THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COUNSELING
AND PSYCHOTHERAPY BY GERALD CORY
ACTUAL PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Contextual factors. Answer: The alliance, the relationship, the
personal and interpersonal skills of the therapist, client agency, and
extra-therapeutic factors; primary determinants of therapeutic
outcome
◉ Value imposition. Answer: Refers to counselors' behavior in
directly attempting to define a client's values, attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors
◉ Ego Strength. Answer: The ability to manage life realistically
◉ Countertransference. Answer: The process of therapists seeing in
their clients patterns of their own behavior, overidentifying with
clients, or meeting their own needs through their clients; triggered
when we respond defensively, or when we lose our ability to be
present in a relationship because our own issues become involved
◉ Ethical decisions. Answer: In order to come to this type of
decision - consult with colleagues, keep yourself informed about
,laws affecting your practice, keep up to date in your specialty field,
stay abreast of developments in ethical practice, reflect on the
impact your values have on your practice, and be willing to engage in
honest self-examination
◉ Mandatory ethics. Answer: The view of ethical practice that deals
with the minimum level of professional practice
◉ Aspirational ethics. Answer: A higher level of ethical practice that
addresses doing what is in the best interests of clients
◉ Positive ethics. Answer: An approach taken by practitioners who
want to do their best for clients rather than simply meet minimum
standards to stay out of trouble
◉ Ways to think through ethical problems. Answer: Identify the
problem or dilemma; This will help you decide whether the problem
is mainly ethical, legal, professional, clinical, or moral. Identify the
potential issues. Evaluate the rights, responsibilities, and welfare of
all those who are involved in the situation. Look at the relevant
ethics codes for general guidance on the matter. Consider whether
your own values and ethics are consistent with or in conflict with
the relevant guidelines. Consider the applicable laws and
regulations, and determine how they may have a bearing on an
ethical dilemma. Seek consultation from more than one source to
obtain various perspectives on the dilemma, and document in the
client's record what suggestions you received from this consultation.
,Brainstorm various possible courses of action. Enumerate the
consequences of various decisions, and reflect on the implications of
each course of action for your client.
Decide on what appears to be the best possible course of action.
Once the course of action has been implemented, follow up to
evaluate the outcomes and to determine whether further action is
necessary. Document the reasons for the actions you took as well as
your evaluation measures.
◉ Professional maturity. Answer: Implies that you are open to
questioning and discussing your quandaries with colleagues
◉ Informed consent. Answer: The right of clients to be informed
about their therapy and to make autonomous decisions pertaining to
it; it is an ethical and legal requirement that is an integral part of the
therapeutic process
◉ Confidentiality. Answer: An ethical concept, and in most states it is
the legal duty of therapists not to disclose information about a
client; this is central to developing a trusting and productive client-
therapist relationship
◉ Privileged communication. Answer: A legal concept that generally
bars the disclosure of confidential communications in a legal
proceeding; the specifics of this privilege vary from state to state;
generally speaking, the legal concept of this term does not apply to
, group counseling, couples counseling, family therapy, or child and
adolescent therapy
◉ When do we break confidentiality?. Answer: Child abuse, sexual
abuse under the age of 16, abuse of the elderly, abuse of dependent
adults, and danger to self or others; All mental health practitioners
and interns need to be aware of their duty to report in these
situations and to know the limitations of confidentiality
◉ Assessment. Answer: Consists of evaluating the relevant factors in
a client's life to identify themes for further exploration in the
counseling process
◉ Diagnosis. Answer: Sometimes part of the assessment process,
this is the analysis and explanation of a client's problems; It may
include an explanation of the causes of the client's difficulties, an
account of how these problems developed over time, a classification
of any disorders, a specification of preferred treatment procedure,
and an estimate of the chances for a successful resolution
◉ What is the purpose of diagnosing someone?. Answer: To identify
disruptions in a client's present behavior and lifestyle; once problem
areas are clearly identified, the counselor and client are able to
establish the goals of the therapy process, and then a treatment plan
can be tailored to the unique needs of the client; a diagnosis
provides a working hypothesis that guides the practitioner in
