Jenn's Stufy Guide Mft Exam

Front 1

Which of the following assumptions about systemic functioning is not accepted as valid and useful?

Back 1

Assessment focuses on linear vs. circular causality

Front 2

Family therapy with young children diagnosed with bi-polar disorder has demonstrated good results compared to control groups using medication or receiving no treatment at all. The most complete list of questions we should ask about this research is:

Back 2

How was bi-polar defined, how was “good results” defined, how large was the sample size, what was the correlation, what was the statistical significance?

Front 3

Originated by postmodern Chilean biologist, Maturana, systems that are self-organizing and self-maintaining, such as biological and human systems. Autopoietic Systems can be described by

Back 3

2nd order cybernetics

Front 4

Beth and Paul come to counseling because Beth feels that after two years of marriage she and Paul have nothing in common. She complains that for the past six months she has been complaining to Paul that there are problems with their relationship. Paul states that he doesn’t feel there are problems, he feels his wife is just overreacting.

In assessing this couple, a Strategic Family Therapist would

Back 4

assess Beth and Paul's attempts to solve the problem

Front 5

A client well known to the clinician reported serious suicidal feelings. She has a history of feeling suicidal previously, uses alcohol too much, lives alone and has taken risks with driving and casual sexual relationships. To avoid worrying the clinician, she offered to contract to “tell you before I do anything to harm myself.” The clinician should

Back 5

change the contract wording to be, “I will tell you instead of doing anything to harm myself or others

Front 6

Sex therapy with a couple would end when

Back 6

Client's goals are completed.

Front 7

Sarah is a devout Christian who divorced, remarried and had a miscarriage in her second marriage. She believes God has punished her with a miscarriage for divorcing and remarrying, and has fallen into a deep depression. Her husband has brought her in for couples' therapy out of concern for his wife. As a family therapist, it would be important to first

Back 7

understand her belief structure

Front 8

A client was unhappy when he discovered that his therapist had disclosed his town of residence to a colleague during a peer supervision meeting. The meeting included an administrative assistant who was not a licensed mental health professional and lived in the same town as the client. The therapist's response to the client was to engage him in a conversation about his concerns and then proposed a clinical hypothesis suggesting the client was excessively fearful. The client did not accept this, and instead insisted that he did not want this kind of information disclosed to anybody without his written authorization. He claimed the therapist had violated his confidentiality under the HIPAA policies given to him at the beginning of his treatment.

Referring to the above vignette, the client claimed that the therapist acted unprofessionally by attempting to 'explain away' his privacy concerns with a clinical interpretation. Which one of the following statements is correct?

Back 8

The client is wrong because the therapist showed sufficient respect for the clients privacy when he gave the client a reasonable response to his privacy concerns. Its ok to add a clinical interpretation

Front 9

Family Therapists who believe that, if left alone, people will tend towards self-actualization are primarily working from the

Back 9

Emotionally Focused Therapy perspective

Front 10

During the process of treatment, Mr. Medieros recognized how he was victimized by his parents, and that past generations were also victimized by their parents. In recognizing this he began to see his parents less as monsters and more as struggling human beings, themselves acting out invisible loyalties. Therefore, he was able to block the transgenerational pattern of destructive entitlement and allowed the positive transmission of relational resources. The process by which he earned entitlement by dealing with issues with his own parents is called:

Back 10

exoneration

Front 11

Which of the following are similarities between strategic and structural models?

Back 11

The treatment is symptom oriented, They both consider the impact of the life-cycle stage, They use in-session interactions to assess the family and emphasize process over content.

Front 12

Back 12

Rigidly bound triangle

Front 13

Which of the following therapists believe that when treating alcoholics, the goal of reduced drinking is only an appropriate goal, if it is also a goal of the clients? This therapist may also state that the more traditional concepts of the disease model may, in fact, be counterproductive for many alcoholic clients.

Back 13

Insoo Berg

Front 14

Oldest children tend to gravitate to leadership positions and youngest children often prefer to be followers. The characteristics of one position are not "better" than those of another position, but are complementary. This concept comes from the works of:

Back 14

Tolman

Front 15

Olson’s Circumplex Model refers to specific levels of flexibility which include all of the following except

Back 15

disengaged

Front 16

A 42 year-old single woman reports panic attacks most nights. Her recent history includes the break-up of her engagement to be married. Her father died when she was 9, and she lived alone with her mother throughout most of her childhood.

