MFT practice questions || with Validated Solutions.
In an individual therapy session, a client tells their therapist, who is licensed in California, that
their sister-in-law recently relapsed with alcohol. According to the client, the sister-in-law
"passed out drunk" last week while working as a solo daycare provider in her home in
Washington. The children present were between the ages of 1 to 11 years. The client witnessed
the incident during a family visit out of state. When the client confronted her sister-in-law, she
could "smell the alcohol on her," even though she denied it. The client maintains that the sister-
in-law is still abusing alcohol. Considering legal responsibilities, the therapist:
A. Must investigate details further and process the incident with the client
B. Must report suspected child neglect to Washington CPS immediately
C. Must maintain confidentiality and encourage the client to call local authorities
D. Must report suspected child neglect correct answers D: Must report suspected child neglect to
California CPS immediately.
As mandated reporters, we are legally required to report reasonable suspicion of child neglect
while working, even when the incident doesn't involve our client. The CPS phone report must be
made immediately, followed by a written report within 36 hours. We can eliminate answer A
because it's not our job to investigate, and we have enough details to warrant suspicion of
neglect. Remember, minors do not need to be harmed to make a neglect report, nor does the
incident need to occur within California state lines. However, as California pre-licensed or
licensed therapists, we would make the report with California CPS, not Washington, which
makes answer B wrong. And, finally, answer C is not correct because child neglect is an
exception to confidentiality, and the responsibility to report here should not be on the client.
During a session, a 25-year-old female tells her therapist that she feels alone and untethered. She
recently lost her job and has not felt very supported by her friend group. She shares that she has
been having thoughts of not wanting to be here anymore and has a tentative plan, but no means.
How should the therapist manage the legal and ethical obligations in this case?
A. Initiate involuntary hospitalization
B. Inform the client that her collateral support needs to be involved
C. Give the client a number for a suicide prevention hotline
D. Increase frequency of contact with the client. correct answers B: Inform the client that her
collateral support needs to be involved.
The client has experienced a significant loss and is expressing feelings of loneliness and
disconnection. In addition, we can see in the stem that she has suicidal ideation and a tentative
plan. Since she does not have the means or a concrete plan, the level of risk at this time is
,moderate. Thus, initiating involuntary hospitalization would be a bit of an overreaction.
However, simply giving the client a suicide hotline phone number would not be enough in this
case, as the risk is moderate. Between B and D, the first thing we are going to do is talk to the
client about activating her support system. She mentioned that she does not feel adequate support
from her friend group, so it would be important to help her express her needs to them, or to
identify other supports, such as family. If she is open to involving her support system and
engaging in safety planning, then we have hope and valuable information about her level of
despair. If she is unwilling to voluntarily engage and participate in creating solutions, then the
level of risk goes up significantly and the therapist would need to act accordingly. After the
conversation about client's collateral support, the therapist would talk with the client about the
possibility of increasing the frequency of therapeutic contact.
A therapist meets with a 74-year-old man. The man is brought to his initial individual session by
his son who provides documentation that he is the conservator of his father. When meeting
individually with the man, he appears agitated and confused, and begins to complain that his son
is too controlling and will not allow him access to his bank card or checkbook. How should the
therapist manage their legal obligations?
A.Report elder abuse due to reasonable suspicion of financial abuse perpetrated by the son.
B.Ask the man if he would like to engage in family therapy to express his concerns with his son.
C.Document the man's complaints in the medical record and continue to assess for potential
financial abuse.
D.Acknowledge the man's concerns and explore his understanding of being a conservatee.
correct answers The son provided documentation to the therapist that indicates he is the
conservator for his father. As a consequence, this means he has control over the father's finances.
His withholding of the bank card and checkbook would not constitute financial abuse. This
allows you to eliminate answers A and C.
Answer B might be an acceptable action. However, we would start by acknowledging the man's
expressed concerns and clarifying his understanding of the legal implications of having a
conservator.
A therapist meets with a 23-year-old female client who shares that she is the daughter of
immigrant parents. The client reports that her parents moved to the US shortly before she was
born, but continue to hold onto the traditions and values of their country of origin. The client
recently graduated from college and wants to travel the world, but her parents believe she is too
old to be adventurous and should be focused on getting married and starting a family. How
should the therapist incorporate human diversity in this assessment?
