MARITIAL AND FAMILY THERAPY (MFT) EXAM | NEWEST
2026/2027 ACTUAL EXAM | COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED
A+ ||BRAND NEW VERSION!!
A characteristic that distinguishes one particular approach from others is its emphasis on the self-
development of the therapist. The belief is that it is hard for the patient to mature beyond the
maturity level of the therapist, no matter how good his or her technique. This approach is: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Bowenian
Studies show what about race/ethnicity and the therapeutic relationship? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
There is no significant relationship between client's race/ethnicity and that of the therapists'.
Vignette: A family enters therapy, having a 21 year old son who lives in the basement. He dropped
out of college 2 years ago and is currently not working or going to school. He has refused all
counseling. The father states he found evidence of marijuana smoking in his son's room. The mother
states that the father and son argue and sometimes push each other. A 16 year old daughter is in
high school but increasingly avoiding coming home.'Non-summativity' applies to this situation as
follows: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
A system has been created when the family was formed, but is now maintained by a pattern of
inadequate communication and conflict. (Non-summativity is a concept that describes the
foundation and formation of systems.)
No matter if the clinician has taken all the steps to be HIPPA-compliant... -
CORRECT|ANSWER
The clinician is still in violation of HIPPA unless she has documented the security measures she has
taken to prevent unauthorized access to her files and her computer.
An MFT has been seeing a divorced father with two daughters, 8 and 12 years old. After not showing
up for an appointment, the MFT receives a call from the police stating that the mother reported the
children and the father as missing and that he is the primary suspect in the childrens' disappearance.
The police demanded copies of his psychotherapy notes to see if there's anything in them that will
help determine the childrens' location. In this situation: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
,The MFT should hand over his psychotherapy notes so that the police can determine if there's
anything of value to them in the notes.
Solution-focused therapists prefer to focus on: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
The past and the future
According to research alcohol abuse is the most studied phenomenon in family therapy research.
According to some outcome studies which of the following approaches have been particularly useful
in dealing with substance abuse in families, especially for engaging young substance abusers? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Psychoeducational approach.
When viewed from the wide lens of an ethnic group, which families might one expect to have high
expectations of family togetherness with low patterns of flexibility? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Italian Americans.
Research found one year following divorce to be the peak of maximum negative behaviors for
children. Such behaviors were "most likely" sustained in: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
boys than in girls
Prior to the DSM, the 'Statistical Manual for the Use of Institutions for the Insane' was developed by -
CORRECT|ANSWER
the National Commission on Mental Hygiene.
One of the changes from the DSM-IV TR to the DSM-5 is how a disorder is named and classified.
Which of the following is the incorrect ICD-9 classification? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering) F80.81
, A therapist seeing an extended family consisting of a grandmother, mother and 2 daughters, notices
that the grandmother speaks to her daughter with a certain disdain. This seems similar to the way
the older daughter speaks to her sister. This is an example of: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
isomorphism. (Isomorphism is a structure or pattern that repeats itself from one level of a system to
another.)
The Structural School of family therapy utilizes a model of "normal family functioning" based upon: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Family organization
A couple comes in for therapy. The husband complains his wife is too close to her family and she has
trouble separating from them. In fact, he states that his wife is in constant contact with her mother
and looks to her mother constantly to help her make decisions. Often these decisions are in
opposition to decisions made previously by he and his wife.
After hearing the husband's statement, the therapist says, "You really care about your wife and don't
want to lose the relationship you have." Which model is this therapist most likely following? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Strategic (it's a positive reframe)
Mary feels threatened by the arrival of her baby sister so she pouts and becomes temperamental.
When Mary acts out this way, her father thinks she is regressing and tries to get her to act her age by
punishing and criticizing her. Father's harshness confirms Mary's belief that her sister is displacing
her. The therapist suggests that when Mary behaves this way, the father should ignore her. If this
suggestion worked, it would be a good example of: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
first-order change
Therapeutically, family rituals are designed to: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
address a family conflict, intervene in established family patterns, and change behavior. (all of the
choices offered)
When a family therapist is working with people with schizophrenia, the likelihood of a positive
outcome is related to the: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
2026/2027 ACTUAL EXAM | COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) |ALREADY GRADED
A+ ||BRAND NEW VERSION!!