The clinician suggests that her father’s death might be complicating her ability to accept the loss of her fiancee’. In response the client becomes very angry and states that the death was a long time ago and further that she’s no longer a child and does not want to be thought of as having childhood hangups. The clinician’s error was:

Back 16

although the clinician’s statement was neutral, it did not help the client to avoid feeling pathologized

Front 17

In working with a divorced couple, the focus of attention should be

Back 17

the couple

Front 18

Your client of 9 months has been making slow progress after a major depressive episode. She reports that she is suddenly feeling better than she can remember, so good in fact that she has thrown out her old clothes and purchased a completely new wardrobe and feels like a new person. She further reports that she has quit her job and is soon planning a vacation to Hawaii and that this will be her last session with you. You should:

Back 18

Change your diagnosis and refer this client for a medication evaluation with a psychiatrist

Front 19

All of the following are considered communication theorists EXCEPT:

Back 19

White

Front 20

A twelve-year-old boy was brought to therapy because he wet the bed almost every night. The mother had been hospitalized at one time for depression. The father worked long hours, and the mother complained about his lack of interest in her and his attraction to other women. The therapist hypothesized that the bed-wetting was both a metaphorical expression of the father's improper behavior and an attempt to help the parents by eliciting their concern and distracting them from their other problems. This assessment of the problem is associated with:

Back 20

Strategic

Front 21

An agency wants to apply for a grant to set up a program to treat delinquent youths. An MFT is assigned to review available models and make recommendations for the clinical component of the program. After a thorough literature review, the MFT identifies “Multi-Systemic Therapy” (MST) as the one with the greatest effectiveness results and although it is expensive, finds that it is also most cost-effective.

Back 21

The agency’s client base includes multiple ethnic and cultural groups. The MFT notes that MST has not been fully tested with these diverse groups, but can still recommend the model with the qualification that diversity concerns be built in to delivery and outcome monitoring.

Front 22

Systems that are self-organizing and self-maintaining, such as biological and human systems, are known as:

Back 22

Autopoetic Systems

Front 23

Parentification is a term most closely associated with

Back 23

Nagy

Front 24

A twelve year old boy told a friend in school that he was going to kill himself so that he didn’t have to tell his parents about a recent poor test grade. The friend told a teacher who contacted the mother who became very upset on the phone. The teacher recommended an urgent appointment with a local family therapist. The boy has an older sister who has been in treatment for depression and a father who abuses alcohol.

Before his initial interview with the boy, the clinician learns from the parents through a phone call, that although he did go home and tell his parents about the poor grade, he has repeated his suicide threat to other people, including to the clinician herself. From this new information the clinician concludes:

Back 24

it is not good practice to determine the risk level from this information alone

Front 25

Some research has demonstrated that there are certain “common factors” in successful psychotherapy. Which of the following statements is correct?

Back 25

It has been demonstrated that the common factor of “systemic/dyadic reformulation of the presenting problem,” can be as important or more important that ideal choice of treatment model.

Front 26

An MFT correctly remembers that HIPAA allows for keeping psychotherapy notes separate from PHI (Protected Health Information). However, the MFT also wants to document his review of relevant outcome research as part of this treatment planning. Where does the research review documentation go?

Back 26

here are no definitive guidelines on where to place the research review, however, because it’s part of treatment planning, it most logically belongs in the official file along with PHI, and should be made available for review anytime authorization to release the file occurs.

Front 27

An agency wants to apply for a grant to set up a program to treat delinquent youths. An MFT is assigned to review available models and make recommendations for the clinical component of the program. After a thorough literature review, the MFT identifies “Multi-Systemic Therapy” (MST) as the one with the greatest effectiveness results and although it is expensive, finds that it is also most cost-effective.

Back 27

The agancy’s client base includes multiple ethnic and cultural groups. The MFT notes that MST has not been fully tested with these diverse groups, but can still recommend the model with the qualification that diversity concerns be built in to delivery and outcome monitoring.