A. Identify the client's country of origin and research common traditions.
B. Explore the client's understanding of acculturation and explain the nature of the conflict she is
presenting.
, C. Explore the client's cultural values and how they align with or conflict with those of her
parents.
D. Gather information on the client's goals for treatment. correct answers We can quickly
eliminate answer D, because it does not touch on human diversity.
Answer A is incorrect because the client indicated in the vignette that she was born in the United
States, but her parents immigrated here. Plus, we would prioritize answers that gather
information from the client, rather than through personal research. B is also incorrect because it
includes the therapist explaining the nature of the conflict to the client, rather than having the
client share their personal experience in the context of their cultural background.
This leaves us with answer C, which allows the therapist to explore the role of culture through
the lens of the client's personal experience.
8 types of paraphilia disorders in the DSM 5 correct answers Voyeuristic: watching unsuspecting
people who are naked, undressing, or engaging in sexual activities
Exhibitionistic: exposing genitalia to unsuspecting people
Frotteuristic: touching or rubbing non-consenting people
Sexual masochism: engaging in acts meant to cause self pain or suffering
Sexual sadism: engaging in acts that cause another person pain or suffering
Pedophillic: attraction to prepubescent children
Fetishistic: interest in non-living objects or non-genital parts
Transvestic: engaging in cross-dressing
Difference between paraphilias and paraphilia disorders correct answers Paraphilias are defined
as atypical patterns of sexual attraction or sexual arousal in response to atypical stimuli.
In contrast, paraphilic disorders are diagnosed when paraphilias cause personal distress or
impairment to the individual's function or cause harm to others.
A therapist working in county mental health meets with a 19-year-old male who cross-dresses.
The client tells the therapist that he estranged from his family. He states, "they do not understand
or accept my lifestyle." In addition, he shares that a week ago, he was physically and verbally
assaulted by a group of teenage boys. The therapist observes bruising all over his body that were
caused by one of the teens hitting him with a wooden bat. He tells the therapist that he is proud
of who he is and how he presents to the world. However, the lack of familial support and the
recent incident have left him feeling depressed, frequently on edge, and scared to leave his
apartment. How should the therapist clinically evaluate the therapeutic needs of this client?
In an individual therapy session, a client tells their therapist, who is licensed in California, that
their sister-in-law recently relapsed with alcohol. According to the client, the sister-in-law
"passed out drunk" last week while working as a solo daycare provider in her home in
Washington. The children present were between the ages of 1 to 11 years. The client witnessed
the incident during a family visit out of state. When the client confronted her sister-in-law, she
could "smell the alcohol on her," even though she denied it. The client maintains that the sister-
in-law is still abusing alcohol. Considering legal responsibilities, the therapist:
A. Must investigate details further and process the incident with the client
B. Must report suspected child neglect to Washington CPS immediately
C. Must maintain confidentiality and encourage the client to call local authorities
D. Must report suspected child neglect correct answers D: Must report suspected child neglect to
California CPS immediately.
As mandated reporters, we are legally required to report reasonable suspicion of child neglect
while working, even when the incident doesn't involve our client. The CPS phone report must be
made immediately, followed by a written report within 36 hours. We can eliminate answer A
because it's not our job to investigate, and we have enough details to warrant suspicion of
neglect. Remember, minors do not need to be harmed to make a neglect report, nor does the
incident need to occur within California state lines. However, as California pre-licensed or
licensed therapists, we would make the report with California CPS, not Washington, which
makes answer B wrong. And, finally, answer C is not correct because child neglect is an
exception to confidentiality, and the responsibility to report here should not be on the client.
During a session, a 25-year-old female tells her therapist that she feels alone and untethered. She
recently lost her job and has not felt very supported by her friend group. She shares that she has
been having thoughts of not wanting to be here anymore and has a tentative plan, but no means.
How should the therapist manage the legal and ethical obligations in this case?
A. Initiate involuntary hospitalization
B. Inform the client that her collateral support needs to be involved
C. Give the client a number for a suicide prevention hotline
D. Increase frequency of contact with the client. correct answers B: Inform the client that her
collateral support needs to be involved.
The client has experienced a significant loss and is expressing feelings of loneliness and
disconnection. In addition, we can see in the stem that she has suicidal ideation and a tentative
plan. Since she does not have the means or a concrete plan, the level of risk at this time is
,moderate. Thus, initiating involuntary hospitalization would be a bit of an overreaction.
