Theories for the CA LMFT Clinical Exam
UPDATED Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy - CORRECT ANSWER - Change happens through (1)
mindfulness, (2) developing skills to manage distress tolerance and emotional regulation, and (3)
improving interpersonal problem solving skills.
DBT goal - CORRECT ANSWER - For the client to improve their emotional and
cognitive regulation.
Mindfulness - CORRECT ANSWER - To practice being fully aware and present in this
one moment.
Distress Tolerance - CORRECT ANSWER - How to tolerate pain in difficult situations,
not change it.
Interpersonal Effectiveness - CORRECT ANSWER - How to ask for what you want and
say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others.
Emotional Regulation - CORRECT ANSWER - How to change emotions that you want to
change.
DBT The 5 Key Concepts - CORRECT ANSWER - Mindfulness
Distress Tolerance
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Emotional Regulation
Homework
,Reality Therapy - CORRECT ANSWER - Change occurs through identifying and meeting
needs as well as developing satisfying interpersonal relationships.
Reality Goals - CORRECT ANSWER - (1) Client to learn more effective ways of meeting
their needs, (2) Engage in self evaluation, (3) Gain a sense of inner control over their lives, and
(4) learn to change what they do as a key to changing how they feel and getting what they want.
Reality is based on what? - CORRECT ANSWER - Choice Theory which asserts that each
of us is a self determining being who can choose future behaviors and hold ourselves consciously
responsible for how we are acting, thinking, feeling, and also for our physiological states.
Reality Needs - CORRECT ANSWER - Love/Belonging, power/achievement, freedom,
fun/relaxation, survival
Reality interventions - CORRECT ANSWER - Focus on where the client has choices,
Focus on Present (avoid discussions on past problems/symptoms), Challenge the Client (examine
their own behavior), Explore (wants/needs/perceptions), Doing and Directing, discuss feelings
on relation to behaviors/choices, Teach Self Evaluation (Does present behavior have a reasonable
change of getting you what you want?), Formulate Action Plan (Focus on positive/attainable
steps), Adjust plan as needed, use humor
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CORRECT ANSWER - Change occurs by learning to
modify dysfunctional thought patterns. Teaching the relationships between thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors so client is able to modify/change the patterns of thinking to cope with stressors.
CBT treatment goals - CORRECT ANSWER - Patients learn to recognize negative
patterns of thought, evaluate their validity, and replace with healthier ways of thinking.
Development of cognitive coping skills.
Negative Cognitive Triad - CORRECT ANSWER - negative thoughts about the self
("me"), the world ("everyone"), and the future ("future").
, Automatic Thoughts - CORRECT ANSWER - Thoughts about ourselves or others that
individuals are often not aware of and thus are not assessed for accuracy or relevancy.
Schemas - CORRECT ANSWER - A network of rules or templates for information
processing that are shaped by developmental influences and other life experiences. These rules
dictate how individuals think about and interpret the world and play a role in regulating self-
worth and coping skills.
Overgeneralization - CORRECT ANSWER - Single negative event is seen as a never-
ending pattern of defeat. One mistake leads to "I never do anything right."
Arbitrary Inference - CORRECT ANSWER - Cognitive distortion that leads to drawing
conclusions without evidence or facts to support those conclusions.
Selective Abstraction - CORRECT ANSWER - Attending to a small detail while ignoring
the total context. Taking detail out of context and missing the totality of the situation.
Socratic Questioning - CORRECT ANSWER - Questioning allows the therapist to
stimulate the
client's self-awareness, focus in on the problem definition, expose the client's
belief system, and challenge irrational beliefs.
Reframing - CORRECT ANSWER - Thinking differently by "reframing" negative or
untrue assumptions and thoughts into ones that promote adaptive behavior and lessen anxiety
and depression.
Cognitive Restructuring - CORRECT ANSWER - Teaches client to identify irrational,
distorted, or maladaptive beliefs, question the evidence for the belief, and generate alternative
responses.
