MFT NATIONAL EXAM SCRIPT QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Mary's mother often calls her during the week to complain about the behavior of her
father. Usually, Mary is highly sympathetic and supportive of her mother's complaints
and becomes and remains angry at her father for sometime following the call. After
attending therapy with a Bowenian therapist, however, Mary responded to her mother's
next complaining phone call with the following statement, That sounds like something
really important that dad needs to know. Have you talked about this with him? Mary is
attempting to do what in Bowenian terms? - ✔✔detriangle
✔✔A contextual therapist will frequently attempt to help a client see the positive intent
and intergenerational loyalty issues behind even the most destructive behaviors of
previous generations. this concept is known as - ✔✔exoneration
✔✔Object relations theorists believe that, as a process of normal development parts of
caretakers are split off and internalized into a child's developing personality.
Expectations of self and other are based on these internal representations. They are
known as - ✔✔ledgers
✔✔This major model developer believed that, in order for a therapist to remain
detached, neutral, and non-anxious with clients, he or she must lower their level of
reactivity to their own family of origin. Who was the model developer? - ✔✔Murray
Bowen
✔✔This theoretical concept states that normal development should entail a degree of
emotional separation from family of origin while remaining in relationship with them. In
addition, an individual should be able to separate emotions from cognitions. What is this
concept? - ✔✔differentiation
✔✔According to Contextual Family Therapy, each family member earns this concept
through the accumulation of care and concerns toward others. - ✔✔merit
✔✔Anna (35) and Chuck (40) have been married for ten years and have struggled with
sexual issues the whole time. Although Anna probably has a desire disorder and doesn't
enjoy sex, she insists that Chuck is the one who never wants to be sexual. She has
made appointments with medical doctors and therapists and tells each one that she
very much wants to have more sexual relationship with Chuck doesn't want to.
According to object relations theory, Anna is probably engaging in what? - ✔✔projective
identification
✔✔Amy is discussing her relationship with her father in therapy. She is angry and
attributes her father's "unreasonable" behavior to his lack of empathy for others. As she
describes the latest argument with her father, her therapist says, "As your father turned
, around and walked out of the room, what were you thinking?" and "What happened
next?" and "How did you respond to that?" Her therapist is probably using _____ and is
practicing from a _____ - ✔✔process questions/Bowen
✔✔Milan systemic therapy differs from Haley's strategic in that - ✔✔systemic therapy
helps families to understand the meaning of the symptoms, while strategic just changes
the pattern
✔✔In Strategic Therapy, when first starting out with a family in therapy, it is important to
- ✔✔adjust your style to the family's, paying close attention to both verbal and non-
verbal cues as you attempt to engage with each member of the family.
✔✔The following theorist is most associated with power and control - ✔✔Haley
✔✔Which model will sometimes use ordeals to alter symptom expression? -
✔✔Strategic
✔✔According to MRI, all communication contains which of the following two levels of
functions? - ✔✔report and command
✔✔A symptom carrier for family dysfunction or pathology is often referred to as - ✔✔the
scapegoat
✔✔In the MRI version of brief therapy, it is essential to - ✔✔identify the disabling
sequence of which the symptom is a vital part
✔✔Which theorist assumes that all problems presented to therapy result from the
dilemma between love and violence? - ✔✔Chloe Madanas
✔✔Which of the following is NOT one of the five stages of the initial interview? Social
Stage, Engagement Stage, Problem Stage, Interaction Stage - ✔✔engagement stage
✔✔Dr. J is seeing a family in which the husband and wife frequently argue in the
bedroom. In fact, the two argue while preparing for bed almost every night. Dr. J does
not ask the couple to attempt to stop their arguments, but directs them to only argue in
the kitchen. If an argument starts in the bedroom, they have to move to the kitchen to
compete it. Dr. J is using what technique? - ✔✔manipulating the symptom
✔✔In addition, Dr J exaggerates the couple's arguments, calling the "battles" and
relationship threatening. He relates to the family is fears that these "battles" are headed
straight for the divorce court. Dr. J is most likely practicing from which theorist's model?
