×

Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

AMFTRB MFT Exam Questions

Page 3 of 25

41.

What BEST defines the concept of "family roles"?

  • Consistent behavioral patterns maintained by the family

  • Implied rules about how family members should conduct themselves

  • The limits shared between individuals and their families

  • How family members adjust their dynamics in response to changing environments

Correct answer: Consistent behavioral patterns maintained by the family

This is the appropriate definition for family roles.

Implied rules about how family members should conduct themselves are called covert rules. 

Limits between people are boundaries. 

How families change and adapt refers to the concept of adaptability.

42.

As an emotionally-focused therapist, you might engage in 'slowing down the processing' when working with clients. This intervention can be BEST described as:

  • Ensuring clients can sit with their primary emotions

  • Encouraging clients to attune to one another's needs

  • Highlighting the presence of secondary emotions

  • Creating a safe place to disclose vulnerable feelings 

Correct answer: Ensuring clients can sit with their primary emotions

Slowing down the processing is a core component of EFT, and it relates to having clients learn how to sit with their primary emotions. 

Attuning to one another's needs is important, but it does not adequately describe this intervention. Secondary emotions may be part of this processing, but it is not emphasized as essential. EFT therapists do aim to create safe spaces, but this is often part of building a strong alliance with the couple. 

43.

Sara (27) comes to you complaining about her sister Emma (26). She claims that Emma was always the center of attention in their family and that her parents are still enabling her financially. Sara states that she is tired of all the middle-of-the-night phone calls she gets from Emma. She doesn't want to always rescue her from crises. As a systemic therapist, you might say all of the following to validate Sara EXCEPT:

  • I am sorry your parents continue to enable your sister's behavior. 

  • It sounds like you're in a really challenging dynamic right now.

  • I can see that you're very frustrated with your sister's behavior.

  • It totally makes sense that you want to set boundaries with your sister. 

Correct answer: I am sorry your parents continue to enable your sister's behavior. 

Although this may sound validating, it could be a triangulatory response, meaning that you are only aligning with Sara's side of the story. 

The other statements are all validating- it would be appropriate to highlight the challenge, the feelings, and the desire to set boundaries. 

44.

When working with adult clients who experience physical abuse, it is important for therapists to consider all the following, EXCEPT:

  • They often play a part in causing or perpetuating the abuse 

  • They may have deeply entrenched patterns of learned helplessness

  • They have the right to their own autonomy

  • They may avoid the topic altogether

Correct answer: They often play a part in causing or perpetuating the abuse 

Therapists do not assign blame to victims of physical abuse, so this is not a consideration when working with such clients. 

However, therapists should operate under the notion that clients always have the right to their own autonomy. 

Furthermore, they may avoid the topic and/or have a sense of learned helplessness about their situation.

45.

Collaborative family therapists typically embrace a not-knowing approach. This means all the following EXCEPT: 

  • Recognizing that therapy is inherently abstract and ambivalent 

  • Assuming they are not an expert

  • Remaining curious and open-minded about each individual's experiences

  • Believing clients are the experts of their own lives  

Correct answer: Recognizing that therapy is inherently abstract and ambivalent 

Collaborative family therapists recognize that therapy (and life) is subjective, but they would not necessarily describe it as abstract or ambivalent. 

Instead, not-knowing means they believe clients (and not themselves) are the experts in their own lives. Subsequently, they remain curious and open-minded about hearing about their experiences. 

46.

When it comes to supporting men, one of the key goals in feminist family therapy is: 

  • Supporting them to become more aware and attuned to their emotions

  • Supporting them to empower women

  • Supporting them to dismantle the patriarchy

  • Supporting them to become more assertive when establishing power 

Correct answer: Supporting them to become more aware and attuned to their emotions

Feminist family therapists aim to support men in recognizing and attuning to their own emotions. 

This may inadvertently help them empower women and recognize inherent patriarchal problems (although those aren't the essential, primary goals). Establishing power is not an inherent goal in feminist family therapy. 

47.

