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Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) Exam Practice Questions and Answershttps://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
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Marital and Family Therapy
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Questions and Answers
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1000 Flashcards Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) Examhttps://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
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The ability to recover from adversity is called ________.
Resilience.
The ability to remain emotionally connected while maintaining individuality is called ________.
Differentiation of self.
Assessment ends after the intake session.
False. Assessment is continuous throughout therapy as new information emerges and client
circumstances change.
The belief that one can successfully handle future challenges is known as self-________.
Efficacy.
A child repeatedly reports being left alone for extended periods without supervision. What
concern should be assessed?
Potential neglect requiring safety evaluation and possible reporting.
A child's anxiety increases whenever parents argue. What should the therapist assess?
Interactional patterns, communication cycles, and systemic influences maintaining symptoms.
A client attends sessions regularly but never completes assigned homework. What should the
therapist evaluate?
Treatment adherence, motivation, intervention appropriateness, and possible barriers to
participation.
A client consistently misses sessions despite expressing motivation for change. What should
the therapist assess?
Treatment barriers, readiness for change, practical obstacles, therapeutic alliance, and
systemic influences affecting participation.
A client demonstrates poor understanding of how substance use affects family relationships.
Which MSE domain may be impaired?
Insight.
A client demonstrates significant progress but experiences a temporary setback before
termination. What should the therapist do?
Assess the setback, reinforce coping strategies, revise relapse prevention plans, and
determine whether termination remains appropriate.
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1000 Flashcards Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) Examhttps://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
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A client exhibits depressive symptoms for one week following a major loss. Why should caution
be used before diagnosing Major Depressive Disorder?
Symptoms may reflect a normal grief response or insufficient duration for diagnosis.
A client experiencing psychosis reports hearing voices commanding self-harm and appears
unable to guarantee safety. What should the therapist prioritize?
Immediate risk assessment, safety planning, consultation, and potential emergency psychiatric
intervention.
A client expresses a specific plan to harm a former partner. What should the therapist assess
immediately?
Threat credibility, intent, means, victim identification, and legal obligations regarding protection
and warning.
A client expresses fear about handling future stress without therapy. What should the therapist
address?
Relapse prevention, coping skills, support resources, and self-efficacy.
A client has achieved goals but lacks community support and fears isolation after discharge.
What should the therapist prioritize before termination?
Resource mapping, support-system development, continuity planning, and relapse-prevention
preparation.
A client is unable to obtain food, shelter, or medical care because of severe psychosis. What
may be present?
Grave disability.
A client loses employment but rapidly accesses support and develops a plan. What protective
factor is demonstrated?
Strong coping capacity and adaptive problem-solving.
A client notices anxiety spikes before family gatherings. What relapse-prevention skill is being
demonstrated?
Trigger identification and self-monitoring.
A client reports suicidal thoughts and easy access to firearms. What immediate concern exists?
Elevated suicide risk due to access to lethal means requiring immediate safety assessment.
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1000 Flashcards Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) Examhttps://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
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A client sends a friend request to a therapist's personal social media account. What ethical
issue should be considered?
Professional boundaries, confidentiality risks, and maintenance of the therapeutic relationship.
Clients experiencing psychosis can never participate meaningfully in safety planning.
False. Many clients with psychotic symptoms can participate in safety planning depending on
symptom severity and functioning.
Clients who have achieved goals may still benefit from relapse prevention planning.
True. Preparing for future challenges strengthens long-term maintenance of gains.
Clients who terminate treatment successfully will never experience future setbacks.
False. Setbacks are a normal part of life; successful treatment equips clients with tools to
manage them effectively.
A client threatens serious harm toward another person. What ethical issue is involved?
Balancing confidentiality with safety obligations and potential duty to protect.
A client transitions from weekly therapy to monthly check-ins before discharge. What concept is
illustrated?
Stepped-care transition.
A client with strong protective factors can still be at high risk for suicide.
True. Protective factors reduce risk but do not eliminate it when significant risk factors are
present.
Clinical hypotheses should be continuously ________ as new information emerges.
Revised.
Comprehensive A child develops anxiety whenever parents discuss separation. The parents
stop discussing separation and focus on the child, reducing anxiety temporarily but preserving
marital conflict. Which systemic concepts explain this pattern?
Circular causality, symptom maintenance, homeostasis, triangulation, and negative feedback.
The child's symptom helps stabilize the family system by redirecting attention away from
unresolved marital issues.
A conflict-avoidant family leads the therapist to avoid difficult conversations. What concept is
illustrated?
Isomorphism.
