditation involves present-moment awareness and acceptance, and cognitive plasticity refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt. None of these fully capture the described technique.

Question 9

Audrey is suffering from depression that was triggered by a breakup with her boyfriend. She tells her therapist that no man will ever love her. Her therapist challenges the validity of her belief by stating that just because one person broke up with her doesn't mean that all of her relationships will fail. The therapist then has Audrey make a list of all the guys she knows who would probably go out with her on a date. To her surprise, Audrey is able to name a handful and realizes that her belief that no one will love her probably is distorted by the emotional pain from her breakup. Audrey's therapist is using:

Accepted Answer

Audrey's therapist is challenging and restructuring her distorted belief that "no man will ever love her." This technique is called cognitive restructuring, which is a core component of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression. Mindfulness meditation, systematic desensitization, and social phobia hierarchy are not relevant to this scenario.

Question 10

Which therapy focuses on understanding and changing the client's meaning, assumptions, and beliefs about events?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive therapy focuses on changing the client's thoughts and beliefs about events in order to improve their emotional and behavioral responses.

Question 11

Most therapists working with anxiety and depression use:

Accepted Answer

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most commonly used therapy for anxiety and depression. CBT focuses on identifying and changing negative thoughts and behaviors that contribute to these conditions. It combines cognitive therapy, which focuses on thoughts and beliefs, with behavior therapy, which looks at actions and reactions. CBT has been found to be highly effective in treating anxiety and depression.

Question 12

Lauren went to see a therapist, and during their first session they established clear goals coupled with assignments to be done regularly to reach the goals. Lauren's therapist was using _____ therapy.

Accepted Answer

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is a type of therapy that involves setting clear goals and using specific techniques and assignments to reach those goals. This approach is often used for issues such as anxiety or depression.

Question 13

In which cognitive therapy technique are people taught to be fully present in each moment and to be aware of their thoughts, feelings, and sensations in order to detect symptoms before they become a problem?

Accepted Answer

The cognitive therapy technique that involves being fully present in each moment and being aware of thoughts, feelings, and sensations is mindfulness meditation. This technique helps individuals detect symptoms before they become a problem by encouraging them to observe their thoughts and emotions without judgment or attachment.

Question 14

_____ therapy focuses only on the client's behavior and the situation, whereas _____ therapy focuses on helping a client identify and correct distorted thinking.

Accepted Answer

In behavior therapy, the focus is on the client's behavior and the situation that led to that behavior. The therapist helps the client change their behavior through techniques such as modeling, reinforcement, and punishment. Cognitive therapy, on the other hand, focuses on identifying and correcting distorted thinking that leads to negative emotions and behaviors. This is done through techniques such as cognitive restructuring and thought challenging. Option A is incorrect because aversion therapy is a specific type of behavior therapy and not the only focus of behavior therapy. Option B is incorrect because rational psychodynamic therapy is a specific form of psychoanalytic therapy and not the only focus of socio-behavior therapy. Option D is incorrect because Gestalt therapy focuses on the client's present experience and holistic perception rather than just their thoughts.

Question 15

All of these terms describe CBT EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

CBT is problem-focused, action-oriented, and transparent, but it is not person-centered. Person-centered therapy is a different type of therapy that emphasizes the client's subjective experience and unconditional positive regard from the therapist.

Question 16

Every time Sophie reads a book, she gets a sticker. When she gets 10 stickers, her parents take her to her favorite restaurant. Sophie's parents are using a(n):

Accepted Answer

Sophie's parents are using a token economy by providing her with stickers as a reward for reading books. Once she reaches 10 stickers, she earns a trip to her favorite restaurant. This is a classic example of a token economy, which uses tokens (in this case, stickers) as a reward for desired behaviors.

Question 17

Exposure therapy is based on:

Accepted Answer

Exposure therapy is based on habituation and response extinction, in which the patient is gradually exposed to anxiety-provoking stimuli until they no longer elicit fear or anxiety. This process is grounded in the principles of classical conditioning, where the fear response is conditioned to an initially neutral stimulus. Through repeated exposure without negative consequences, the fear response is extinguished.

Question 18

Therapies involving operant conditioning typically manipulate:

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning focuses on manipulating the consequences of behavior, such as reinforcement or punishment, in order to increase or decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. This is in contrast to classical conditioning, which focuses on manipulating the associations between stimuli and responses. The other answer choices do not accurately represent operant conditioning.

Question 19

Which statement regarding mobile health interventions is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

While mobile technologies have shown promising results in various health interventions, it is not always the case that they are more effective than traditional interventions. The effectiveness of interventions depends on various factors such as the type of intervention, population, and context in which it is used. Therefore, statement C is false.

Question 20

Adam consistently experienced stress in social situations. He worried that everyone thought he was different and that no one liked him. Adam's therapist taught him to focus on each situation as unique, and instead of focusing on his surroundings and others, to focus on being aware of what he was feeling and to stop his negative thinking before it led him to being anxious. Adam learned which technique for dealing with his stress?

Accepted Answer

Adam learned to be present in the moment and focus on his internal experiences through mindfulness meditation.

Quiz 16: Section 2: Treatment of Psychological Disorders