MFT National Exam Study
Guide/119 Questions and Answers
Double-Bind (Bateson/Jackson/Haley/Weakland) - -Two or more people
involved in an ongoing relationship; one person in the relationship has more
power than the other; the person without power cannot escape from the
relationship; two or more contradicting/conflicting injunctions are given to
the person with less power (Often on different communication levels).
- Fusion - -The blurring of psychological boundaries between self and
others, per Bowen.
- Projection (Bowen) - -When a parent transmits their emotional problems to
a child. Focusing on a child out of fear that something is "wrong",
interpreting behaviors as confirmation, and treating the child as if something
is wrong.
- Second-Order Cybernetics - -Objectivity is impossible because the
therapist becomes a part of the observed system. The problem creates a
system. Used with families in crisis. A system is an agent in its own right
which interacts with the observer.
- "Classic" Symptoms of Depression - -Sleep, Eating, Energy/Motivation
- Best predictor of future violent behavior - -Past Violent Behavior
- Differentiation of Self (Bowen) - -Being able to see the self as separate
from the family but still part of it
- Symmetrical Communication - -Interchange based on equal power.
- Complementary Communication - -Interchange based on accepted
differences in power.
- Mystification (Laing) - -Similar to gaslighting, the act of invalidating,
tainting, or clouding a person's experiences - especially those of a child in a
family setting.
- Pseudohostility - -Wynne's term to describe the use of chronic conflict to
create a somewhat superficial alienation of family members, thereby
masking an individual member's need for intimacy and affection.
- Sociogram - -a diagram that represents relationships within a group,
especially likes and dislikes of members for other members
, - Positive Feedback (GST) - -Upsets homeostasis and increases deviation
from a steady state.
- Negative Feedback (GST) - -Maintains homeostasis and minimizes
deviation from a steady state.
- Projected Resentment - -Essentially means the same thing as guilt; used in
Gestalt Therapies.
- Marriage Contract (Sager) - -A concrete list of what partners expect to give
and receive in return within the confines of a marriage in order to better
assess the level of agreement in what the couple's expectations are for the
relationship.
- Cognitive Triad (Beck) - -Cognitive profile underlying depression: negative
views about oneself, the world, and the future
- First Order Change (Strategic Family Therapy) - -Superficial behavioral
change within a system that doesn't change the structure of system. Often a
focus of Brief Therapy.
- Second Order Change (Strategic Family Therapy) - -Changes to systematic
interaction pattern so that the system itself is reorganized and functions
better. Provides resolution.
- Stages of Change (Transtheoretical Model) - -Precontemplation,
Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance
- Harsh Startup (Gottman) - -Starting a conversation negatively greatly
impacts the rest of the conversation and can often predict the outcome.
- Hallucination - -Experience based on false sensory inputs. Can be any
sense but visual and auditory are most common.
- Delusion - -Belief that is held despite evidence to the contrary.
- Priorities of an MFT - -1) Client Safety & Mandatory Reporting.
2) Defining the Problem using a variety of sources (when possible).
3) Directly and efficiently addressing the presenting problem.
- Stages of Grief of Self or Impending Loss of Loved One (Kubler-Ross) - -
DABDA: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance
- Signs of Major Depressive Disorder in Older Adults - -Often include or
emphasize cognitive functioning (memory loss, concentration, cognition).
Guide/119 Questions and Answers
Double-Bind (Bateson/Jackson/Haley/Weakland) - -Two or more people
involved in an ongoing relationship; one person in the relationship has more
power than the other; the person without power cannot escape from the
relationship; two or more contradicting/conflicting injunctions are given to
the person with less power (Often on different communication levels).
- Fusion - -The blurring of psychological boundaries between self and
others, per Bowen.
- Projection (Bowen) - -When a parent transmits their emotional problems to
a child. Focusing on a child out of fear that something is "wrong",
interpreting behaviors as confirmation, and treating the child as if something
is wrong.
- Second-Order Cybernetics - -Objectivity is impossible because the
therapist becomes a part of the observed system. The problem creates a
system. Used with families in crisis. A system is an agent in its own right
which interacts with the observer.
- "Classic" Symptoms of Depression - -Sleep, Eating, Energy/Motivation
- Best predictor of future violent behavior - -Past Violent Behavior
- Differentiation of Self (Bowen) - -Being able to see the self as separate
from the family but still part of it
- Symmetrical Communication - -Interchange based on equal power.
- Complementary Communication - -Interchange based on accepted
differences in power.
- Mystification (Laing) - -Similar to gaslighting, the act of invalidating,
tainting, or clouding a person's experiences - especially those of a child in a
family setting.
- Pseudohostility - -Wynne's term to describe the use of chronic conflict to
create a somewhat superficial alienation of family members, thereby
masking an individual member's need for intimacy and affection.
- Sociogram - -a diagram that represents relationships within a group,
especially likes and dislikes of members for other members
, - Positive Feedback (GST) - -Upsets homeostasis and increases deviation
from a steady state.
- Negative Feedback (GST) - -Maintains homeostasis and minimizes
deviation from a steady state.
- Projected Resentment - -Essentially means the same thing as guilt; used in
Gestalt Therapies.
- Marriage Contract (Sager) - -A concrete list of what partners expect to give
and receive in return within the confines of a marriage in order to better
assess the level of agreement in what the couple's expectations are for the
relationship.
- Cognitive Triad (Beck) - -Cognitive profile underlying depression: negative
views about oneself, the world, and the future
- First Order Change (Strategic Family Therapy) - -Superficial behavioral
change within a system that doesn't change the structure of system. Often a
focus of Brief Therapy.
- Second Order Change (Strategic Family Therapy) - -Changes to systematic
interaction pattern so that the system itself is reorganized and functions
better. Provides resolution.
- Stages of Change (Transtheoretical Model) - -Precontemplation,
Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance
- Harsh Startup (Gottman) - -Starting a conversation negatively greatly
impacts the rest of the conversation and can often predict the outcome.
- Hallucination - -Experience based on false sensory inputs. Can be any
sense but visual and auditory are most common.
- Delusion - -Belief that is held despite evidence to the contrary.
- Priorities of an MFT - -1) Client Safety & Mandatory Reporting.
2) Defining the Problem using a variety of sources (when possible).
3) Directly and efficiently addressing the presenting problem.
- Stages of Grief of Self or Impending Loss of Loved One (Kubler-Ross) - -
DABDA: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance
- Signs of Major Depressive Disorder in Older Adults - -Often include or
emphasize cognitive functioning (memory loss, concentration, cognition).
