CA MFT LAW AND ETHICS EXAM 2026:
Questions with Correct solutions
Question ID #119: When an adolescent client is suicidal, the therapist ________________.
Select one:
A.must tell the client's parent or legal guardian
B.must contact child protective services
C.may break confidentiality if necessary to prevent the threatened danger
D.should have the client complete a safety plan
The correct answer is C.Breaking confidentiality when a client of any age is suicidal is permitted
by EC Section 1024, which provides an exception to the psychotherapist-patient privilege when a
client poses a danger to self, but is also routinely interpreted as being applicable to a breach of
confidentiality in contexts outside of legal proceedings.
Question ID #135: Which of the following individuals is legally allowed to decide whether
or not to involuntarily hospitalize a person under Section 5150 of the California Welfare
and Institutions Code?
Select one:
A.Any licensed mental health professional.
B.Any psychiatrist.
C.A professional person designated by the county.
D.Anyone over 18 who believes the person is a danger to self or others.
The correct answer is C.WIC Section 5150 states that "a peace officer, a member of the attending
staff of an evaluation facility designated by the county, designated members of a mobile crisis
team, or other professional person designated by a county, may upon probable cause, take, or
,cause to be taken, the person into custody and place him or her in a facility designated by the
county and approved by the State Department of Mental Health as a facility for 72-hour
treatment and evaluation."
Question ID #140: A mental health agency just received a grant to conduct research on the
effectiveness of services provided by the agency's marriage and family therapists. Ethically,
it's most important for the agency to consider which of the following questions?
Select one:
A.Will the results of the research benefit the clients?
B.Do clients have sufficient information to make an informed choice about whether or not
to participate in the research?
C.Is the agency being paid to conduct the research?
D.Do clients understand the potential limitations on the confidentiality of information that
will be collected during the study?
The correct answer is B.CAMFT Ethical Principle 11.2 and AAMFT Ethical Standard 5.3 apply
to this situation. Both require therapists to ensure that individuals fully understand all aspects of
a research study that might affect their willingness to participate.
Question ID #142: A marriage and family therapist routinely administers a questionnaire
to all of her clients at the beginning and end of therapy and wants to use information from
the questionnaire for a qualitative research study. To be consistent with ethical
requirements, the therapist ___________________.
A.must explain to the clients she chooses to include in her study that their participation is
voluntary and that confidential information will be released only with their authorization
,B.should describe the study's purpose and procedures to all of her clients and include only
those clients who volunteer to participate
C.should not tell clients that they'll be included in a research study since doing so may have
an adverse impact on the therapeutic relationship and distort the results of the study
D.must include only new clients who agree to participate in the study when they complete
the questionnaire
The correct answer is A.This answer is most consistent with AAMFT and CAMFT ethical
guidelines. Both require MFTs to protect the confidentiality of research participants and make
sure that potential participants understand that they can decline to participate and withdraw from
the study at any time.
Question text
Question ID #145: To help ensure that individuals who are at risk for violent behavior do
not possess firearms, California law requires that, when a client communicates a serious
threat of physical violence against an identifiable victim, the psychotherapist must
_______________.
A.make a report to law enforcement within 24 hours of the threat
B.make a report to law enforcement within 48 hours of the threat
C.make a report to law enforcement and warn the intended victim within 24 hours of the
threat
D.make a report to law enforcement and warn the intended victim within 48 hours of the
threat
The correct answer is A.WIC Section 8100(b)(1) states that a person may not own or possess a
gun "for a period of five years if ... they communicate to a licensed psychotherapist ... a serious
, threat of physical violence against a reasonably identifiable victim or victims." And WIC
8105(c) requires licensed psychotherapists to "report to a local law enforcement agency, within
24 hours ... the identity of a person subject to the prohibition specified by subdivision (b) of
Section 8100."
Question ID #151: The therapist is in the process of assessing a family that consists of two
teenagers and their parents, and has already determined that the presenting problem is
frequent conflict between the oldest teen and his father and teachers. The therapist has not
yet decided whether to conduct family therapy or see the oldest teen in individual therapy.
Ethically, which of the following questions is most important to consider first?
Select one:
A.What information revealed by the minors will and will not be shared with the parents?
B.Is the oldest teenager competent to consent to individual treatment?Incorrect
C.Which family member or members are the client(s) and what will be the nature of the
relationships with everyone involved in treatment?
D.Is the presenting problem within the therapist's scope of practice?
The correct answer is C.All of the questions listed in the answers are important, but the
information presented in the case implies that determining which family member or members
will be the client(s) has the highest priority. CAMFT Ethical Principle 3.9 applies to this
situation. It states that marriage and family therapists "clarify, at the commencement of
treatment, which person or persons are clients and the nature of the relationship(s) the therapist
will have with each person involved in the treatment."