Taylor, an 8-year-old boy, and his father, Steve, have been referred to you after a traumatic car accident that occurred two weeks ago. Since then, his father reports that he hasn't been sleeping well and that he is "terrified" to get in the car. He has also been "acting out" in class by ignoring his teacher and being more aggressive towards other children on the playground.  When you meet with Taylor, he tells you that he never wants to go in a car again and that he's scared of his parents dying while they drive to work. His father states he never had these fears before the accident. Given this information, the MOST LIKELY diagnosis you would give Taylor is: 

  • Acute stress disorder

  • Adjustment disorder

  • Posttraumatic stress disorder

  • Specific phobia 

Correct answer: Acute stress disorder

Taylor is showing trauma-related symptoms that meet the criteria for acute stress disorder.

He would need to have these symptoms for over one month to meet the criteria for PTSD. While he is showing adjustment issues, they are clearly related to the traumatic episode. He does show fears associated with cars, but they are directly connected to the car accident.  

48.

All the following are TRUE about spirituality in therapy, EXCEPT: 

  • Therapists should refer out clients with different religious backgrounds.

  • Therapists should inquire about the role spirituality plays in a client's life.

  • Therapists should recognize spirituality as not necessarily having a specific higher power.

  • Therapists should be aware of their own religious beliefs. 

Correct answer: Therapists should refer out clients with different religious backgrounds.

Therapists can certainly work with clients with different religious backgrounds. 

It is a good idea to discuss the role of spirituality in a client's life. Spirituality is a vast term and not always indicative of having a higher power. Ethically, therapists should be aware of their own biases, expectations, and beliefs around religion.

49.

Mike (49) is a computer programmer who works from home and has lived alone his entire adult life. He has never been married and only briefly dated one girl in high school. He does not have any real relationship with his family, and he finds having friends "pointless." On weekends, he usually takes solo hikes or plays video games. 

Mike MOST likely meets the criteria for:

  • Schizoid personality disorder

  • Schizotypal personality disorder

  • Antisocial personality disorder

  • Major depressive disorder

Correct answer: Schizoid personality disorder

Mike is generally withdrawn and apathetic when it comes to social relationships. This is a persistent pattern, making it fit the criteria for schizoid personality disorder.

He does not show any symptoms of schizotypal personality disorder (odd beliefs, unusual perceptual experiences, odd thinking) or antisocial personality behavior (failure to comply with social norms or aggressiveness). 

We also have no evidence that Mike feels depressed about his current situation.

50.

According to structural family therapists, the concept of hierarchy refers to how different leadership systems differ from the rest of the family. 

Based on this premise, which of the following is the BEST example of an appropriate leadership hierarchy in a family?

  • Parents deciding on an appropriate curfew for their teenager

  • Parents deciding how much food their toddler should eat for dinner

  • Children deciding which issues at school to address with their parents

  • Siblings deciding which rules to listen to about chores

Correct answer: Parents deciding on an appropriate curfew for their teenager 

In structural family therapy, hierarchies delineate the leadership subsystem within a family, separating it from the rest of the family. According to structural family therapists, the parents assume the leadership role for the family to succeed. Children may have some input, but the parents, as members of the leadership hierarchy, make the final decision. Deciding on appropriate limits for a child is a solid example of an appropriate leadership hierarchy within a family. 

Parents may decide which food to give to their toddler, but they would not inherently control how much the child should eat. 

Children have the right to choose what they disclose to their parents, but this is often a boundary and not a result of leadership hierarchy. 

Siblings that decide on rules may be more indicative of how they listen and respect the leadership hierarchy. Siblings deciding on rules would demonstrate an inappropriate leadership hierarchy.

51.

All the following are TRUE about crises, EXCEPT:

  • They cause lasting traumatic effects for individuals or groups. 

  • They disrupt the normal homeostasis between thoughts and feelings.

  • They make it challenging (or impossible) to engage in typical coping skills.

  • They can significantly impair an individual's quality of life. 

Correct answer: They cause lasting traumatic effects for individuals or groups. 