UPDATED Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy - CORRECT ANSWER - Change happens through (1)
mindfulness, (2) developing skills to manage distress tolerance and emotional regulation, and (3)
improving interpersonal problem solving skills.
DBT goal - CORRECT ANSWER - For the client to improve their emotional and
cognitive regulation.
Mindfulness - CORRECT ANSWER - To practice being fully aware and present in this
one moment.
Distress Tolerance - CORRECT ANSWER - How to tolerate pain in difficult situations,
not change it.
Interpersonal Effectiveness - CORRECT ANSWER - How to ask for what you want and
say no while maintaining self-respect and relationships with others.
Emotional Regulation - CORRECT ANSWER - How to change emotions that you want to
change.
DBT The 5 Key Concepts - CORRECT ANSWER - Mindfulness
Distress Tolerance
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Emotional Regulation
Homework
,Reality Therapy - CORRECT ANSWER - Change occurs through identifying and meeting
needs as well as developing satisfying interpersonal relationships.
Reality Goals - CORRECT ANSWER - (1) Client to learn more effective ways of meeting
their needs, (2) Engage in self evaluation, (3) Gain a sense of inner control over their lives, and
(4) learn to change what they do as a key to changing how they feel and getting what they want.
Reality is based on what? - CORRECT ANSWER - Choice Theory which asserts that each
of us is a self determining being who can choose future behaviors and hold ourselves consciously
responsible for how we are acting, thinking, feeling, and also for our physiological states.
Reality Needs - CORRECT ANSWER - Love/Belonging, power/achievement, freedom,
fun/relaxation, survival
Reality interventions - CORRECT ANSWER - Focus on where the client has choices,
Focus on Present (avoid discussions on past problems/symptoms), Challenge the Client (examine
their own behavior), Explore (wants/needs/perceptions), Doing and Directing, discuss feelings
on relation to behaviors/choices, Teach Self Evaluation (Does present behavior have a reasonable
change of getting you what you want?), Formulate Action Plan (Focus on positive/attainable
steps), Adjust plan as needed, use humor
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CORRECT ANSWER - Change occurs by learning to
modify dysfunctional thought patterns. Teaching the relationships between thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors so client is able to modify/change the patterns of thinking to cope with stressors.
CBT treatment goals - CORRECT ANSWER - Patients learn to recognize negative
patterns of thought, evaluate their validity, and replace with healthier ways of thinking.
Development of cognitive coping skills.
Negative Cognitive Triad - CORRECT ANSWER - negative thoughts about the self
("me"), the world ("everyone"), and the future ("future").
, Automatic Thoughts - CORRECT ANSWER - Thoughts about ourselves or others that
individuals are often not aware of and thus are not assessed for accuracy or relevancy.
Schemas - CORRECT ANSWER - A network of rules or templates for information
processing that are shaped by developmental influences and other life experiences. These rules
dictate how individuals think about and interpret the world and play a role in regulating self-
worth and coping skills.
Overgeneralization - CORRECT ANSWER - Single negative event is seen as a never-
ending pattern of defeat. One mistake leads to "I never do anything right."
Arbitrary Inference - CORRECT ANSWER - Cognitive distortion that leads to drawing
conclusions without evidence or facts to support those conclusions.
Selective Abstraction - CORRECT ANSWER - Attending to a small detail while ignoring
the total context. Taking detail out of context and missing the totality of the situation.
Socratic Questioning - CORRECT ANSWER - Questioning allows the therapist to
stimulate the
client's self-awareness, focus in on the problem definition, expose the client's
belief system, and challenge irrational beliefs.
Reframing - CORRECT ANSWER - Thinking differently by "reframing" negative or
untrue assumptions and thoughts into ones that promote adaptive behavior and lessen anxiety
and depression.
Cognitive Restructuring - CORRECT ANSWER - Teaches client to identify irrational,
distorted, or maladaptive beliefs, question the evidence for the belief, and generate alternative
responses.