Question ID #154: A therapist receives a phone call from a client who wants to see his
clinical file because he believes it contains some inaccurate information. The client abruptly
Questions with Correct solutions
Question ID #119: When an adolescent client is suicidal, the therapist ________________.
Select one:
A.must tell the client's parent or legal guardian
B.must contact child protective services
C.may break confidentiality if necessary to prevent the threatened danger
D.should have the client complete a safety plan
The correct answer is C.Breaking confidentiality when a client of any age is suicidal is permitted
by EC Section 1024, which provides an exception to the psychotherapist-patient privilege when a
client poses a danger to self, but is also routinely interpreted as being applicable to a breach of
confidentiality in contexts outside of legal proceedings.
Question ID #135: Which of the following individuals is legally allowed to decide whether
or not to involuntarily hospitalize a person under Section 5150 of the California Welfare
and Institutions Code?
Select one:
A.Any licensed mental health professional.
B.Any psychiatrist.
C.A professional person designated by the county.
D.Anyone over 18 who believes the person is a danger to self or others.
The correct answer is C.WIC Section 5150 states that "a peace officer, a member of the attending
staff of an evaluation facility designated by the county, designated members of a mobile crisis
team, or other professional person designated by a county, may upon probable cause, take, or
,cause to be taken, the person into custody and place him or her in a facility designated by the
county and approved by the State Department of Mental Health as a facility for 72-hour
treatment and evaluation."
Question ID #140: A mental health agency just received a grant to conduct research on the
effectiveness of services provided by the agency's marriage and family therapists. Ethically,
it's most important for the agency to consider which of the following questions?
Select one:
A.Will the results of the research benefit the clients?
B.Do clients have sufficient information to make an informed choice about whether or not
to participate in the research?
C.Is the agency being paid to conduct the research?
D.Do clients understand the potential limitations on the confidentiality of information that
will be collected during the study?
The correct answer is B.CAMFT Ethical Principle 11.2 and AAMFT Ethical Standard 5.3 apply
to this situation. Both require therapists to ensure that individuals fully understand all aspects of
a research study that might affect their willingness to participate.
Question ID #142: A marriage and family therapist routinely administers a questionnaire
to all of her clients at the beginning and end of therapy and wants to use information from
the questionnaire for a qualitative research study. To be consistent with ethical
requirements, the therapist ___________________.
A.must explain to the clients she chooses to include in her study that their participation is
voluntary and that confidential information will be released only with their authorization
,B.should describe the study's purpose and procedures to all of her clients and include only
those clients who volunteer to participate
C.should not tell clients that they'll be included in a research study since doing so may have
an adverse impact on the therapeutic relationship and distort the results of the study
D.must include only new clients who agree to participate in the study when they complete
the questionnaire
The correct answer is A.This answer is most consistent with AAMFT and CAMFT ethical
guidelines. Both require MFTs to protect the confidentiality of research participants and make
sure that potential participants understand that they can decline to participate and withdraw from
the study at any time.
Question text
Question ID #145: To help ensure that individuals who are at risk for violent behavior do
not possess firearms, California law requires that, when a client communicates a serious
threat of physical violence against an identifiable victim, the psychotherapist must
_______________.
A.make a report to law enforcement within 24 hours of the threat
B.make a report to law enforcement within 48 hours of the threat
C.make a report to law enforcement and warn the intended victim within 24 hours of the
threat
D.make a report to law enforcement and warn the intended victim within 48 hours of the
threat
The correct answer is A.WIC Section 8100(b)(1) states that a person may not own or possess a
gun "for a period of five years if ... they communicate to a licensed psychotherapist ... a serious
, threat of physical violence against a reasonably identifiable victim or victims." And WIC
8105(c) requires licensed psychotherapists to "report to a local law enforcement agency, within
24 hours ... the identity of a person subject to the prohibition specified by subdivision (b) of
Section 8100."
Question ID #151: The therapist is in the process of assessing a family that consists of two
teenagers and their parents, and has already determined that the presenting problem is
frequent conflict between the oldest teen and his father and teachers. The therapist has not
yet decided whether to conduct family therapy or see the oldest teen in individual therapy.
Ethically, which of the following questions is most important to consider first?
Select one:
A.What information revealed by the minors will and will not be shared with the parents?
B.Is the oldest teenager competent to consent to individual treatment?Incorrect
C.Which family member or members are the client(s) and what will be the nature of the
relationships with everyone involved in treatment?
D.Is the presenting problem within the therapist's scope of practice?
The correct answer is C.All of the questions listed in the answers are important, but the
information presented in the case implies that determining which family member or members
will be the client(s) has the highest priority. CAMFT Ethical Principle 3.9 applies to this
situation. It states that marriage and family therapists "clarify, at the commencement of
treatment, which person or persons are clients and the nature of the relationship(s) the therapist
will have with each person involved in the treatment."
Question ID #154: A therapist receives a phone call from a client who wants to see his
clinical file because he believes it contains some inaccurate information. The client abruptly