They CAN cause lasting traumatic effects, but this is not always the case, as everyone responds to a crisis differently. 

However, it is true that a crisis disrupts thoughts and feelings, makes usual coping skills difficult, and can significantly impair one's life. 

52.

You are referred to work with a female high school student, Jamie, who has just survived a school shooting. Jamie tells you that she occasionally hears voices, and she's not sure where they are coming from. She states that she sometimes noticed this before the school shooting, but that they really escalated after the event. Given this information, what would be your NEXT step?

  • Refer Jamie for a psychological evaluation. 

  • Thoroughly assess Jamie for a psychotic disorder.

  • Ask Jamie to talk back to the voices right now. 

  • Tell Jamie to ask her psychiatrist about anti-psychotic medication. 

Correct answer: Refer Jamie for a psychological evaluation. 

You would want to proceed by getting Jamie evaluated by a psychiatrist or medical doctor. 

You may continue to assess for psychotic symptoms, but you want to ensure you refer her for medical treatment. It would not be appropriate to just ask Jamie to talk back to the voices, and asking Jamie to ask her psychiatrist about medication assumes that she has a psychiatrist and/or that she has a condition that warrants anti-psychotic medication. Moreover, therapists are not qualified to make medication referrals.  

53.

All the following represent key goals in emotionally-focused couples therapy, EXCEPT:

  • Assuming personal ownership for relationship attachment wounds 

  • Increasing awareness of relationship attachment needs

  • Embracing new cycles of relationship attachment behavior

  • Deescalating barriers that maintain relationship attachment problems

Correct answer: Assuming personal ownership for attachment wounds 

While recognizing one's own part in the attachment cycle is important, an EFT therapist would focus more on how both people contribute to the relationship attachment behavior/problems. It is not about just one person taking full responsibility. 

Increasing awareness of attachment needs, embracing new cycles of attachment behavior, and deescalating barriers that maintain attachment problems are all core EFT goals. 

54.

All the following are TRUE about therapists planning for potential emergencies, EXCEPT:

  • Therapists should ensure clients meet their emergency stand-in therapist in advance. 

  • Therapists should have emergency stand-in therapists in place.

  • Therapists should review how emergency situations will be handled as part of the informed consent process. 

  • Therapists should ensure that stand-in therapists can provide the necessary services to maintain client care.

Correct answer: Therapists should ensure clients meet their emergency stand-in therapist in advance. 

This is not necessarily required or needed. 

However, therapists should always have 'back-up,' and clients should know about back-up protocol. Likewise, the back-up needs to be fully qualified to treat the same areas of focus/specialties as the therapist. 

55.

Sandra and Jaquan have been experiencing difficulty in their marriage, and they tend to pull their son, Andre, into their conflict. As a result, Andre has distanced himself from his parents. To encourage him to spend more time with the family, they have begun to limit the time Andre spends playing video games. Instead of spending time with his parents, Andre simply sits alone in his room. 

This is an example of:

  • First-order change

  • Second-order change

  • Third-order change

  • Cybernetic change

Correct answer: First-order change

First-order change occurs when family functioning or interaction changes, but the overall structure and rules are unchanged. Here, Andre has shown a change in functioning, as he is sitting alone in his room rather than playing video games. However, family structure has not changed. This is, therefore, first-order change.

In second-order change, there is an overall change in both the structure of the family and the rules within the family system. If Andre's parents worked to resolve their issues between the two of them and stopped bringing Andre into the conflict, the family structure would change. Andre would also likely begin spending more time with his parents. This would represent second-order change.

Third-order change and cybernetic change are the same things. This happens when the rules and structure within a system change, and the way a person experiences a system is entirely changed. If Andre saw a video about family systems theory online, and he began to understand his family's problems from a systems perspective, he might experience third-order or cybernetic change.

56.

In structural family therapy, a structural diagnosis can be BEST defined as:

  • How family dysfunction contributes to individual problems 

  • How family therapists implement a healthier structure to solve problems 

  • How family members display problematic issues within therapy 

  • How therapists occasionally take sides with specific family members

Correct answer: How family dysfunction contributes to individual problems 

A structural diagnosis examines how the entire family contributes to individual problems or behavior. 

