PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH BOARD
CERTIFICATION EXAM SCRIPT 2026
QUESTIONS WITH FULL CORRECT ANSWERS
◉ Name the 9 tips to Conduct a Successful Mental Health Interview
Answer: 1. Do not rush
2. Maintain clear boundaries: no social or private interactions
3. Maintain professionalism and remember this about the patient
4. Have a good understanding of cultural differences and how this
may impact the interview
5. Body language: communicate openness, confidence,
understanding, support, and calm demeanor
6. Monitor speech for speed, volume, and tone to decrease patient
excitability
7. If the patient doesn't understand a question, rephrase it
8. Know that patients might not be able to make it through an entire
interview; know their tolerance
9. If the patient declines to answer, ask again later once rapport has
been established
◉ What are the 8 elements to assess for that influence cognition?
Answer: 1. Level of education
2. Acuity of sight and hearing
,3. Depression
4. Medication
5. Grief
6. Ability to maintain attention
7. History of trauma
8. History of TBI
◉ What are the 15 suicide risk factors? Answer: 1. Current thoughts
of wanting to die, not wake up, etc.
2. Feelings of desperation, hopelessness, helplessness, being trapped
3. Suffering from depression, bipolar, schizophrenia
4. Plan with high level of lethality and the means to carry it out
5. Plan with several of the details worked out
6. Feeling like they are a burden
7. Practicing the elements of their suicide plan
8. Desensitization to pain/suffering
9. Elderly, single, Caucasian men- high risk of attempts and
successful suicides
10. History of past attempts
11. Low quality/quantity of support
12. Substance use
13. Recent job loss, death, etc.
,14. Command hallucinations commanding self-harm
15. Family members or friend who have completed suicide
◉ What are the 6 suicide protective factors? Answer: 1. Has young
children and/or close family
2. Fear of dying
3. Belief that suicide is immoral
4. Strong religious beliefs, especially with afterlife
5. Can identify compelling reasons to live
6. Engaged in social groups where patient feels like they belong and
are valued
◉ What are the 5 strategies to prevent behavioral escalation and
violence? Answer: 1. Always use a trauma-informed approach
2. When interacting with the patient, always maintain congruence in
words and actions
3. Always explain why you are doing something and ask permission
to proceed
4. Review past history for violence/violent tendencies
5. Monitor the patient's body language/ behaviors for signs of
impending violence
◉ Name the 5 stages of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior
Change Answer: 1. Precontemplation
, 2. Contemplation
3. Preparation
4. Action
5. Maintenance
◉ According to the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change, how
long must a behavior be maintained to be in the maintenance phase?
Answer: Greater than 6 months
◉ What are the 5 types of crisis? Answer: 1. Situational
2. Maturational
3. Adventitious
4. Medical
5. Psychiatric
◉ Which type of Crisis is referred to as a global or social crisis; a
major unexpected event that disrupts life in significant, often
permanent ways Answer: Adventitious Crisis
◉ According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, what must be
addressed prior to moving into nursing process(es)? Answer: Life-
threatening situation
Person/People's safety is in danger
CERTIFICATION EXAM SCRIPT 2026
QUESTIONS WITH FULL CORRECT ANSWERS
◉ Name the 9 tips to Conduct a Successful Mental Health Interview
Answer: 1. Do not rush
2. Maintain clear boundaries: no social or private interactions
3. Maintain professionalism and remember this about the patient
4. Have a good understanding of cultural differences and how this
may impact the interview
5. Body language: communicate openness, confidence,
understanding, support, and calm demeanor
6. Monitor speech for speed, volume, and tone to decrease patient
excitability
7. If the patient doesn't understand a question, rephrase it
8. Know that patients might not be able to make it through an entire
interview; know their tolerance
9. If the patient declines to answer, ask again later once rapport has
been established
◉ What are the 8 elements to assess for that influence cognition?
Answer: 1. Level of education
2. Acuity of sight and hearing
,3. Depression
4. Medication
5. Grief
6. Ability to maintain attention
7. History of trauma
8. History of TBI
◉ What are the 15 suicide risk factors? Answer: 1. Current thoughts
of wanting to die, not wake up, etc.
2. Feelings of desperation, hopelessness, helplessness, being trapped
3. Suffering from depression, bipolar, schizophrenia
4. Plan with high level of lethality and the means to carry it out
5. Plan with several of the details worked out
6. Feeling like they are a burden
7. Practicing the elements of their suicide plan
8. Desensitization to pain/suffering
9. Elderly, single, Caucasian men- high risk of attempts and
successful suicides
10. History of past attempts
11. Low quality/quantity of support
12. Substance use
13. Recent job loss, death, etc.
,14. Command hallucinations commanding self-harm
15. Family members or friend who have completed suicide
◉ What are the 6 suicide protective factors? Answer: 1. Has young
children and/or close family
2. Fear of dying
3. Belief that suicide is immoral
4. Strong religious beliefs, especially with afterlife
5. Can identify compelling reasons to live
6. Engaged in social groups where patient feels like they belong and
are valued
◉ What are the 5 strategies to prevent behavioral escalation and
violence? Answer: 1. Always use a trauma-informed approach
2. When interacting with the patient, always maintain congruence in
words and actions
3. Always explain why you are doing something and ask permission
to proceed
4. Review past history for violence/violent tendencies
5. Monitor the patient's body language/ behaviors for signs of
impending violence
◉ Name the 5 stages of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior
Change Answer: 1. Precontemplation
, 2. Contemplation
3. Preparation
4. Action
5. Maintenance
◉ According to the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change, how
long must a behavior be maintained to be in the maintenance phase?
Answer: Greater than 6 months
◉ What are the 5 types of crisis? Answer: 1. Situational
2. Maturational
3. Adventitious
4. Medical
5. Psychiatric
◉ Which type of Crisis is referred to as a global or social crisis; a
major unexpected event that disrupts life in significant, often
permanent ways Answer: Adventitious Crisis
◉ According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, what must be
addressed prior to moving into nursing process(es)? Answer: Life-
threatening situation
Person/People's safety is in danger
