MFT National Exam UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
MRI Primary Contributors - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Bateson, Jackson, Satir, Haley,
Weakland, Watzlawick
MRI Therapy Structure - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Instructing the clients to engage
in behavioral change outside of the session as opposed to in session.
MRI Prescribing the Symptom - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Limited to 10 sessions, less if problem
is solved.
,MRI Therapy Goals - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Resolve current problem, provide
symptoms relief and create second-order change.
MRI Diagnosing - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Non-pathologizing and systemic.
MRI Assessment - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Get description of problem. Understand the
problem, then therapist identifies the behavioral patterns that maintain that pattern.
MRI Symmetrical Relationship - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Based on equality, behavior of
one mirrors that of the other.
MRI Complementary Relationship - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Based on differences that fit
together.
MRI Metacommunication - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Every communication
has 2 components:
Report- Content of the message.
Command- A message about the relationship.
MRI More of the Same - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The problem is not the
problem, the attempted solutions to fix the problem reinforces the interactional behavioral
sequence.
MRI First-Order Change - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Changes in family patterns that occur
at the behavioral level.
, MRI Second-Order Change - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Changes in family patterns of
interaction that occurs at the level of beliefs or rules.
Object-Relations Diagnosing - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Non-pathologizing.
Object-Relations Therapy Goals - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Internalized objects become
introjects, and are split into being either all-good or all-bad.
Object-Relations Countertransference - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The therapist's tendency
to attribute qualities that reflect unresolved grievances from a previous relationship onto a
client.
Object-Relations Transference - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Tendency of individuals to
attribute qualities to other individuals that reflect unresolved grievances from a previous
relationship.
Object-Relations Interpretation - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Therapist's hypothesis about the
influence of the client's past experiences on their current behaviors and struggles.
Questions and CORRECT Answers
MRI Primary Contributors - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Bateson, Jackson, Satir, Haley,
Weakland, Watzlawick
MRI Therapy Structure - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Instructing the clients to engage
in behavioral change outside of the session as opposed to in session.
MRI Prescribing the Symptom - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Limited to 10 sessions, less if problem
is solved.
,MRI Therapy Goals - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Resolve current problem, provide
symptoms relief and create second-order change.
MRI Diagnosing - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Non-pathologizing and systemic.
MRI Assessment - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Get description of problem. Understand the
problem, then therapist identifies the behavioral patterns that maintain that pattern.
MRI Symmetrical Relationship - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Based on equality, behavior of
one mirrors that of the other.
MRI Complementary Relationship - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Based on differences that fit
together.
MRI Metacommunication - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Every communication
has 2 components:
Report- Content of the message.
Command- A message about the relationship.
MRI More of the Same - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The problem is not the
problem, the attempted solutions to fix the problem reinforces the interactional behavioral
sequence.
MRI First-Order Change - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Changes in family patterns that occur
at the behavioral level.
, MRI Second-Order Change - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Changes in family patterns of
interaction that occurs at the level of beliefs or rules.
Object-Relations Diagnosing - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Non-pathologizing.
Object-Relations Therapy Goals - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT 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 - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Internalized objects become
introjects, and are split into being either all-good or all-bad.
Object-Relations Countertransference - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- The therapist's tendency
to attribute qualities that reflect unresolved grievances from a previous relationship onto a
client.
Object-Relations Transference - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Tendency of individuals to
attribute qualities to other individuals that reflect unresolved grievances from a previous
relationship.
Object-Relations Interpretation - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔- Therapist's hypothesis about the
influence of the client's past experiences on their current behaviors and struggles.
