NRNP 6645 COMPREHENSIVE
PSYCHOTHERAPY EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
1. In Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), which task is specifically associated with the initial
phase of treatment?
A. Conducting a formal inventory of interpersonal relationships.
B. Encouraging the patient to take on the ‘sick role’ to justify their symptoms.
C. Developing specific behavioral strategies for social skills training.
D. Reviewing the patient’s progress and planning for maintenance.
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: The initial phase of IPT focuses on the interpersonal inventory,
where the clinician maps out the patient’s significant relationships and identifies the
interpersonal problem area (grief, role dispute, role transition, or deficits).
2. Irvin Yalom identified eleven curative factors in group psychotherapy. Which factor refers
to the realization that one is not alone in their suffering?
A. Altruism
,B. Catharsis
C. Universality
D. Instillation of hope
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Universality is the recognition that other members in the group
share similar feelings, experiences, and problems, which helps reduce isolation.
3. According to Murray Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, what is the primary goal of the
therapist?
A. To increase emotional reactivity within the family unit.
B. To identify and punish the ‘identified patient’.
C. To foster differentiation of self among family members.
D. To encourage enmeshment to ensure family loyalty.
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Bowen’s theory emphasizes differentiation of self, which is the
ability to maintain one’s own sense of self while remaining emotionally connected to the
family.
4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is founded on the balance between which two core
concepts?
A. Transference and Countertransference
, B. Behavior and Cognition
C. Id and Superego
D. Acceptance and Change
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: DBT uses the dialectic of validating the patient’s current state
(acceptance) while simultaneously working toward behavioral modification (change).
5. In Beck’s Cognitive Theory, the ‘Cognitive Triad’ of depression consists of negative views
about:
A. Past, present, and future.
B. Self, world, and future.
C. Self, world, and others.
D. Parents, peers, and society.
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Aaron Beck proposed that depressed individuals have a negative
outlook on themselves, their current experiences (the world), and their future.
6. Salvador Minuchin’s Structural Family Therapy focuses primarily on:
A. The multigenerational transmission of trauma.
B. Boundaries and hierarchies within the family system.
PSYCHOTHERAPY EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
1. In Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), which task is specifically associated with the initial
phase of treatment?
A. Conducting a formal inventory of interpersonal relationships.
B. Encouraging the patient to take on the ‘sick role’ to justify their symptoms.
C. Developing specific behavioral strategies for social skills training.
D. Reviewing the patient’s progress and planning for maintenance.
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: The initial phase of IPT focuses on the interpersonal inventory,
where the clinician maps out the patient’s significant relationships and identifies the
interpersonal problem area (grief, role dispute, role transition, or deficits).
2. Irvin Yalom identified eleven curative factors in group psychotherapy. Which factor refers
to the realization that one is not alone in their suffering?
A. Altruism
,B. Catharsis
C. Universality
D. Instillation of hope
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Universality is the recognition that other members in the group
share similar feelings, experiences, and problems, which helps reduce isolation.
3. According to Murray Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, what is the primary goal of the
therapist?
A. To increase emotional reactivity within the family unit.
B. To identify and punish the ‘identified patient’.
C. To foster differentiation of self among family members.
D. To encourage enmeshment to ensure family loyalty.
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: Bowen’s theory emphasizes differentiation of self, which is the
ability to maintain one’s own sense of self while remaining emotionally connected to the
family.
4. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is founded on the balance between which two core
concepts?
A. Transference and Countertransference
, B. Behavior and Cognition
C. Id and Superego
D. Acceptance and Change
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: DBT uses the dialectic of validating the patient’s current state
(acceptance) while simultaneously working toward behavioral modification (change).
5. In Beck’s Cognitive Theory, the ‘Cognitive Triad’ of depression consists of negative views
about:
A. Past, present, and future.
B. Self, world, and future.
C. Self, world, and others.
D. Parents, peers, and society.
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: Aaron Beck proposed that depressed individuals have a negative
outlook on themselves, their current experiences (the world), and their future.
6. Salvador Minuchin’s Structural Family Therapy focuses primarily on:
A. The multigenerational transmission of trauma.
B. Boundaries and hierarchies within the family system.
