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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

AMFTRB MFT Exam Questions

Page 6 of 25

101.

According to HIPAA standards, which of the following is TRUE when it comes to minors and their privacy? 

  • State laws define minors differently, and those designations may slightly alter confidentiality rights. 

  • Minors have the same confidentiality rights as adults.

  • Minors do not have the same confidentiality rights as adults.

  • Minors have confidentiality rights based on the therapist's informed consent.

Correct answer: State laws define minors differently, and those designations may slightly alter confidentiality rights. 

Different states have different definitions for minors, so it is important to gain clarification about your specific state laws in advance. 

Therefore, the general rules of "having the same confidentiality rights" or NOT "having the same confidentiality rights" do not universally apply. The therapist should review confidentiality during the informed consent process, but they do not get to decide what those rights are.  

102.

Projective identification can be BEST defined as:

  • Incorporating both the good and bad parts of someone else onto an external object or person

  • Incorporating the good and bad parts of someone else onto an external object or person

  • Incorporating the bad parts of someone else onto an external object or person

  • Incorporating a a realistic framework onto an external object or person 

Correct answer: Incorporating both the good and bad parts of someone else onto an external object or person

Projective incorporation entails both the good and bad parts (not just one of each). 

However, it is rarely a realistic framework, as it entails a sense of splitting. 

103.

A minor client schedules an appointment with you after facing a serious crisis at school. However, she shows up to the intake without her parent and states that she wants to avoid telling them about therapy altogether. You are concerned about the crisis she recently underwent. 

Based on this information, you should NEXT:

  • Refer to your state laws about minor consent for psychotherapy treatment

  • Agree to see the client privately while reviewing the limits of confidentiality

  • Require that the client discloses her therapy with her parents before proceeding

  • Agree to see the client if they are old enough to consent for treatment

Correct answer: Refer to your state laws about minor consent for psychotherapy treatment

Every state has different laws about working with minors (and crisis issues aren't inherently exempt from these policies), so you want to refer to your own state's laws ahead of time. 

You would not necessarily agree to see the client privately unless it is legally and ethically appropriate. 

You also probably would not mandate that the client disclose therapy with her parents, although state laws may require that the parents also provide consent. 

State laws dictate whether a client is old enough to consent to treatment, so that is not a universal answer.   

The best choice is to first consult with your state laws to ensure that your practice remains ethical and in line with legal mandates in your jurisdiction.

104.

All the following represent appropriate coping skills to teach a client in crisis, EXCEPT:

  • Prescribing the symptom  

  • Deep breathing

  • Pleasant activity scheduling

  • Cognitive restructuring 

Correct answer: Prescribing the symptom  

Prescribing the symptom is more of an intervention that strategic family therapists use to encourage clients to engage in certain, unwanted behaviors. This is rarely appropriate in crisis situations (and it isn't really a coping skill but more of a directive). 

However, deep breathing, pleasant activity scheduling, and cognitive restructuring all represent simple, proactive coping skills that can help a client in a crisis. 

105.

In the context of crisis situations, therapists need to be mindful of the risks of being sued for malpractice when all the following occur, EXCEPT:

  • When the therapist engaged in a dual relationship

  • When the therapist had a duty of care

  • When the client care fell below the standard of care

  • When the therapist emotionally damaged the client

Correct answer: When the therapist engaged in a dual relationship 

Dual relationships can lead to malpractice, but not always. In some cases, they are inevitable and part of the therapy process. 

However, the other criteria do apply: when the therapist had a duty of care, when the client care fell below the standard of care, and when the therapist emotionally damaged the client. 

All of these would be situations in which a therapist could be sued for malpractice.

106.

Despite your best efforts, many of your sessions tend to run a few minutes late. Finally, after several months of this pattern, you decide to commit to ending this pattern. All the following represent common ways clients might react to this sudden change, EXCEPT: 

  • Clients will automatically respect your boundaries for time.

  • Clients will feel confused about why the rules have abruptly changed.

  • Clients will worry that you no longer care as much about them.

  • Clients will inherently assume they did something wrong. 

Correct answer: Clients will automatically respect your boundaries for time.

Most clients will be confused, worried, or assume guilt that they did something wrong. 

Even if you had specific rules listed ahead of time, they won't necessarily understand why they have changed. This has to do with the power of the therapist and the inherent differential within the structure. As a result, they will likely NOT automatically respect your new boundaries for time. 

107.

