TF-CBT CERT Exam Newest 2026/2027 Questions
and Correct Detailed Answers Already Graded A+
A 14-year old girl named Lisa presents to therapy with her mother who is very
concerned about her after an acquaintance rape by a 17 year-old boy. Lisa says
she does not want therapy and will not provide any information about the
distress she is experiencing. She denies having any problems. When given the
UCLA PTSD RI, she fills it out in 5 minutes will all "no's" for trauma exposure and
does not endorse any symptoms of PTSD. Her mother fills out the UCLA PTSD RI-
Parent Version which yields a high score on the severity index . Her mother
reports that Lisa has disruptions in sleep and eating, increased anxiety, avoidance
of going out of the house past 5pm, and notices that her daughter cries in her
room several times a day and has angry, irritable outbursts. The mother indicates
that Lisa needs therapy and wants the therapist to convince her daughter to come
back again. - CORRECT ANSWER-30. The therapist should:
a) Persuasively present the 20 reasons Lisa should come back to therapy the
following week.
b) Try to find out about some interests/hobbies Lisa has and have her share about
them and work to establish rapport. Let Lisa know you would love to learn more
about her life perspective (what is going well, what could be better) and the
,therapist could help her meet her personal goals by coming to therapy. Ask her to
give it a try.
c) Tell the mother to consider waiting 4-6 weeks to determine if Lisa's symptoms
will improve without therapy. If Lisa continues to have significant PTSD
symptoms, suggest to the mother that she take Lisa to a physician for a
medication evaluation prior to starting therapy.
d) Refer this child for a general support group as she may be much more likely to
discuss her feelings about the abuse in this context.
An 11-year-old boy has been referred to you for TF-CBT. You have reports from
his social worker indicating exposure to extreme domestic violence in which his
mother was killed and physical abuse by his father. There is also a police report
providing details about the domestic violence. The boy is now living with a
maternal aunt. During the intake process, the client reports zero traumatic
events. - CORRECT ANSWER-31. What would be the appropriate next step?
a) You do not go forward with TF-CBT as there is no clear trauma history. You
refer the child instead for play therapy.
b) Since children readily disclose trauma, the reports from the social worker and
the police must be wrong. Offer general mental health treatment for behavioral
problems.
c) Close the referral; this child clearly does not need therapy.
, d) Normalize the avoidance with the child and acknowledge that you know what
he was exposed to based on the reports that were provided. Begin
psychoeducation.
Ricardo is a 4-year-old boy who is living in foster care due to his mother's severe
drug abuse and multiple other trauma experiences (neglect, physical abuse,
suspected sexual abuse by one or more of the mother's paramours). He has lived
in his current foster home for about two months and his foster mother describes
behavioral problems, not making friends in the foster home or at preschool, and
being "cranky". The foster mother's biggest concern is that Ricardo becomes
aggressive for no reason, often hitting or biting other children. - CORRECT
ANSWER-32. Although Ricardo has experienced many traumas, when you ask
him to identify the "worst" thing that has happened to him, he says "being taken
away from mommy". This can be considered as a potentially traumatic event in
young children.
a) True
b) False
Rosa was referred to individual treatment after an assault incident by an
acquaintance at a party. She returned home one evening bruised and shaken up
by what appeared to be a very traumatic event; however, her parents felt like she
was not telling them everything. She only reported that a male peer pushed and
hit her after she refused to go with him. Since the incident, Rosa has been
and Correct Detailed Answers Already Graded A+
A 14-year old girl named Lisa presents to therapy with her mother who is very
concerned about her after an acquaintance rape by a 17 year-old boy. Lisa says
she does not want therapy and will not provide any information about the
distress she is experiencing. She denies having any problems. When given the
UCLA PTSD RI, she fills it out in 5 minutes will all "no's" for trauma exposure and
does not endorse any symptoms of PTSD. Her mother fills out the UCLA PTSD RI-
Parent Version which yields a high score on the severity index . Her mother
reports that Lisa has disruptions in sleep and eating, increased anxiety, avoidance
of going out of the house past 5pm, and notices that her daughter cries in her
room several times a day and has angry, irritable outbursts. The mother indicates
that Lisa needs therapy and wants the therapist to convince her daughter to come
back again. - CORRECT ANSWER-30. The therapist should:
a) Persuasively present the 20 reasons Lisa should come back to therapy the
following week.
b) Try to find out about some interests/hobbies Lisa has and have her share about
them and work to establish rapport. Let Lisa know you would love to learn more
about her life perspective (what is going well, what could be better) and the
,therapist could help her meet her personal goals by coming to therapy. Ask her to
give it a try.
c) Tell the mother to consider waiting 4-6 weeks to determine if Lisa's symptoms
will improve without therapy. If Lisa continues to have significant PTSD
symptoms, suggest to the mother that she take Lisa to a physician for a
medication evaluation prior to starting therapy.
d) Refer this child for a general support group as she may be much more likely to
discuss her feelings about the abuse in this context.
An 11-year-old boy has been referred to you for TF-CBT. You have reports from
his social worker indicating exposure to extreme domestic violence in which his
mother was killed and physical abuse by his father. There is also a police report
providing details about the domestic violence. The boy is now living with a
maternal aunt. During the intake process, the client reports zero traumatic
events. - CORRECT ANSWER-31. What would be the appropriate next step?
a) You do not go forward with TF-CBT as there is no clear trauma history. You
refer the child instead for play therapy.
b) Since children readily disclose trauma, the reports from the social worker and
the police must be wrong. Offer general mental health treatment for behavioral
problems.
c) Close the referral; this child clearly does not need therapy.
, d) Normalize the avoidance with the child and acknowledge that you know what
he was exposed to based on the reports that were provided. Begin
psychoeducation.
Ricardo is a 4-year-old boy who is living in foster care due to his mother's severe
drug abuse and multiple other trauma experiences (neglect, physical abuse,
suspected sexual abuse by one or more of the mother's paramours). He has lived
in his current foster home for about two months and his foster mother describes
behavioral problems, not making friends in the foster home or at preschool, and
being "cranky". The foster mother's biggest concern is that Ricardo becomes
aggressive for no reason, often hitting or biting other children. - CORRECT
ANSWER-32. Although Ricardo has experienced many traumas, when you ask
him to identify the "worst" thing that has happened to him, he says "being taken
away from mommy". This can be considered as a potentially traumatic event in
young children.
a) True
b) False
Rosa was referred to individual treatment after an assault incident by an
acquaintance at a party. She returned home one evening bruised and shaken up
by what appeared to be a very traumatic event; however, her parents felt like she
was not telling them everything. She only reported that a male peer pushed and
hit her after she refused to go with him. Since the incident, Rosa has been