- ✔✔Haley
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Mary's mother often calls her during the week to complain about the behavior of her
father. Usually, Mary is highly sympathetic and supportive of her mother's complaints
and becomes and remains angry at her father for sometime following the call. After
attending therapy with a Bowenian therapist, however, Mary responded to her mother's
next complaining phone call with the following statement, That sounds like something
really important that dad needs to know. Have you talked about this with him? Mary is
attempting to do what in Bowenian terms? - ✔✔detriangle
✔✔A contextual therapist will frequently attempt to help a client see the positive intent
and intergenerational loyalty issues behind even the most destructive behaviors of
previous generations. this concept is known as - ✔✔exoneration
✔✔Object relations theorists believe that, as a process of normal development parts of
caretakers are split off and internalized into a child's developing personality.
Expectations of self and other are based on these internal representations. They are
known as - ✔✔ledgers
✔✔This major model developer believed that, in order for a therapist to remain
detached, neutral, and non-anxious with clients, he or she must lower their level of
reactivity to their own family of origin. Who was the model developer? - ✔✔Murray
Bowen
✔✔This theoretical concept states that normal development should entail a degree of
emotional separation from family of origin while remaining in relationship with them. In
addition, an individual should be able to separate emotions from cognitions. What is this
concept? - ✔✔differentiation
✔✔According to Contextual Family Therapy, each family member earns this concept
through the accumulation of care and concerns toward others. - ✔✔merit
✔✔Anna (35) and Chuck (40) have been married for ten years and have struggled with
sexual issues the whole time. Although Anna probably has a desire disorder and doesn't
enjoy sex, she insists that Chuck is the one who never wants to be sexual. She has
made appointments with medical doctors and therapists and tells each one that she
very much wants to have more sexual relationship with Chuck doesn't want to.
According to object relations theory, Anna is probably engaging in what? - ✔✔projective
identification
✔✔Amy is discussing her relationship with her father in therapy. She is angry and
attributes her father's "unreasonable" behavior to his lack of empathy for others. As she
describes the latest argument with her father, her therapist says, "As your father turned
, around and walked out of the room, what were you thinking?" and "What happened
next?" and "How did you respond to that?" Her therapist is probably using _____ and is
practicing from a _____ - ✔✔process questions/Bowen
✔✔Milan systemic therapy differs from Haley's strategic in that - ✔✔systemic therapy
helps families to understand the meaning of the symptoms, while strategic just changes
the pattern
✔✔In Strategic Therapy, when first starting out with a family in therapy, it is important to
- ✔✔adjust your style to the family's, paying close attention to both verbal and non-
verbal cues as you attempt to engage with each member of the family.
✔✔The following theorist is most associated with power and control - ✔✔Haley
✔✔Which model will sometimes use ordeals to alter symptom expression? -
✔✔Strategic
✔✔According to MRI, all communication contains which of the following two levels of
functions? - ✔✔report and command
✔✔A symptom carrier for family dysfunction or pathology is often referred to as - ✔✔the
scapegoat
✔✔In the MRI version of brief therapy, it is essential to - ✔✔identify the disabling
sequence of which the symptom is a vital part
✔✔Which theorist assumes that all problems presented to therapy result from the
dilemma between love and violence? - ✔✔Chloe Madanas
✔✔Which of the following is NOT one of the five stages of the initial interview? Social
Stage, Engagement Stage, Problem Stage, Interaction Stage - ✔✔engagement stage
✔✔Dr. J is seeing a family in which the husband and wife frequently argue in the
bedroom. In fact, the two argue while preparing for bed almost every night. Dr. J does
not ask the couple to attempt to stop their arguments, but directs them to only argue in
the kitchen. If an argument starts in the bedroom, they have to move to the kitchen to
compete it. Dr. J is using what technique? - ✔✔manipulating the symptom
✔✔In addition, Dr J exaggerates the couple's arguments, calling the "battles" and
relationship threatening. He relates to the family is fears that these "battles" are headed
straight for the divorce court. Dr. J is most likely practicing from which theorist's model?
- ✔✔Haley
