TF-CBT CORE EXAM SET 2026/2027 QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔9. Jody probably developed temper tantrums after the dog attack because: - ✔✔a)
The dog attack caused her cortisol levels to drop leading to anger.
b) Out of compassion for her daughter, the mother began to overindulge Jody and not
set appropriate limits.
c) Jody misses playing with dogs.
d) Jody is dissociative and her anger is expressed when she "zones out."
✔✔You have been working for about a month with Keisha, a 13-year-old girl. She has a
history of sexual abuse by both her paternal and maternal uncles. Currently, she is
living with her biological parents who are estranged from their families of origin.
According to Keisha, her parents have a history of domestic violence; specifically, they
are verbally aggressive to one another and her father has hit her mother "once or
twice." Keisha has a lot of strengths; she is bright and sociable but has withdrawn from
her friends and done poorly at school since the sexual abuse started (at age 11). She
and her mother became quickly engaged in treatment. Keisha learned and practiced the
relaxation skills and affective expression and modulation exercises. She also
understands the cognitive triangle and has been able to apply it to her struggles with her
friends. Your plan for the next session is to begin the trauma narrative and pr - ✔✔10.
Which of the following might be a dysfunctional trauma-related thought for Keisha?
a) Some of the men in my family have a lot of problems.
b) The sexual abuse was my fault.
c) My parents should get a divorce.
d) Many girls are sexually abused.
✔✔11. Which of the following is not a cognitive processing intervention? - ✔✔a) Best
friend role play.
b) Socratic questioning.
c) Presenting factual information inconsistent with the cognitive distortion.
d) In vivo mastery.
✔✔Angel is a 12-year-old girl who has witnessed domestic violence for many years
between her biological parents, both of whom are alcoholics. She was placed in foster
care after a severe incident of abuse in which her mom sustained serious injuries and
her father was arrested. Angel lives in a foster home with her two younger biological
siblings. The foster mom reports that Angel is withdrawn and sad and not paying
attention in school. When you meet with Angel, she minimizes the violence in her family
of origin and avoids talking about it. She expresses feeling most distressed about being
away from her mom. The biological mother is in an inpatient detoxification program and
will be referred for her own therapy. The biological father is in jail and not engaged in
any services at this time.12. Who would be an appropriate caregiver to engage in
Angel's TF-CBT treatment at the start of therapy? - ✔✔12. Who would be an
appropriate caregiver to engage in Angel's TF-CBT treatment at the start of therapy?
, a) Foster mother
b) Biological mother
c) Biological father
d) No caretaker should be involved. Provide individual therapy with child only since she
is in foster care.
✔✔13. Angel reports panic feelings when she remembers the worst incidents of
violence in her family. Which of the following would be the best TF-CBT relaxation skill
to reduce Angel's panic symptoms? - ✔✔a) Talking on the phone with friends.
b) Progressive muscle relaxation for only the abdominal muscles and only if Angel is
highly athletic.
c) Thinking about the violence and convincing herself that it was accidental.
d) Deep breathing exercises.
✔✔14. Angel resists doing the trauma narrative because of distressing flashbacks and
concern about being disloyal to her biological parents. What should you do? - ✔✔a)
Decide not to do a trauma narrative because it is too upsetting for Angel.
b) Tell Angel that she can tell her story but leave out the parts about the violence.
c) Tell Angel that she has to do a trauma narrative because it is a mandatory part of TF-
CBT.
d) Normalize and validate Angel's fears and concerns and remind her that she can
gradually share the details about the domestic violence.
✔✔You are working with a 10 year-old girl who has a history of sexual abuse and
exposure to domestic violence. She has been diagnosed with severe PTSD. You are
about to start the Trauma Narrative as you just finished the last PRAC component with
her in the previous session. You introduce the idea of talking about details of her
traumatic experiences. - ✔✔15. What is the appropriate next step in treatment?
a) Tell her that she will be doing a Trauma Narrative and will be focusing on either the
sexual abuse or the exposure to domestic violence but she does not have to talk about
both. The Trauma Narrative focuses on only one traumatic experience.
b) Suggest different options (e.g., book, song, poem, drawings, timeline) for
talking/telling about the traumatic experiences she has been through, including ideas
that relate to things that she is interested in.
c) You cannot do a trauma narrative with children who have been through multiple types
of traumatic experiences. You should focus instead on continuing the PRAC
components so that she can manage distress in her daily life.
d) Given this girl's severe PTSD symptoms, you plan to delay the start of the narrative
by a few weeks if she expresses some hesitation or anxiety when you introduce the
Trauma Narrative component.
