NSG 526 Exam 2 – Clinical Modalities in Advanced Psychiatric Mental
Health Nursing – 100 Practice Questions, Correct Answers & Detailed
Rationales (2026 Wilkes University)
Questions 1–25: Therapeutic Relationships, Brief Psychotherapy, and CBT
1. In advanced psychiatric nursing practice, the primary purpose of the
therapeutic relationship is to:
A. Socialize with the client
B. Provide a safe, structured alliance that supports change and
healing
C. Replace all other treatments
D. Focus only on medication adherence
The therapeutic relationship is a professional alliance aimed at safety, trust, and
facilitating change; it complements, not replaces, other treatments.
2. A key feature that distinguishes brief psychotherapy from traditional
long-term therapy is:
A. Lack of structure
B. Time-limited focus on specific, agreed-upon problems and goals
C. Avoidance of homework
D. Emphasis on the past only
Brief psychotherapy is structured, time-limited, and problem-focused, often with
clearly defined goals and number of sessions.studocu+1
, 3. In a brief CBT-based intervention, the PMHNP’s first task after building
rapport is to:
A. Assign complex homework immediately
B. Collaboratively identify target problems and develop a shared
formulation
C. Focus only on medications
D. Explore childhood in depth
CBT emphasizes collaborative problem formulation and goal setting early in
treatment to guide interventions.
4. A client with depression in brief CBT reports, “Nothing I do matters; I
always fail.” This statement reflects:
A. Hallucinations
B. A negative core belief or cognitive distortion
C. Positive reinforcement
D. Adaptive thinking
Overgeneralized, negative, self-deprecating thoughts are cognitive distortions
targeted in CBT.
5. Which intervention is most consistent with CBT?
A. Free association without structure
B. Identifying automatic thoughts and testing them against evidence
C. Focusing solely on unconscious conflicts
D. Using only supportive listening
,CBT systematically identifies and tests automatic thoughts and beliefs, linking
them to emotions and behaviors.
6. A client with social anxiety believes, “Everyone thinks I’m stupid when I
speak.” A CBT-consistent question is:
A. “Why are you so insecure?”
B. “What evidence do you have that others see you as stupid, and
what evidence might suggest otherwise?”
C. “Are you sure?”
D. “Can you ignore them?”
CBT challenges maladaptive thoughts by examining evidence for and against
them.
7. In brief solution-focused therapy, the PMHNP is most likely to ask:
A. “Tell me every detail about your childhood.”
B. “On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your progress this
week?”
C. “Why are you so stuck?”
D. “Who is to blame?”
Solution-focused therapy uses scaling questions and emphasizes progress and
strengths.
8. A hallmark of motivational interviewing (MI) is:
A. Confronting and arguing with the client
B. Eliciting and strengthening change talk through collaboration and
, empathy
C. Giving long lectures
D. Ignoring ambivalence
MI is collaborative, empathic, and focuses on eliciting the client’s own
motivations for change.
9. In MI, “change talk” refers to:
A. Discussing other people’s problems
B. Client statements that favor change (desire, ability, reasons, or
need)
C. Therapist interpretations
D. Only nonverbal cues
Change talk includes client expressions of desire, ability, reasons, and need for
change, which MI seeks to evoke.
10. A client says, “I know I drink too much, but I’m not ready to stop.”
The best MI-consistent response is:
A. “You’re in denial.”
B. “On the one hand you see drinking as a problem, and on the other
you’re not ready to stop—tell me more about that.”
C. “Stop now or else.”
D. “Then we can’t work together.”
Reflecting ambivalence and inviting exploration aligns with MI’s spirit of
collaboration and evocation.
Health Nursing – 100 Practice Questions, Correct Answers & Detailed
Rationales (2026 Wilkes University)
Questions 1–25: Therapeutic Relationships, Brief Psychotherapy, and CBT
1. In advanced psychiatric nursing practice, the primary purpose of the
therapeutic relationship is to:
A. Socialize with the client
B. Provide a safe, structured alliance that supports change and
healing
C. Replace all other treatments
D. Focus only on medication adherence
The therapeutic relationship is a professional alliance aimed at safety, trust, and
facilitating change; it complements, not replaces, other treatments.
2. A key feature that distinguishes brief psychotherapy from traditional
long-term therapy is:
A. Lack of structure
B. Time-limited focus on specific, agreed-upon problems and goals
C. Avoidance of homework
D. Emphasis on the past only
Brief psychotherapy is structured, time-limited, and problem-focused, often with
clearly defined goals and number of sessions.studocu+1
, 3. In a brief CBT-based intervention, the PMHNP’s first task after building
rapport is to:
A. Assign complex homework immediately
B. Collaboratively identify target problems and develop a shared
formulation
C. Focus only on medications
D. Explore childhood in depth
CBT emphasizes collaborative problem formulation and goal setting early in
treatment to guide interventions.
4. A client with depression in brief CBT reports, “Nothing I do matters; I
always fail.” This statement reflects:
A. Hallucinations
B. A negative core belief or cognitive distortion
C. Positive reinforcement
D. Adaptive thinking
Overgeneralized, negative, self-deprecating thoughts are cognitive distortions
targeted in CBT.
5. Which intervention is most consistent with CBT?
A. Free association without structure
B. Identifying automatic thoughts and testing them against evidence
C. Focusing solely on unconscious conflicts
D. Using only supportive listening
,CBT systematically identifies and tests automatic thoughts and beliefs, linking
them to emotions and behaviors.
6. A client with social anxiety believes, “Everyone thinks I’m stupid when I
speak.” A CBT-consistent question is:
A. “Why are you so insecure?”
B. “What evidence do you have that others see you as stupid, and
what evidence might suggest otherwise?”
C. “Are you sure?”
D. “Can you ignore them?”
CBT challenges maladaptive thoughts by examining evidence for and against
them.
7. In brief solution-focused therapy, the PMHNP is most likely to ask:
A. “Tell me every detail about your childhood.”
B. “On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate your progress this
week?”
C. “Why are you so stuck?”
D. “Who is to blame?”
Solution-focused therapy uses scaling questions and emphasizes progress and
strengths.
8. A hallmark of motivational interviewing (MI) is:
A. Confronting and arguing with the client
B. Eliciting and strengthening change talk through collaboration and
, empathy
C. Giving long lectures
D. Ignoring ambivalence
MI is collaborative, empathic, and focuses on eliciting the client’s own
motivations for change.
9. In MI, “change talk” refers to:
A. Discussing other people’s problems
B. Client statements that favor change (desire, ability, reasons, or
need)
C. Therapist interpretations
D. Only nonverbal cues
Change talk includes client expressions of desire, ability, reasons, and need for
change, which MI seeks to evoke.
10. A client says, “I know I drink too much, but I’m not ready to stop.”
The best MI-consistent response is:
A. “You’re in denial.”
B. “On the one hand you see drinking as a problem, and on the other
you’re not ready to stop—tell me more about that.”
C. “Stop now or else.”
D. “Then we can’t work together.”
Reflecting ambivalence and inviting exploration aligns with MI’s spirit of
collaboration and evocation.