A characteristic that distinguishes one particular approach from others is its emphasis on the self-
development of the therapist. The belief is that it is hard for the patient to mature beyond the
maturity level of the therapist, no matter how good his or her technique. This approach is: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Bowenian
Studies show what about race/ethnicity and the therapeutic relationship? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
There is no significant relationship between client's race/ethnicity and that of the therapists'.
Vignette: A family enters therapy, having a 21 year old son who lives in the basement. He dropped
out of college 2 years ago and is currently not working or going to school. He has refused all
counseling. The father states he found evidence of marijuana smoking in his son's room. The mother
states that the father and son argue and sometimes push each other. A 16 year old daughter is in
high school but increasingly avoiding coming home.'Non-summativity' applies to this situation as
follows: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
A system has been created when the family was formed, but is now maintained by a pattern of
inadequate communication and conflict. (Non-summativity is a concept that describes the
foundation and formation of systems.)
No matter if the clinician has taken all the steps to be HIPPA-compliant... -
CORRECT|ANSWER
The clinician is still in violation of HIPPA unless she has documented the security measures she has
taken to prevent unauthorized access to her files and her computer.
An MFT has been seeing a divorced father with two daughters, 8 and 12 years old. After not showing
up for an appointment, the MFT receives a call from the police stating that the mother reported the
children and the father as missing and that he is the primary suspect in the childrens' disappearance.
The police demanded copies of his psychotherapy notes to see if there's anything in them that will
help determine the childrens' location. In this situation: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
,The MFT should hand over his psychotherapy notes so that the police can determine if there's
anything of value to them in the notes.
Solution-focused therapists prefer to focus on: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
The past and the future
According to research alcohol abuse is the most studied phenomenon in family therapy research.
According to some outcome studies which of the following approaches have been particularly useful
in dealing with substance abuse in families, especially for engaging young substance abusers? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Psychoeducational approach.
When viewed from the wide lens of an ethnic group, which families might one expect to have high
expectations of family togetherness with low patterns of flexibility? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Italian Americans.
Research found one year following divorce to be the peak of maximum negative behaviors for
children. Such behaviors were "most likely" sustained in: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
boys than in girls
Prior to the DSM, the 'Statistical Manual for the Use of Institutions for the Insane' was developed by -
CORRECT|ANSWER
the National Commission on Mental Hygiene.
One of the changes from the DSM-IV TR to the DSM-5 is how a disorder is named and classified.
Which of the following is the incorrect ICD-9 classification? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder (Stuttering) F80.81
, A therapist seeing an extended family consisting of a grandmother, mother and 2 daughters, notices
that the grandmother speaks to her daughter with a certain disdain. This seems similar to the way
the older daughter speaks to her sister. This is an example of: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
isomorphism. (Isomorphism is a structure or pattern that repeats itself from one level of a system to
another.)
The Structural School of family therapy utilizes a model of "normal family functioning" based upon: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Family organization
A couple comes in for therapy. The husband complains his wife is too close to her family and she has
trouble separating from them. In fact, he states that his wife is in constant contact with her mother
and looks to her mother constantly to help her make decisions. Often these decisions are in
opposition to decisions made previously by he and his wife.
After hearing the husband's statement, the therapist says, "You really care about your wife and don't
want to lose the relationship you have." Which model is this therapist most likely following? -
CORRECT|ANSWER
Strategic (it's a positive reframe)
Mary feels threatened by the arrival of her baby sister so she pouts and becomes temperamental.
When Mary acts out this way, her father thinks she is regressing and tries to get her to act her age by
punishing and criticizing her. Father's harshness confirms Mary's belief that her sister is displacing
her. The therapist suggests that when Mary behaves this way, the father should ignore her. If this
suggestion worked, it would be a good example of: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
first-order change
Therapeutically, family rituals are designed to: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
address a family conflict, intervene in established family patterns, and change behavior. (all of the
choices offered)
When a family therapist is working with people with schizophrenia, the likelihood of a positive
outcome is related to the: -
CORRECT|ANSWER
