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✓ ACTUAL EXAM
✓ PRACTICE TEST PMHNP COMPLETE
✓ 400 QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED SOLUTIONS LATEST
UPDATE
WGU D344 DIAGNOSTIC PROCESSES ASSESSMENT EXAM 1
Q1
The PMHNP is interviewing a client admitted with severe depression. The client responds to
open-ended questions with brief answers, lacking elaboration. Which strategy should the
PMHNP employ?
a. Switch to more directive, closed-ended questions ✅
b. Terminate the interview until the client is more talkative
c. Ask another clinician to assist in interviewing the client
d. Continue asking open-ended questions
Answer: a. Switch to more directive, closed-ended questions
Rationale: Depressed clients often struggle with energy and focus, so closed-ended questions
make it easier for them to respond while still gathering essential information.
Q2
Jon replies with his background and mentions his loss of interest in activities. How does the
PMHNP demonstrate active listening?
a. Sitting quietly with arms folded across chest
b. Interrupting the client to ask what types of movies he enjoys
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c. Sitting forward, maintaining eye contact, nodding his head, and stating, "You looked sad when
you spoke of not wanting to play with your partner's daughter." ✅
d. Responding by asking, "Do you like driving for a major package delivery service?"
Answer: c. Sitting forward, maintaining eye contact, nodding his head, and reflecting feelings
Rationale: Active listening involves verbal and nonverbal behaviors that show attention and
empathy, such as eye contact and reflecting the client’s emotions.
Q3
During the initial interview, the client was hostile and sarcastic, despite meeting the PMHNP for
the first time. What might the client be experiencing?
a. Positive transference
b. Negative transference ✅
c. Positive countertransference
d. Negative countertransference
Answer: b. Negative transference
Rationale: The client is projecting unresolved negative feelings from past relationships onto
the clinician. Since this is coming from the client, it is transference, not countertransference.
Q1
According to the author, which of the following is true about transference and
countertransference?
a. Transference and countertransference can be avoided by a skillful interviewer
b. Transference and countertransference always contribute to decreased empathy
c. Transference and countertransference always impede the therapeutic relationship
d. Transference and countertransference can provide useful clinical information about
therapeutic relationships, leading to increased empathy ✅
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Answer: d. Transference and countertransference can provide useful clinical information about
therapeutic relationships, leading to increased empathy
Rationale: These dynamics, when recognized and managed properly, can help the clinician
better understand the client’s relational patterns and strengthen empathy in the therapeutic
alliance.
Q2
Jon gives the PMHNP an expensive gold gift. When the PMHNP declines, Jon becomes upset
and relates the rejection to past experiences with his mother. Which dynamic is occurring?
a. Countertransference
b. Rejection
c. Transference ✅
d. Termination
Answer: c. Transference
Rationale: The client is projecting unresolved feelings from childhood (his mother rejecting
him) onto the therapist. This is a classic example of negative transference.
Q3
Which clinician behavior can foster a therapeutic alliance?
a. Educating the client about the nature of the interview ✅
b. Protecting one’s own time
c. Starting the interview with questions about sensitive topics
d. Doing the majority of the talking while the client listens
Answer: a. Educating the client about the nature of the interview
Rationale: Setting clear expectations, explaining purpose, and orienting the client reduces
anxiety and builds trust, which strengthens the therapeutic alliance.
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Q4
What could be a primary reason the PMHNP would ask a patient to “talk a little about
yourself”?
a. To fill an uncomfortable silence
b. To get to know the patient better ✅
c. Because the PMHNP is not sure what to ask first
d. To make small talk
Answer: b. To get to know the patient better
Rationale: Asking the client to share about themselves helps build rapport, gather background
information, and establish a foundation for the therapeutic process.
During an initial meeting, the client asks the PMHNP what city he lives in, whether he is
married, and whether he has any children. Which of the following would be the best
response by the PMHNP?
-"You are asking intrusive questions that are not any of your business."
-"I'm going to ignore those questions because this interview is about you, not me."
-"Let's talk about you right now."
-"I live in Charlestown and I have been married for 13 wonderful years. My wife and I are
trying to have a baby but no luck with that yet."
-"Let's talk about you right now."
Why do clients employ "testing behaviors" such as forgetting an appointment or arriving late?
