MFT NATIONAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE 2026
FINAL EXAM PAPER WITH TESTED
QUESTIONS AND SOLVED SOLUTIONS
GRADED A+
⩥ MRI Therapy Structure. Answer: 1. Intro to treatment setup. 2. Inquiry
and definition of problem. 3. Estimation of the solution (pos. feedback)
maintaining. 4. Setting goals for treatment. 5. Selecting and making
behavioral or strategic interventions.
6. Termination
⩥ MRI Out-of-Session Directive. Answer: Instructing the clients to
engage in behavioral change outside of the session as opposed to in
session.
⩥ MRI Prescribing the Symptom. Answer: Paradoxical intervention
where one instructs the client to intentionally engage in the behavior
they wish to change. Client may rebel and experience desired change or
comply and realize they have control.
⩥ MRI Restraining the Progress of Change. Answer: Paradoxical
intervention where clients come into session and report that they are
experiencing change so therapist encourages them to slow down and be
cautious about changing too fast.
,⩥ MRI Positioning. Answer: Paradoxical intervention of pushing a
family member further into the absurdity of their initial position, thereby
making them realize their own absurdity.
⩥ MRI Paradoxical Intervention. Answer: Used to address that families
are naturally resistant to change. Involves instructing fam not to change
or to change in ways that contradict their desired change.
⩥ MRI Treatment Duration. Answer: Limited to 10 sessions, less if
problem is solved.
⩥ MRI Therapy Goals. Answer: Resolve current problem, provide
symptoms relief and create second-order change.
⩥ MRI Diagnosing. Answer: Non-pathologizing and systemic.
⩥ MRI Assessment. Answer: Get description of problem. Understand
the problem, then therapist identifies the behavioral patterns that
maintain that pattern.
⩥ MRI Symmetrical Relationship. Answer: Based on equality, behavior
of one mirrors that of the other.
,⩥ MRI Complementary Relationship. Answer: Based on differences that
fit together.
⩥ MRI Metacommunication. Answer: Communicating about
communicating. Essentially refers to non-verbals going on in the room
that have an impact on what is being said verbally.
⩥ MRI Report and Command Functions. Answer: Every communication
has 2 components:
Report- Content of the message.
Command- A message about the relationship.
⩥ MRI More of the Same. Answer: Problem when families fail to
appropriately respond to normal life circumstances, families will do
more of the failed solution as opposed to trying a different solution.
⩥ MRI Problem as Attempted Solution. Answer: The problem is not the
problem, the attempted solutions to fix the problem reinforces the
interactional behavioral sequence.
⩥ MRI First-Order Change. Answer: Changes in family patterns that
occur at the behavioral level.
⩥ MRI Second-Order Change. Answer: Changes in family patterns of
interaction that occurs at the level of beliefs or rules.
, ⩥ Object-Relations Diagnosing. Answer: Non-pathologizing.
⩥ Object-Relations Therapy Goals. Answer: Develop insight and work
through unresolved conflict. Eventually, individuals develop healthy
egos and begin to relate to others maturely without projection.
⩥ Object-Relations Therapy Structure. Answer: 1. Assess early
childhood experiences and current and past relationships. Explore
current relationship style.
2. Foster insight and begin working through.
3. Individual begins to experiment with developing new behaviors and
ways to interact. Fosters later experiences that can re-shape internalized
objects.
⩥ Object-Relations Assessment. Answer: Non-Structured. Explores:
-Early childhood experiences and the clients' interpretations of them.
-Past and present relationship with caregivers.
-Current relationship style and where they are struggling with healthy
relationships.
⩥ Object-Relations Introject. Answer: Internalized objects become
introjects, and are split into being either all-good or all-bad.
FINAL EXAM PAPER WITH TESTED
QUESTIONS AND SOLVED SOLUTIONS
GRADED A+
⩥ MRI Therapy Structure. Answer: 1. Intro to treatment setup. 2. Inquiry
and definition of problem. 3. Estimation of the solution (pos. feedback)
maintaining. 4. Setting goals for treatment. 5. Selecting and making
behavioral or strategic interventions.
6. Termination
⩥ MRI Out-of-Session Directive. Answer: Instructing the clients to
engage in behavioral change outside of the session as opposed to in
session.
⩥ MRI Prescribing the Symptom. Answer: Paradoxical intervention
where one instructs the client to intentionally engage in the behavior
they wish to change. Client may rebel and experience desired change or
comply and realize they have control.
⩥ MRI Restraining the Progress of Change. Answer: Paradoxical
intervention where clients come into session and report that they are
experiencing change so therapist encourages them to slow down and be
cautious about changing too fast.
,⩥ MRI Positioning. Answer: Paradoxical intervention of pushing a
family member further into the absurdity of their initial position, thereby
making them realize their own absurdity.
⩥ MRI Paradoxical Intervention. Answer: Used to address that families
are naturally resistant to change. Involves instructing fam not to change
or to change in ways that contradict their desired change.
⩥ MRI Treatment Duration. Answer: Limited to 10 sessions, less if
problem is solved.
⩥ MRI Therapy Goals. Answer: Resolve current problem, provide
symptoms relief and create second-order change.
⩥ MRI Diagnosing. Answer: Non-pathologizing and systemic.
⩥ MRI Assessment. Answer: Get description of problem. Understand
the problem, then therapist identifies the behavioral patterns that
maintain that pattern.
⩥ MRI Symmetrical Relationship. Answer: Based on equality, behavior
of one mirrors that of the other.
,⩥ MRI Complementary Relationship. Answer: Based on differences that
fit together.
⩥ MRI Metacommunication. Answer: Communicating about
communicating. Essentially refers to non-verbals going on in the room
that have an impact on what is being said verbally.
⩥ MRI Report and Command Functions. Answer: Every communication
has 2 components:
Report- Content of the message.
Command- A message about the relationship.
⩥ MRI More of the Same. Answer: Problem when families fail to
appropriately respond to normal life circumstances, families will do
more of the failed solution as opposed to trying a different solution.
⩥ MRI Problem as Attempted Solution. Answer: The problem is not the
problem, the attempted solutions to fix the problem reinforces the
interactional behavioral sequence.
⩥ MRI First-Order Change. Answer: Changes in family patterns that
occur at the behavioral level.
⩥ MRI Second-Order Change. Answer: Changes in family patterns of
interaction that occurs at the level of beliefs or rules.
, ⩥ Object-Relations Diagnosing. Answer: Non-pathologizing.
⩥ Object-Relations Therapy Goals. Answer: Develop insight and work
through unresolved conflict. Eventually, individuals develop healthy
egos and begin to relate to others maturely without projection.
⩥ Object-Relations Therapy Structure. Answer: 1. Assess early
childhood experiences and current and past relationships. Explore
current relationship style.
2. Foster insight and begin working through.
3. Individual begins to experiment with developing new behaviors and
ways to interact. Fosters later experiences that can re-shape internalized
objects.
⩥ Object-Relations Assessment. Answer: Non-Structured. Explores:
-Early childhood experiences and the clients' interpretations of them.
-Past and present relationship with caregivers.
-Current relationship style and where they are struggling with healthy
relationships.
⩥ Object-Relations Introject. Answer: Internalized objects become
introjects, and are split into being either all-good or all-bad.
