MFT Ethics Vignettes Exam Questions And
Answers
A therapist meets with a 25-year-old woman who lives at home
with her parents. The client reports feeling extremely depressed,
has a history of self-harm, and after a suicide assessment, the
therapist determines she is at a high risk of serious self-harm. The
client reports she does not have insurance and cannot afford to be
hospitalized. How should the therapist address the ethical and legal
issues in this case?
A. Notify client's parents and refer client for a low fee psychiatric
evaluation.
B. Initiate a 5150 because the client may need to be hospitalized.
C. Explore low fee resources to meet client's financial needs.
D. Notify client's parents of her plans and safety plan with client. -
correct answer ✅B. Initiate a 5150 because the client may need to
be hospitalized.
Rationale: The therapist "determines this is at a high risk for serious
self-harm", this would be the time to initiate a 5150. They may
determine she does not need to be hospitalized, but the therapist
would have covered the standard of care.
A 13-year old boy discloses a history of sexual abuse. He informs
the therapist that his former therapist touched him during several
sessions to demonstrate what is appropriate versus sexually
inappropriate touch. What actions should the therapist take to
address the legal issues in this case?
,MFT Ethics Vignettes Exam Questions And
Answers
Response:
A. Maintain confidentiality and provide BBS brochure.
B. Call police and inform his parents.
C. Report to CPS and process it with client.
D. Report misconduct of therapist to BBS and document in file. -
correct answer ✅C. Report to CPS and process it with client.
Rationale: The best answer is C. The information shared by the boy
points to sexual abuse, which requires the therapist to make a child
abuse report, answer C. Answer A and D are incorrect because they
do not address the legal mandate to report abuse. While the
therapist can contact the police to make the report, the child is over
12, so processing with client is better than answer B, informing
parents.
A therapist working in a community agency receives a referral for a
child with severe PTSD from sexual abuse. The therapist has no
training or experience treating children with PTSD from sexual
abuse. The therapist should:
Response:
A. Attend a training on PTSD in children.
B. Conduct an initial assessment and make treatment
recommendations.
,MFT Ethics Vignettes Exam Questions And
Answers
Should have chosen
C. Refer the child to appropriate services.
D. Treat the child after getting consultation. -
correct answer ✅Rationale: C is the best answer for this particular
client because it is outside of the scope of competence of the
therapist. Neither attending a training nor seeking consultation
would be adequate for this type of case, so A and D are out. B is
wrong because the therapist would need training in how to assess
and what to recommend.
After referring a client to an acupuncturist for treatment the
acupuncturist calls the therapist and invites him to lunch to discuss
how they can work together. He tells the therapist that he is willing
to pay for referrals. How should the therapist manage the legal and
ethical issues in this situation?
Response:
A. Discuss how much he wants to be paid per client.
B. Decline the lunch invitation because of client's confidentiality.
C. Inform him that he cannot accept payment for referrals.
D. Discuss how the therapist can pay acupuncturist for referrals as
well. -
correct answer ✅C. Inform him that he cannot accept payment for
referrals.
, MFT Ethics Vignettes Exam Questions And
Answers
Rationale: C is the best answer because it is illegal to take kick-
backs for referrals. A and D are engaging in unethical and illegal
behavior. B is not the addressing the issue of payment for referrals.
A younger therapist has been treating a 60-year-old Navajo woman
for 3 months and has a particularly ground-breaking session. At the
next session, she arrives with a gift, a beautiful handmade blanket.
After the therapist explains that it would be unethical to accept the
gift, the woman appears insulted and quietly mumbles that she
wishes to end the session and discontinue therapy. Ethically, the
therapist should have:
A. Accepted the gift, but leave it in the office to use.
B. Accepted the gift and discussed its significance.
C. Consulted with a supervisor regarding the appropriateness of
accepting the gift.
D. Declined the gift, which was the most appropriate course. -
correct answer ✅B. Accepted the gift and discussed its
significance.
Rationale: It is not unethical to accept gifts. In this case, B is the
better way to respond to handmade gift.