All the following are true when it comes to considering the ethics of working with multiple clients in a system, EXCEPT:

  • Therapists should always be entirely neutral 

  • Therapists should clearly define who is "the client"

  • Therapists should maintain confidentiality

  • Therapists should adhere to their "no secrets" policies 

Correct answer: Therapists should always be entirely neutral 

It may not always be possible (or necessary) for therapists to remain entirely neutral. 

However, they should identify "the client," maintain confidentiality, and adhere to any "no secrets" policy that they implement.

108.

Which of the following statements is TRUE when it comes to crisis intervention?

  • Crisis intervention is generally temporary.

  • Crisis intervention is part of mandated reporting. 

  • Crisis intervention is exempt from confidentiality.

  • Crisis intervention is generally long-term. 

Correct answer: Crisis intervention is generally temporary.

Crisis intervention is generally temporary. 

Crisis intervention is not inherently part of mandated reporting, and it is not inherently exempt from confidentiality. Clients who need long-term support tend to benefit from more long-term therapy.

109.

All the following are ethically TRUE about providing teletherapy services, EXCEPT:

  • Therapists should engage in this mode of therapy when it is the only feasible option. 

  • Therapists need to ensure that this mode of therapy is appropriate for their clients.

  • Therapists should only engage in this mode of therapy after receiving appropriate training or education. 

  • Therapists should inform clients about the risks and benefits of this mode of therapy. 

Correct answer: Therapists should engage in this mode of therapy when it is the only feasible option. 

In recent years, teletherapy has become more popular. Even if it is NOT the only feasible option, therapists and clients certainly have a right to engage in this mode of treatment. 

However, therapists should ensure that it is appropriate, that they have sufficient training, and that their clients understand the risks and benefits. 

110.

Katie is a single mother who calls you for a consultation because she is concerned about her 2-year-old daughter, Bree. Bree was potty-trained at 18 months "without any problems" but is now defecating in her underwear, smearing it on the walls, and sometimes playing with it before her mother catches her. Bree has told Kate she doesn't want to use the potty anymore, and she has asked to use diapers again. Based on this information, you would MOST LIKELY diagnose Bree with: 

  • Nothing - there is not enough information to substantiate a diagnosis at this time.

  • Encopresis

  • Enuresis

  • Reactive attachment disorder 

Correct answer: Nothing - there is not enough information to substantiate a diagnosis at this time.

We do not have enough information about Bree's behavior, situation, or frequency of defecation. She is also only two, and diagnosing encopresis starts after age 4. Enuresis refers to urination. She does not show symptoms of reactive attachment disorder. 

111.

Masters and Johnson emphasized that dual-sex therapy teams could BEST support couples because: 

  • women best understand female sexuality and men best understand male sexuality.

  • both partners need to feel they have a professional on their side.

  • it promotes more safety within the therapy sessions. 

  • therapists can provide different levels of expertise to help the couple. 

Correct answer: women best understand female sexuality and men best understand male sexuality.

Masters and Johnson emphasized that women understand female sexuality and men understand male sexuality. Safety, having more professional support on one's side, and providing more expertise may be important factors, but they were not explicitly stated in their reasoning. 

112.

You have been treating one of your clients, Jen, for several months. She has a change in her work schedule and asks if she can transition to seeing you virtually. Which of the following is MOST IMPORTANT when evaluating whether she is appropriate for this kind of care? 

  • Ensuring that you can provide a continuous effective level of care of Jen

  • Ensuring that Jen does not have any imminent safety issues

  • Ensuring that you have room in your schedule for changing her appointment time

  • Ensuring that she understands the scope of competence associated with telehealth 

Correct answer: Ensuring that you can provide a continuous effective level of care of Jen

When providing telehealth, you want to ensure that you can provide an equal level of care for clients (as compared to face-to-face therapy). 

It does not appear that Jen has safety issues (and that would not necessarily rule out telehealth). You should have room in your schedule for your client, but it certainly isn't the most important consideration at the moment. Likewise, even if she does understand the scope of competence, it's your responsibility to ensure she is appropriate for telehealth. 

113.

All the following are specifiers for depressive disorders, EXCEPT:

  • Childhood features

  • Melancholic features

  • Mixed features

  • Psychotic features

Correct answer: Childhood features

Childhood features are not a specifier for depressive disorders.

Melancholic, fixed, and psychotic features are all specifiers. 

114.

All the following symptoms are associated with histrionic personality disorder EXCEPT:

  • Having distorted thoughts of superiority 

  • Persistently seeking attention from others

  • Dressing provocatively

  • Wanting to please others 

Correct answer: Having distorted thoughts of superiority 

Superiority is more of a trait associated with narcissism. 

Wanting attention from others, dressing provocatively, and wanting to please others are hallmark characteristics of histrionic personality disorder. 