AND PSYCHOTHERAPY BY GERALD CORY
ACTUAL PAPER 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ Contextual factors. Answer: The alliance, the relationship, the
personal and interpersonal skills of the therapist, client agency, and
extra-therapeutic factors; primary determinants of therapeutic
outcome
◉ Value imposition. Answer: Refers to counselors' behavior in
directly attempting to define a client's values, attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors
◉ Ego Strength. Answer: The ability to manage life realistically
◉ Countertransference. Answer: The process of therapists seeing in
their clients patterns of their own behavior, overidentifying with
clients, or meeting their own needs through their clients; triggered
when we respond defensively, or when we lose our ability to be
present in a relationship because our own issues become involved
◉ Ethical decisions. Answer: In order to come to this type of
decision - consult with colleagues, keep yourself informed about
,laws affecting your practice, keep up to date in your specialty field,
stay abreast of developments in ethical practice, reflect on the
impact your values have on your practice, and be willing to engage in
honest self-examination
◉ Mandatory ethics. Answer: The view of ethical practice that deals
with the minimum level of professional practice
◉ Aspirational ethics. Answer: A higher level of ethical practice that
addresses doing what is in the best interests of clients
◉ Positive ethics. Answer: An approach taken by practitioners who
want to do their best for clients rather than simply meet minimum
standards to stay out of trouble
◉ Ways to think through ethical problems. Answer: Identify the
problem or dilemma; This will help you decide whether the problem
is mainly ethical, legal, professional, clinical, or moral. Identify the
potential issues. Evaluate the rights, responsibilities, and welfare of
all those who are involved in the situation. Look at the relevant
ethics codes for general guidance on the matter. Consider whether
your own values and ethics are consistent with or in conflict with
the relevant guidelines. Consider the applicable laws and
regulations, and determine how they may have a bearing on an
ethical dilemma. Seek consultation from more than one source to
obtain various perspectives on the dilemma, and document in the
client's record what suggestions you received from this consultation.
,Brainstorm various possible courses of action. Enumerate the
consequences of various decisions, and reflect on the implications of
each course of action for your client.
Decide on what appears to be the best possible course of action.
Once the course of action has been implemented, follow up to
evaluate the outcomes and to determine whether further action is
necessary. Document the reasons for the actions you took as well as
your evaluation measures.
◉ Professional maturity. Answer: Implies that you are open to
questioning and discussing your quandaries with colleagues
◉ Informed consent. Answer: The right of clients to be informed
about their therapy and to make autonomous decisions pertaining to
it; it is an ethical and legal requirement that is an integral part of the
therapeutic process
◉ Confidentiality. Answer: An ethical concept, and in most states it is
the legal duty of therapists not to disclose information about a
client; this is central to developing a trusting and productive client-
therapist relationship
◉ Privileged communication. Answer: A legal concept that generally
bars the disclosure of confidential communications in a legal
proceeding; the specifics of this privilege vary from state to state;
generally speaking, the legal concept of this term does not apply to
, group counseling, couples counseling, family therapy, or child and
adolescent therapy
◉ When do we break confidentiality?. Answer: Child abuse, sexual
abuse under the age of 16, abuse of the elderly, abuse of dependent
adults, and danger to self or others; All mental health practitioners
and interns need to be aware of their duty to report in these
situations and to know the limitations of confidentiality
◉ Assessment. Answer: Consists of evaluating the relevant factors in
a client's life to identify themes for further exploration in the
counseling process
◉ Diagnosis. Answer: Sometimes part of the assessment process,
this is the analysis and explanation of a client's problems; It may
include an explanation of the causes of the client's difficulties, an
account of how these problems developed over time, a classification
of any disorders, a specification of preferred treatment procedure,
and an estimate of the chances for a successful resolution
◉ What is the purpose of diagnosing someone?. Answer: To identify
disruptions in a client's present behavior and lifestyle; once problem
areas are clearly identified, the counselor and client are able to
establish the goals of the therapy process, and then a treatment plan
can be tailored to the unique needs of the client; a diagnosis
provides a working hypothesis that guides the practitioner in