-To end the therapeutic relationship
-To assert dominance in the therapeutic relationship
-To see if the nurse will really accept them
✓ ACTUAL EXAM
✓ PRACTICE TEST PMHNP COMPLETE
✓ 400 QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED SOLUTIONS LATEST
UPDATE
WGU D344 DIAGNOSTIC PROCESSES ASSESSMENT EXAM 1
Q1
The PMHNP is interviewing a client admitted with severe depression. The client responds to
open-ended questions with brief answers, lacking elaboration. Which strategy should the
PMHNP employ?
a. Switch to more directive, closed-ended questions ✅
b. Terminate the interview until the client is more talkative
c. Ask another clinician to assist in interviewing the client
d. Continue asking open-ended questions
Answer: a. Switch to more directive, closed-ended questions
Rationale: Depressed clients often struggle with energy and focus, so closed-ended questions
make it easier for them to respond while still gathering essential information.
Q2
Jon replies with his background and mentions his loss of interest in activities. How does the
PMHNP demonstrate active listening?
a. Sitting quietly with arms folded across chest
b. Interrupting the client to ask what types of movies he enjoys
, Page 2 of 76
c. Sitting forward, maintaining eye contact, nodding his head, and stating, "You looked sad when
you spoke of not wanting to play with your partner's daughter." ✅
d. Responding by asking, "Do you like driving for a major package delivery service?"
Answer: c. Sitting forward, maintaining eye contact, nodding his head, and reflecting feelings
Rationale: Active listening involves verbal and nonverbal behaviors that show attention and
empathy, such as eye contact and reflecting the client’s emotions.
Q3
During the initial interview, the client was hostile and sarcastic, despite meeting the PMHNP for
the first time. What might the client be experiencing?
a. Positive transference
b. Negative transference ✅
c. Positive countertransference
d. Negative countertransference
Answer: b. Negative transference
Rationale: The client is projecting unresolved negative feelings from past relationships onto
the clinician. Since this is coming from the client, it is transference, not countertransference.
Q1
According to the author, which of the following is true about transference and
countertransference?
a. Transference and countertransference can be avoided by a skillful interviewer
b. Transference and countertransference always contribute to decreased empathy
c. Transference and countertransference always impede the therapeutic relationship
d. Transference and countertransference can provide useful clinical information about
therapeutic relationships, leading to increased empathy ✅
, Page 3 of 76
Answer: d. Transference and countertransference can provide useful clinical information about
therapeutic relationships, leading to increased empathy
Rationale: These dynamics, when recognized and managed properly, can help the clinician
better understand the client’s relational patterns and strengthen empathy in the therapeutic
alliance.
Q2
Jon gives the PMHNP an expensive gold gift. When the PMHNP declines, Jon becomes upset
and relates the rejection to past experiences with his mother. Which dynamic is occurring?
a. Countertransference
b. Rejection
c. Transference ✅
d. Termination
Answer: c. Transference
Rationale: The client is projecting unresolved feelings from childhood (his mother rejecting
him) onto the therapist. This is a classic example of negative transference.
Q3
Which clinician behavior can foster a therapeutic alliance?
a. Educating the client about the nature of the interview ✅
b. Protecting one’s own time
c. Starting the interview with questions about sensitive topics
d. Doing the majority of the talking while the client listens
Answer: a. Educating the client about the nature of the interview
Rationale: Setting clear expectations, explaining purpose, and orienting the client reduces
anxiety and builds trust, which strengthens the therapeutic alliance.
, Page 4 of 76
Q4
What could be a primary reason the PMHNP would ask a patient to “talk a little about
yourself”?
a. To fill an uncomfortable silence
b. To get to know the patient better ✅
c. Because the PMHNP is not sure what to ask first
d. To make small talk
Answer: b. To get to know the patient better
Rationale: Asking the client to share about themselves helps build rapport, gather background
information, and establish a foundation for the therapeutic process.
During an initial meeting, the client asks the PMHNP what city he lives in, whether he is
married, and whether he has any children. Which of the following would be the best
response by the PMHNP?
-"You are asking intrusive questions that are not any of your business."
-"I'm going to ignore those questions because this interview is about you, not me."
-"Let's talk about you right now."
-"I live in Charlestown and I have been married for 13 wonderful years. My wife and I are
trying to have a baby but no luck with that yet."
-"Let's talk about you right now."
Why do clients employ "testing behaviors" such as forgetting an appointment or arriving late?
-To end the therapeutic relationship
-To assert dominance in the therapeutic relationship
-To see if the nurse will really accept them