However, simply giving the client a suicide hotline phone number would not be enough in this
case, as the risk is moderate. Between B and D, the first thing we are going to do is talk to the
client about activating her support system. She mentioned that she does not feel adequate support
from her friend group, so it would be important to help her express her needs to them, or to
identify other supports, such as family. If she is open to involving her support system and
engaging in safety planning, then we have hope and valuable information about her level of
despair. If she is unwilling to voluntarily engage and participate in creating solutions, then the
level of risk goes up significantly and the therapist would need to act accordingly. After the
conversation about client's collateral support, the therapist would talk with the client about the
possibility of increasing the frequency of therapeutic contact.
A therapist meets with a 74-year-old man. The man is brought to his initial individual session by
his son who provides documentation that he is the conservator of his father. When meeting
individually with the man, he appears agitated and confused, and begins to complain that his son
is too controlling and will not allow him access to his bank card or checkbook. How should the
therapist manage their legal obligations?
A.Report elder abuse due to reasonable suspicion of financial abuse perpetrated by the son.
B.Ask the man if he would like to engage in family therapy to express his concerns with his son.
C.Document the man's complaints in the medical record and continue to assess for potential
financial abuse.
D.Acknowledge the man's concerns and explore his understanding of being a conservatee.
correct answers The son provided documentation to the therapist that indicates he is the
conservator for his father. As a consequence, this means he has control over the father's finances.
His withholding of the bank card and checkbook would not constitute financial abuse. This
allows you to eliminate answers A and C.
Answer B might be an acceptable action. However, we would start by acknowledging the man's
expressed concerns and clarifying his understanding of the legal implications of having a
conservator.
A therapist meets with a 23-year-old female client who shares that she is the daughter of
immigrant parents. The client reports that her parents moved to the US shortly before she was
born, but continue to hold onto the traditions and values of their country of origin. The client
recently graduated from college and wants to travel the world, but her parents believe she is too
old to be adventurous and should be focused on getting married and starting a family. How
should the therapist incorporate human diversity in this assessment?
A. Identify the client's country of origin and research common traditions.
B. Explore the client's understanding of acculturation and explain the nature of the conflict she is
presenting.
, C. Explore the client's cultural values and how they align with or conflict with those of her
parents.
D. Gather information on the client's goals for treatment. correct answers We can quickly
eliminate answer D, because it does not touch on human diversity.
Answer A is incorrect because the client indicated in the vignette that she was born in the United
States, but her parents immigrated here. Plus, we would prioritize answers that gather
information from the client, rather than through personal research. B is also incorrect because it
includes the therapist explaining the nature of the conflict to the client, rather than having the
client share their personal experience in the context of their cultural background.
This leaves us with answer C, which allows the therapist to explore the role of culture through
the lens of the client's personal experience.
8 types of paraphilia disorders in the DSM 5 correct answers Voyeuristic: watching unsuspecting
people who are naked, undressing, or engaging in sexual activities
Exhibitionistic: exposing genitalia to unsuspecting people
Frotteuristic: touching or rubbing non-consenting people
Sexual masochism: engaging in acts meant to cause self pain or suffering
Sexual sadism: engaging in acts that cause another person pain or suffering
Pedophillic: attraction to prepubescent children
Fetishistic: interest in non-living objects or non-genital parts
Transvestic: engaging in cross-dressing
Difference between paraphilias and paraphilia disorders correct answers Paraphilias are defined
as atypical patterns of sexual attraction or sexual arousal in response to atypical stimuli.
In contrast, paraphilic disorders are diagnosed when paraphilias cause personal distress or
impairment to the individual's function or cause harm to others.
A therapist working in county mental health meets with a 19-year-old male who cross-dresses.
The client tells the therapist that he estranged from his family. He states, "they do not understand
or accept my lifestyle." In addition, he shares that a week ago, he was physically and verbally
assaulted by a group of teenage boys. The therapist observes bruising all over his body that were
caused by one of the teens hitting him with a wooden bat. He tells the therapist that he is proud
of who he is and how he presents to the world. However, the lack of familial support and the
recent incident have left him feeling depressed, frequently on edge, and scared to leave his
apartment. How should the therapist clinically evaluate the therapeutic needs of this client?