115.

Dual relationships are sometimes unavoidable, and therapists sometimes see and interact with clients in their personal lives. 

That said, which of the following dual relationships would be considered the MOST unethical?

  • Hiring a client to help with office bookkeeping

  • Attending the same church as a client

  • Living in the same small town as a client

  • Inviting the client on a nature walk as part of treatment

Correct answer: Hiring a client to help with office bookkeeping

In most cases, it is never appropriate to hire a client for pay. Barter may be acceptable, but this is a rare exception. 

Depending on the context, it may be reasonable to attend the same church as a client. 

Living in the same small town as a client or engaging in experiential treatments like walking in nature are not serious dual relationship violations. In fact, experiential treatment can be therapeutic and does not represent a dual relationship. 

In small towns, there may be only one therapist (who also lives in the town), and thus, a dual relationship could be unavoidable.

116.

Which of the following represents a MAIN goal in MRI Systemic therapy?

  • Offer symptom relief and foster second-order change

  • Offer symptom relief and foster first-order change

  • Offer symptom relief and decrease family anxiety

  • Offer symptom relief and prescribe the symptoms 

Correct answer: Offer symptom relief and foster second-order change

Therapists attempt to focus on more sustainable changes within the system (known as second-order change).

First-order changes tend to be more temporary, so that would not be the main focus. Decreasing family anxiety is a Bowenian goal. Prescribing the symptoms is an intervention and not a goal.  

117.

Which of the following BEST explains the concept of systemic thinking as it applies to marriage and family therapy?

  • Therapists perceive clients as individuals and as parts of greater systems within the world.

  • Therapists perceive individual problems as a result of generational patterns.

  • Therapists perceive mental illness as subjective societal constructs.

  • Therapists perceive couples as enactments of their parents.

Correct answer: Therapists perceive clients as individuals and as parts of greater systems within the world.

Systemic thinking means thinking about how individuals act within greater systems. 

The other answers might be true (depending on the context), but none of them adequately address the concept of systemic thinking. Generational patterns and enactments may exist, but that depends on the client. Mental illnesses may, at times, be subjective, but that is another argument altogether. 

118.

Which of the following examples BEST illustrates a rigid triangle in a family system?

  • A mother and daughter who align in their views that father is to blame for all problems in the family

  • A father who often disagrees with his wife about parenting their teenage daughter

  • A teenage daughter who strongly prefers her father and confides in him when she needs comfort

  • A teenage daughter who disobeys her father when he disciplines her but listens attentively to her mother

Correct answer: A mother and daughter who align in their views that father is to blame for all problems in the family 

In this scenario, a rigid triangle has formed. This occurs when two people (a dyad) are in conflict, and a third person is pulled in to spread the tension. In this case, mother and father appear to be at odds, and the mother has pulled in the daughter (a third party) to spread the tension. 

Disagreeing with another parent over parenting isn't inherently indicative of a triangle (same with a child preferring one parent or listening better to one parent). That could be more of a transitional phase.

119.

Which of the following is the MOST accurate statement about when it would be appropriate to use Cognitive Behavioral Couple Therapy?

  • It would be an appropriate intervention for couples showing mild to moderate levels of aggression

  • It shouldn't be used in cases of infidelity because it can be harmful

  • It should only be used in White, heterosexual couples because it isn't appropriate for use with diverse samples

  • It should only be used in cases of individual psychopathology and shouldn't be used with couples

Correct answer: It would be an appropriate intervention for couples showing mild to moderate levels of aggression

This is the correct answer option. Cognitive behavioral couple therapy (CBCT) can be useful for couples displaying mild to moderate levels of aggression. This modality can teach partners how to manage anger using self-soothing practices and time-outs.

The other options here are not correct. 

CBCT can be used for infidelity to help couples cope and make better decisions in the future. 

It would be incorrect to state that it cannot be used with diverse samples because research has shown it is effective in racially and socioeconomically diverse samples. 

Finally, it can be used for both couples and individuals.

120.

All the following are TRUE about binge eating disorder EXCEPT:

  • Obesity is one of the symptoms associated with binge eating disorder.

  • It's possible to be underweight and have binge eating disorder.

  • A binge is classified as eating a significant amount of food even when not feeling hungry.

  • During a binge, people eat much faster than they normally would. 

Correct answer: Obesity is one of the symptoms associated with binge eating disorder.

Obesity is not a symptom associated with binge eating disorder, although obesity can be a side effect. 

It is possible to be any weight with binge eating disorder. Binges refer to eating a large volume of food very quickly (even when not hungry). 

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