Front 28

Clinicians looking for guidance from outcome research want to know if the model being tested works in real-world clinical settings. To respond better to this concern, the most important next step researchers should take is:

Back 28

Include clients with dual morbidity in their studies

Front 29

One of the risks of relationship-based interventions with domestic violence, agitating the dynamics in a way that increases violent tendencies, has been addressed by recent MFT outcome research. That research:

Back 29

Showed that the risk is small when working with partners where there is reciprocal (both direction) violence and where they want to stay together

Front 30

A husband and wife are in couples therapy. They both are experiencing depression at a level that is altering their lives. They have both experienced some improvement in depression and some improvement in their marital satisfaction. At their next session, they ask the MFT if they would be better off if they took time off of couples work and both entered separate individual therapies. From the perspective of current out come research alone:

Back 30

The therapist should encourage continuing the couples therapy because there is research evidence that it is as effective or more effective in relieving symptoms of depression

Front 31

A family enters therapy, having a 21 year old son who lives in the basement. He dropped out of college 2 years ago and is currently not working or going to school. He has refused all counseling. The father states he found evidence of marijuana smoking in his son’s room. The mother states that the father and son argue and sometimes push each other. A 16 year old daughter is in high school but increasingly avoiding coming home.“Non-summativity” applies to this situation as follows:

Back 31

A system has been created when the family was formed, but is now maintained by a pattern of inadequate communication and conflict

Front 32

A 17 year old female is referred by her parents for having an “outburst” at a movie theater while with friends four days earlier. During the initial interview she tells the clinician that she has no idea why it happened and that this is her first such incident. She has no history of mental health issues or past treatment. She says she’s not concerned. She’s in the clinician’s office only because her parents were concerned. She says the police were called to the theater to manage the situation, but she was not arrested. She says also that the person sitting in front of her said she was slapped a number of times, but the client doesn’t remember doing that. The therapist should:

Back 32

attempt to engage the client in a conversation about her life circumstances, including family, friends and school, to see if a crisis management or therapeutic relationship can be established that has a reasonably good chance of averting another incident.

Front 33

Which model is most closely affiliated with brief therapy?

Back 33

strategic

Front 34

The stance of the therapist is that of coach for all of the following models EXCEPT:

Back 34

Psychodynamic

Front 35

The family therapists best known by their investment in spontaneity, creativity and risk taking are:

Back 35

Experiential

Front 36

Questions that provide information about how a problem has managed to disrupt a family versus how much they have been able to control it are referred to as:

Back 36

Relative Influence questions

Front 37

A study of family therapy, rated outcomes in two different ways. The first way was a self-report in which family members were asked to rate their improvement on a scale of 1 – 5. The second rating was by trained observers watching for changes in specific behaviors on video playback of the families in their sessions. They also rated improvements on a scale of 1 – 5. Which of the following statements is correct?

Back 37

We can be more confident in the findings to the extent that the self-reports and observer ratings correlate

Front 38

A family comes to therapy and during the first session, the therapist observes that the 7-year-old daughter sits between her parents and looks toward her mother before answering any questions. The father appears bored during the session and constantly looks up toward the ceiling whenever the daughter looks toward the mother. The 5-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter are sitting opposite the parents and appear distracted and uninvolved.

As a Structural therapist you most likely would:

Back 38

instruct the 7-year-old to sit next to her siblings and ask the parents to sit next to each other.

Front 39

During a session with a couple, a husband states to the therapist that his wife often nags and belittles him. The therapist's intervention is to give the wife homework in which she is to only say positive things to her husband and abstain from any negative comments. When she appears to be negative or belittling to her husband he is to put his hand up and say, "Stop." A feminist therapist would be critical of the above technique because it:

Back 39

gives the husband more power, appears to be hierarchical and is therapist-driven.

Front 40

Mr. & Mrs. Doherty present for family therapy complaining that their son Jon will not listen to them and is acting out.

In assessing this family a Structural therapist would:

Back 40

focus on current interactional patterns between family members

Front 41

A family therapist working with a family with anorexic 19 year old daughter. The daughter has been hospitalize multiple times and has been referred to you by her pediatrician. The therapist is attempting to externalize the problem. In order to do so, she should ask:

Back 41

How does Anorexia make life difficult for each of you?