How family therapists implement a healthier structure to solve problems is more of an example of restructuring. How family members display problematic issues within therapy defines enactment. How therapists occasionally take sides with specific family members is an example of unbalancing. 

57.

At the end of your termination session, your client presents you with a $100 gift card to a local restaurant next to your office. She thanks you profusely for your work and encourages you to take yourself out to a nice dinner. Ethically speaking, you should NEXT: 

  • Thank her for the gift card and explain why you must decline it.

  • Thank her for the gift card and tell her that you will certainly put it to good use.

  • Thank her for the gift card and explore the pros and cons of accepting it.

  • Thank her for the gift card and assess whether she can financially afford to give you this amount.  

Correct answer: Thank her for the gift card and explain why you must decline it.

Therapists can, in some cases, accept gifts, but they should not accept gifts of "substantial value." Most cash gifts, including gift cards, would fall under that category. 

Therefore, you would not explore the pros and cons with her or assess whether she can reasonably afford the amount.  As a general rule of thumb, it is ethically appropriate to decline gift cards. 

58.

Jake, 25, comes to you stating that he feels "blah" most of the day. He often feels worthless and incompetent at his work. He is sleeping more than usual, but never feels "awake." He no longer enjoys spending time with his friends and sometimes he finds it hard to shower. He states he has been feeling this way for the past few weeks, and he's not exactly sure why. Given this information, you are MOST likely to diagnose Jake with:

  • Major depressive disorder

  • Persistent depressive disorder

  • Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder  

  • Bipolar II disorder 

Correct answer: Major Depressive Disorder

These symptoms most fall under the category of major depressive disorder.

He would need to indicate experiencing the symptoms for 2+ years to meet the criteria for persistent depressive disorder. He does not indicate any outbursts, which are associated with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. He does not show any criteria for a hypomanic episode for Bipolar II.  

59.

Tim, 33, comes to you because his girlfriend, Ally, insists that he goes to therapy for being "so controlling and perfectionistic." When meeting with Tim, he agrees that he can be controlling. He states that he likes to "always know what's going on" in a given situation and that he often finds it difficult to be accommodating to someone else's needs. He admits that he's extremely frugal and gets upset when Ally "blows money on frivolous items." Tim states that he also struggles with some of these tendencies in the workplace, stating that he will obsess over policies and procedures and sometimes miss deadlines because he's so concerned about getting things done correctly. Based on this information, you would MOST LIKELY diagnose Tim with:

  • Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

  • Avoidant personality disorder

  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder 

  • Nothing - he does not appear to have any significant mental health conditions 

Correct answer: Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder

Tim shows symptoms associated with OCPD. 

To have an avoidant personality disorder, he would need to present as socially inhibited or isolated around others. If he had OCD, he would exhibit signs of obsessions (intrusive thoughts), which he does not indicate. His behaviors are also not inherently compulsive. 

60.

You typically treat clients with anxiety disorders in your practice. You are referred to work with a young adult. After several months of working together, she discloses that she binges and purges several times a day. You have no experience with treating eating disorders. Ethically, you should FIRST: 

  • Refer her to another provider because bulimia is outside your scope of competence

  • Refer her to another provider because bulimia is outside your scope of practice

  • Assess whether she is willing to focus on anxiety with you, and her bulimia with another provider

  • Continue working with her while receiving supervision and consultation

Correct answer: Refer her to another provider because bulimia is outside your scope of competence.

Marriage and family therapists are ethically required to work within their scope of competence. This means they do not treat, diagnose, or provide counsel on problems outside their specific scope of training. If you have no experience with treating eating disorders, and a client presents with severe bulimia, you should refer her to another provider. 

Treating eating disorders is generally within a therapist's scope of practice (which differs from scope of competence). You might agree to work with this client on anxiety while another therapist works with her on bulimia, but this is not the first ethical concern to address. It would not be appropriate to work with this client, even if you receive supervision and consultation. 

×