Answers
A therapist meets with a 25-year-old woman who lives at home
with her parents. The client reports feeling extremely depressed,
has a history of self-harm, and after a suicide assessment, the
therapist determines she is at a high risk of serious self-harm. The
client reports she does not have insurance and cannot afford to be
hospitalized. How should the therapist address the ethical and legal
issues in this case?
A. Notify client's parents and refer client for a low fee psychiatric
evaluation.
B. Initiate a 5150 because the client may need to be hospitalized.
C. Explore low fee resources to meet client's financial needs.
D. Notify client's parents of her plans and safety plan with client. -
correct answer ✅B. Initiate a 5150 because the client may need to
be hospitalized.
Rationale: The therapist "determines this is at a high risk for serious
self-harm", this would be the time to initiate a 5150. They may
determine she does not need to be hospitalized, but the therapist
would have covered the standard of care.
A 13-year old boy discloses a history of sexual abuse. He informs
the therapist that his former therapist touched him during several
sessions to demonstrate what is appropriate versus sexually
inappropriate touch. What actions should the therapist take to
address the legal issues in this case?
,MFT Ethics Vignettes Exam Questions And
Answers
Response:
A. Maintain confidentiality and provide BBS brochure.
B. Call police and inform his parents.
C. Report to CPS and process it with client.
D. Report misconduct of therapist to BBS and document in file. -
correct answer ✅C. Report to CPS and process it with client.
Rationale: The best answer is C. The information shared by the boy
points to sexual abuse, which requires the therapist to make a child
abuse report, answer C. Answer A and D are incorrect because they
do not address the legal mandate to report abuse. While the
therapist can contact the police to make the report, the child is over
12, so processing with client is better than answer B, informing
parents.
A therapist working in a community agency receives a referral for a
child with severe PTSD from sexual abuse. The therapist has no
training or experience treating children with PTSD from sexual
abuse. The therapist should:
Response:
A. Attend a training on PTSD in children.
B. Conduct an initial assessment and make treatment
recommendations.
,MFT Ethics Vignettes Exam Questions And
Answers
Should have chosen
C. Refer the child to appropriate services.
D. Treat the child after getting consultation. -
correct answer ✅Rationale: C is the best answer for this particular
client because it is outside of the scope of competence of the
therapist. Neither attending a training nor seeking consultation
would be adequate for this type of case, so A and D are out. B is
wrong because the therapist would need training in how to assess
and what to recommend.
After referring a client to an acupuncturist for treatment the
acupuncturist calls the therapist and invites him to lunch to discuss
how they can work together. He tells the therapist that he is willing
to pay for referrals. How should the therapist manage the legal and
ethical issues in this situation?
Response:
A. Discuss how much he wants to be paid per client.
B. Decline the lunch invitation because of client's confidentiality.
C. Inform him that he cannot accept payment for referrals.
D. Discuss how the therapist can pay acupuncturist for referrals as
well. -
correct answer ✅C. Inform him that he cannot accept payment for
referrals.
, MFT Ethics Vignettes Exam Questions And
Answers
Rationale: C is the best answer because it is illegal to take kick-
backs for referrals. A and D are engaging in unethical and illegal
behavior. B is not the addressing the issue of payment for referrals.
A younger therapist has been treating a 60-year-old Navajo woman
for 3 months and has a particularly ground-breaking session. At the
next session, she arrives with a gift, a beautiful handmade blanket.
After the therapist explains that it would be unethical to accept the
gift, the woman appears insulted and quietly mumbles that she
wishes to end the session and discontinue therapy. Ethically, the
therapist should have:
A. Accepted the gift, but leave it in the office to use.
B. Accepted the gift and discussed its significance.
C. Consulted with a supervisor regarding the appropriateness of
accepting the gift.
D. Declined the gift, which was the most appropriate course. -
correct answer ✅B. Accepted the gift and discussed its
significance.
Rationale: It is not unethical to accept gifts. In this case, B is the
better way to respond to handmade gift.