Front 42

This approach represents a multidimensional, theoretical model for the understanding of relationships in which men are violent toward women and argues that abusive relationships exemplify, in extremes, the stereotypical gender arrangements that structure intimacy between men and women generally; and proposes that paradoxical gender injunctions create insoluble relationship dilemmas that can explode in violence. This multifaceted approach to treatment, which incorporates feminist and systemic ideas and techniques was designed by:

Back 42

Goldner, Penn, Sheinberg, & Walker

Front 43

As a structural therapist you would most likely:

Back 43

imitate family style and affect

Front 44

A family comes to therapy with a child problem which the therapist believes is actually a marital problem. The person least likely to focus on the marital problem early on in therapy is

Back 44

Haley

Front 45

Which of the following terms are associated with general systems theory?

Back 45

process, structure and isomorphism

Front 46

The Solution Focused therapist believes that solutions to problems are often:

Back 46

Unrelated to the way the problems developed.

Front 47

According to research conducted by Beavers-Timberlawn, which family type is most at risk for domestic violence?

Back 47

centripetal

Front 48

Haley believed that normal family functioning includes all of the following EXCEPT:

Back 48

connectedness.

Front 49

The therapist is not considered responsible for change in which of the following schools?

Back 49

Milan Systemic

Front 50

As a family therapist influenced by the work of Milton Erickson, you would advocate:

Back 50

paradoxical intention

Front 51

"John, we are impressed with your selfless gifts to your family and are inclined to suggest no changes at this time. Your soiled pants give your father a reason to be involved in your family." This message might be one given by:

Back 51

Paul Watzlawick

Front 52

Mrs. J. called a Bowenian therapist and told him she wanted to set up an appointment with her and her husband and their daughter Mary, age 3, who was a behavior problem.

The therapist suggested that Mr. & Mrs. come for their first visit without Mary because:

Back 52

including Mary in the session could possibly detract from his desired focus.

Front 53

Blended families present unique circumstances for a therapist. Which of the following would be helpful to a family therapist in facilitating discussion

Back 53

addressing the boundary ambiguity often found when merging families

Front 54

The concept of the “saturated family”, the notion that the myriad of relationships, responsibilities, opinions and choices make it difficult for individuals to have a clear sense of their desires and beliefs, was developed by:

Back 54

Gergen

Front 55

In assessing a couple which of the following family therapists would use an approach that includes:

(1) Probing for stream-of-consciousness and visual images each spouse has when describing past marital events that did (or presently do) elicit negative affect and (2) Using a series of questions of the form "and if that were true, then what would the implications be?" to identify the "bottom line" most upsetting meanings the person attaches to the event?

Back 55

a cognitive behavioral therapist

Front 56

A family therapist would label the type of relationship that demonstrates the exchange of different types of behavior as:

Back 56

complementary

Front 57

A couple comes to therapy because their three-year-old daughter is “out of control”. During the session the wife begins complaining that her husband is never home and she is left to deal with her daughter's behavior.

An initial goal that a Structural Family Therapist working with this family might set is to:

Back 57

help the couple function together as a cohesive executive subsystem

Front 58

Studies have shown a reported decrease in delinquent behavior and positive change in family process when the families were involved in family therapy. A few studies comparing types of family therapies have found the following type of therapy to be most successful:

Back 58

behavioral-communication approach

Front 59

All of the following are true of the Behavioral model, EXCEPT:

Back 59

systems descriptions are inferred from observable and represent motor constructs

Front 60

According to the communication theorists the content aspect of communication is known as:

Back 60

report

Front 61

Research has found that the most effective treatment of children with conduct disorders, both aggressive and nonaggressive, has been:

Back 61

Psychoeducational model

Front 62

Mrs. J. called a Bowenian therapist and told him she wanted to set up an appointment to include herself, her husband and their daughter, Mary, age 3 who was a behavior problem.

Milton Erickson's influence on Strategic family therapy included all of the following except:

Back 62

organizing the family hierarchically

Front 63

Which one of the following therapists would emphasize that difficulties are turned into chronic problems by the persistence of misguided attempted solutions, forming positive feedback escalation?

Back 63

Watzlawick