✔✔16. If implementing the Trauma Narrative component with this child is appropriate,
what should you do if she becomes very distressed when sharing details and indicates
that she is at a "9" on the Fear Thermometer? - ✔✔a) Tell the child to stop the narrative
SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔9. Jody probably developed temper tantrums after the dog attack because: - ✔✔a)
The dog attack caused her cortisol levels to drop leading to anger.
b) Out of compassion for her daughter, the mother began to overindulge Jody and not
set appropriate limits.
c) Jody misses playing with dogs.
d) Jody is dissociative and her anger is expressed when she "zones out."
✔✔You have been working for about a month with Keisha, a 13-year-old girl. She has a
history of sexual abuse by both her paternal and maternal uncles. Currently, she is
living with her biological parents who are estranged from their families of origin.
According to Keisha, her parents have a history of domestic violence; specifically, they
are verbally aggressive to one another and her father has hit her mother "once or
twice." Keisha has a lot of strengths; she is bright and sociable but has withdrawn from
her friends and done poorly at school since the sexual abuse started (at age 11). She
and her mother became quickly engaged in treatment. Keisha learned and practiced the
relaxation skills and affective expression and modulation exercises. She also
understands the cognitive triangle and has been able to apply it to her struggles with her
friends. Your plan for the next session is to begin the trauma narrative and pr - ✔✔10.
Which of the following might be a dysfunctional trauma-related thought for Keisha?
a) Some of the men in my family have a lot of problems.
b) The sexual abuse was my fault.
c) My parents should get a divorce.
d) Many girls are sexually abused.
✔✔11. Which of the following is not a cognitive processing intervention? - ✔✔a) Best
friend role play.
b) Socratic questioning.
c) Presenting factual information inconsistent with the cognitive distortion.
d) In vivo mastery.
✔✔Angel is a 12-year-old girl who has witnessed domestic violence for many years
between her biological parents, both of whom are alcoholics. She was placed in foster
care after a severe incident of abuse in which her mom sustained serious injuries and
her father was arrested. Angel lives in a foster home with her two younger biological
siblings. The foster mom reports that Angel is withdrawn and sad and not paying
attention in school. When you meet with Angel, she minimizes the violence in her family
of origin and avoids talking about it. She expresses feeling most distressed about being
away from her mom. The biological mother is in an inpatient detoxification program and
will be referred for her own therapy. The biological father is in jail and not engaged in
any services at this time.12. Who would be an appropriate caregiver to engage in
Angel's TF-CBT treatment at the start of therapy? - ✔✔12. Who would be an
appropriate caregiver to engage in Angel's TF-CBT treatment at the start of therapy?
, a) Foster mother
b) Biological mother
c) Biological father
d) No caretaker should be involved. Provide individual therapy with child only since she
is in foster care.
✔✔13. Angel reports panic feelings when she remembers the worst incidents of
violence in her family. Which of the following would be the best TF-CBT relaxation skill
to reduce Angel's panic symptoms? - ✔✔a) Talking on the phone with friends.
b) Progressive muscle relaxation for only the abdominal muscles and only if Angel is
highly athletic.
c) Thinking about the violence and convincing herself that it was accidental.
d) Deep breathing exercises.
✔✔14. Angel resists doing the trauma narrative because of distressing flashbacks and
concern about being disloyal to her biological parents. What should you do? - ✔✔a)
Decide not to do a trauma narrative because it is too upsetting for Angel.
b) Tell Angel that she can tell her story but leave out the parts about the violence.
c) Tell Angel that she has to do a trauma narrative because it is a mandatory part of TF-
CBT.
d) Normalize and validate Angel's fears and concerns and remind her that she can
gradually share the details about the domestic violence.
✔✔You are working with a 10 year-old girl who has a history of sexual abuse and
exposure to domestic violence. She has been diagnosed with severe PTSD. You are
about to start the Trauma Narrative as you just finished the last PRAC component with
her in the previous session. You introduce the idea of talking about details of her
traumatic experiences. - ✔✔15. What is the appropriate next step in treatment?
a) Tell her that she will be doing a Trauma Narrative and will be focusing on either the
sexual abuse or the exposure to domestic violence but she does not have to talk about
both. The Trauma Narrative focuses on only one traumatic experience.
b) Suggest different options (e.g., book, song, poem, drawings, timeline) for
talking/telling about the traumatic experiences she has been through, including ideas
that relate to things that she is interested in.
c) You cannot do a trauma narrative with children who have been through multiple types
of traumatic experiences. You should focus instead on continuing the PRAC
components so that she can manage distress in her daily life.
d) Given this girl's severe PTSD symptoms, you plan to delay the start of the narrative
by a few weeks if she expresses some hesitation or anxiety when you introduce the
Trauma Narrative component.
✔✔16. If implementing the Trauma Narrative component with this child is appropriate,
what should you do if she becomes very distressed when sharing details and indicates
that she is at a "9" on the Fear Thermometer? - ✔✔a) Tell the child to stop the narrative
