ARKANSAS COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY
LICENSING TEST EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS AND RATIONALES
LATEST 2026-2027 UPDATE
Questions 1–10
1. A counselor is using a person-centered approach with a client who has
difficulty expressing emotions. Which intervention is MOST consistent
with Carl Rogers' theory?
A. Interpretation of unconscious conflicts
B. Unconditional positive regard
C. Cognitive restructuring
D. Systematic desensitization
Correct Answer: B. Unconditional positive regard
Rationale: Person-centered counseling emphasizes empathy,
congruence, and unconditional positive regard. Rogers believed these
conditions facilitate personal growth and self-directed change.
2. A client reports excessive worry occurring more days than not for at
least six months about several areas of life. Which diagnosis is MOST
appropriate?
A. Panic disorder
B. Generalized anxiety disorder
C. Social anxiety disorder
D. Adjustment disorder
Correct Answer: B. Generalized anxiety disorder
,Rationale: Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive anxiety and
worry about multiple domains occurring more days than not for at least
six months, accompanied by associated symptoms such as restlessness,
fatigue, concentration difficulties, irritability, muscle tension, or sleep
disturbance.
3. Which ethical principle requires a counselor to respect a client's right
to make informed decisions about treatment?
A. Justice
B. Autonomy
C. Fidelity
D. Nonmaleficence
Correct Answer: B. Autonomy
Rationale: Autonomy refers to respecting clients' capacity and right to
make voluntary, informed decisions regarding their care.
4. During informed consent, which information is MOST important for a
counselor to provide?
A. The counselor's personal beliefs
B. The counselor's preferred theoretical orientation only
C. The nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives of treatment
D. A guarantee of successful treatment
Correct Answer: C. The nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives of
treatment
Rationale: Informed consent requires clients to receive sufficient
information to make an informed and voluntary decision about
counseling.
,5. A client states, "I have decided to kill myself tonight, and I have the
firearm ready." What should the counselor do FIRST?
A. Schedule another appointment
B. Explore childhood experiences
C. Conduct an immediate suicide risk assessment and take appropriate
protective action
D. Ask the client to promise not to attempt suicide
Correct Answer: C. Conduct an immediate suicide risk assessment
and take appropriate protective action
Rationale: A specific plan, intent, immediate timeframe, and access to
lethal means indicate potentially imminent risk. The counselor must
prioritize safety and follow applicable emergency and legal procedures.
6. Which therapeutic approach emphasizes identifying and changing
irrational beliefs?
A. Rational-emotive behavior therapy
B. Person-centered therapy
C. Gestalt therapy
D. Psychoanalysis
Correct Answer: A. Rational-emotive behavior therapy
Rationale: Albert Ellis's rational-emotive behavior therapy focuses on
identifying irrational beliefs and replacing them with more rational,
adaptive beliefs.
, 7. A counselor notices strong feelings toward a client that interfere with
objective treatment. This situation is BEST described as:
A. Transference
B. Countertransference
C. Projection
D. Resistance
Correct Answer: B. Countertransference
Rationale: Countertransference occurs when the counselor's own
emotional reactions toward a client affect the therapeutic relationship or
professional judgment.
8. Which assessment property refers to the consistency of scores
obtained from an instrument?
A. Validity
B. Reliability
C. Standardization
D. Sensitivity
Correct Answer: B. Reliability
Rationale: Reliability concerns the consistency or stability of
measurement. Validity concerns whether an assessment actually
measures what it is intended to measure.
9. A counselor wants to determine whether a test measures the
psychological construct it claims to measure. This concerns:
A. Construct validity
B. Inter-rater reliability
LICENSING TEST EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
CORRECT ANSWERS AND RATIONALES
LATEST 2026-2027 UPDATE
Questions 1–10
1. A counselor is using a person-centered approach with a client who has
difficulty expressing emotions. Which intervention is MOST consistent
with Carl Rogers' theory?
A. Interpretation of unconscious conflicts
B. Unconditional positive regard
C. Cognitive restructuring
D. Systematic desensitization
Correct Answer: B. Unconditional positive regard
Rationale: Person-centered counseling emphasizes empathy,
congruence, and unconditional positive regard. Rogers believed these
conditions facilitate personal growth and self-directed change.
2. A client reports excessive worry occurring more days than not for at
least six months about several areas of life. Which diagnosis is MOST
appropriate?
A. Panic disorder
B. Generalized anxiety disorder
C. Social anxiety disorder
D. Adjustment disorder
Correct Answer: B. Generalized anxiety disorder
,Rationale: Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive anxiety and
worry about multiple domains occurring more days than not for at least
six months, accompanied by associated symptoms such as restlessness,
fatigue, concentration difficulties, irritability, muscle tension, or sleep
disturbance.
3. Which ethical principle requires a counselor to respect a client's right
to make informed decisions about treatment?
A. Justice
B. Autonomy
C. Fidelity
D. Nonmaleficence
Correct Answer: B. Autonomy
Rationale: Autonomy refers to respecting clients' capacity and right to
make voluntary, informed decisions regarding their care.
4. During informed consent, which information is MOST important for a
counselor to provide?
A. The counselor's personal beliefs
B. The counselor's preferred theoretical orientation only
C. The nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives of treatment
D. A guarantee of successful treatment
Correct Answer: C. The nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives of
treatment
Rationale: Informed consent requires clients to receive sufficient
information to make an informed and voluntary decision about
counseling.
,5. A client states, "I have decided to kill myself tonight, and I have the
firearm ready." What should the counselor do FIRST?
A. Schedule another appointment
B. Explore childhood experiences
C. Conduct an immediate suicide risk assessment and take appropriate
protective action
D. Ask the client to promise not to attempt suicide
Correct Answer: C. Conduct an immediate suicide risk assessment
and take appropriate protective action
Rationale: A specific plan, intent, immediate timeframe, and access to
lethal means indicate potentially imminent risk. The counselor must
prioritize safety and follow applicable emergency and legal procedures.
6. Which therapeutic approach emphasizes identifying and changing
irrational beliefs?
A. Rational-emotive behavior therapy
B. Person-centered therapy
C. Gestalt therapy
D. Psychoanalysis
Correct Answer: A. Rational-emotive behavior therapy
Rationale: Albert Ellis's rational-emotive behavior therapy focuses on
identifying irrational beliefs and replacing them with more rational,
adaptive beliefs.
, 7. A counselor notices strong feelings toward a client that interfere with
objective treatment. This situation is BEST described as:
A. Transference
B. Countertransference
C. Projection
D. Resistance
Correct Answer: B. Countertransference
Rationale: Countertransference occurs when the counselor's own
emotional reactions toward a client affect the therapeutic relationship or
professional judgment.
8. Which assessment property refers to the consistency of scores
obtained from an instrument?
A. Validity
B. Reliability
C. Standardization
D. Sensitivity
Correct Answer: B. Reliability
Rationale: Reliability concerns the consistency or stability of
measurement. Validity concerns whether an assessment actually
measures what it is intended to measure.
9. A counselor wants to determine whether a test measures the
psychological construct it claims to measure. This concerns:
A. Construct validity
B. Inter-rater reliability