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Marital and Family Therapy
(MFT) Exam Practice
Questions and Answers
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1000 Flashcards Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) Examhttps://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
https://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
The ability to recover from adversity is called ________.
Resilience.
The ability to remain emotionally connected while maintaining individuality is called ________.
Differentiation of self.
Assessment ends after the intake session.
False. Assessment is continuous throughout therapy as new information emerges and client
circumstances change.
The belief that one can successfully handle future challenges is known as self-________.
Efficacy.
A child repeatedly reports being left alone for extended periods without supervision. What
concern should be assessed?
Potential neglect requiring safety evaluation and possible reporting.
A child's anxiety increases whenever parents argue. What should the therapist assess?
Interactional patterns, communication cycles, and systemic influences maintaining symptoms.
A client attends sessions regularly but never completes assigned homework. What should the
therapist evaluate?
Treatment adherence, motivation, intervention appropriateness, and possible barriers to
participation.
A client consistently misses sessions despite expressing motivation for change. What should
the therapist assess?
Treatment barriers, readiness for change, practical obstacles, therapeutic alliance, and
systemic influences affecting participation.
A client demonstrates poor understanding of how substance use affects family relationships.
Which MSE domain may be impaired?
Insight.
A client demonstrates significant progress but experiences a temporary setback before
termination. What should the therapist do?
Assess the setback, reinforce coping strategies, revise relapse prevention plans, and
determine whether termination remains appropriate.
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1000 Flashcards Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) Examhttps://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
https://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
A client exhibits depressive symptoms for one week following a major loss. Why should caution
be used before diagnosing Major Depressive Disorder?
Symptoms may reflect a normal grief response or insufficient duration for diagnosis.
A client experiencing psychosis reports hearing voices commanding self-harm and appears
unable to guarantee safety. What should the therapist prioritize?
Immediate risk assessment, safety planning, consultation, and potential emergency psychiatric
intervention.
A client expresses a specific plan to harm a former partner. What should the therapist assess
immediately?
Threat credibility, intent, means, victim identification, and legal obligations regarding protection
and warning.
A client expresses fear about handling future stress without therapy. What should the therapist
address?
Relapse prevention, coping skills, support resources, and self-efficacy.
A client has achieved goals but lacks community support and fears isolation after discharge.
What should the therapist prioritize before termination?
Resource mapping, support-system development, continuity planning, and relapse-prevention
preparation.
A client is unable to obtain food, shelter, or medical care because of severe psychosis. What
may be present?
Grave disability.
A client loses employment but rapidly accesses support and develops a plan. What protective
factor is demonstrated?
Strong coping capacity and adaptive problem-solving.
A client notices anxiety spikes before family gatherings. What relapse-prevention skill is being
demonstrated?
Trigger identification and self-monitoring.
A client reports suicidal thoughts and easy access to firearms. What immediate concern exists?
Elevated suicide risk due to access to lethal means requiring immediate safety assessment.
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1000 Flashcards Marital and Family Therapy (MFT) Examhttps://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
https://www.stuvia.com/user/edupac
A client sends a friend request to a therapist's personal social media account. What ethical
issue should be considered?
Professional boundaries, confidentiality risks, and maintenance of the therapeutic relationship.
Clients experiencing psychosis can never participate meaningfully in safety planning.
False. Many clients with psychotic symptoms can participate in safety planning depending on
symptom severity and functioning.
Clients who have achieved goals may still benefit from relapse prevention planning.
True. Preparing for future challenges strengthens long-term maintenance of gains.
Clients who terminate treatment successfully will never experience future setbacks.
False. Setbacks are a normal part of life; successful treatment equips clients with tools to
manage them effectively.
A client threatens serious harm toward another person. What ethical issue is involved?
Balancing confidentiality with safety obligations and potential duty to protect.
A client transitions from weekly therapy to monthly check-ins before discharge. What concept is
illustrated?
Stepped-care transition.
A client with strong protective factors can still be at high risk for suicide.
True. Protective factors reduce risk but do not eliminate it when significant risk factors are
present.
Clinical hypotheses should be continuously ________ as new information emerges.
Revised.
Comprehensive A child develops anxiety whenever parents discuss separation. The parents
stop discussing separation and focus on the child, reducing anxiety temporarily but preserving
marital conflict. Which systemic concepts explain this pattern?
Circular causality, symptom maintenance, homeostasis, triangulation, and negative feedback.
The child's symptom helps stabilize the family system by redirecting attention away from
unresolved marital issues.
A conflict-avoidant family leads the therapist to avoid difficult conversations. What concept is
illustrated?
Isomorphism.
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