PA Marriage and Family Therapist
Licensing Examination (AMFTRB)
Practice Questions And Correct Answers
(Verified Answers) Plus Rationales
2025|2026 Q&A | Instant Download Pdf
1. Which therapeutic approach emphasizes exploring a client’s family
history to identify patterns that contribute to current problems?
A. Cognitive-behavioral therapy
B. Solution-focused therapy
C. Psychodynamic therapy
D. Narrative therapy
Answer: C. Psychodynamic therapy
Rationale: Psychodynamic therapy focuses on unconscious processes and
past family experiences to understand present behavior.
, 2. In Bowenian family therapy, differentiation of self refers to:
A. Avoiding emotional contact with family members
B. Balancing emotional and intellectual functioning while
maintaining relationships
C. Aligning with one family member against another
D. Ignoring family influences on individual behavior
Answer: B. Balancing emotional and intellectual functioning while
maintaining relationships
Rationale: Differentiation of self is the ability to separate thoughts from
feelings while staying connected in relationships.
3. Structural family therapy primarily focuses on:
A. Individual cognition and beliefs
B. Past family traumas
C. Family organization, boundaries, and hierarchies
D. External societal pressures
Answer: C. Family organization, boundaries, and hierarchies
Rationale: Structural therapy examines how family subsystems and
boundaries affect behavior.
4. In cognitive-behavioral therapy, automatic thoughts are:
A. Repressed childhood memories
B. Immediate, involuntary thoughts that influence emotions and
behavior
, C. Dreams with symbolic meaning
D. Long-term beliefs about relationships
Answer: B. Immediate, involuntary thoughts that influence emotions and
behavior
Rationale: Automatic thoughts are spontaneous cognitions that can trigger
emotional and behavioral responses.
5. Which of the following is an example of triangulation in family
therapy?
A. Two parents collaboratively solving a child’s problem
B. A child caught between two parents’ conflict
C. A therapist mediating between siblings
D. A parent disciplining a child consistently
Answer: B. A child caught between two parents’ conflict
Rationale: Triangulation occurs when a third party is drawn into a conflict to
reduce tension between two people.
6. The goal of narrative therapy is to:
A. Correct maladaptive behavior patterns
B. Help clients re-author their life stories and separate themselves
from problems
C. Analyze unconscious family dynamics
D. Focus on symptom relief only
, Answer: B. Help clients re-author their life stories and separate themselves
from problems
Rationale: Narrative therapy externalizes problems, encouraging clients to
construct alternative, empowering narratives.
7. Which of the following is a key intervention in strategic family
therapy?
A. Free association
B. Paradoxical directives
C. Dream interpretation
D. Behavioral rehearsal
Answer: B. Paradoxical directives
Rationale: Strategic therapy often uses paradoxical interventions to disrupt
maladaptive family patterns.
8. In solution-focused therapy, the therapist’s primary focus is:
A. Past family trauma
B. Identifying client strengths and solutions
C. Exploring unconscious conflicts
D. Diagnosing mental disorders
Answer: B. Identifying client strengths and solutions
Rationale: Solution-focused therapy emphasizes clients’ resources and
capabilities to achieve specific goals.
Licensing Examination (AMFTRB)
Practice Questions And Correct Answers
(Verified Answers) Plus Rationales
2025|2026 Q&A | Instant Download Pdf
1. Which therapeutic approach emphasizes exploring a client’s family
history to identify patterns that contribute to current problems?
A. Cognitive-behavioral therapy
B. Solution-focused therapy
C. Psychodynamic therapy
D. Narrative therapy
Answer: C. Psychodynamic therapy
Rationale: Psychodynamic therapy focuses on unconscious processes and
past family experiences to understand present behavior.
, 2. In Bowenian family therapy, differentiation of self refers to:
A. Avoiding emotional contact with family members
B. Balancing emotional and intellectual functioning while
maintaining relationships
C. Aligning with one family member against another
D. Ignoring family influences on individual behavior
Answer: B. Balancing emotional and intellectual functioning while
maintaining relationships
Rationale: Differentiation of self is the ability to separate thoughts from
feelings while staying connected in relationships.
3. Structural family therapy primarily focuses on:
A. Individual cognition and beliefs
B. Past family traumas
C. Family organization, boundaries, and hierarchies
D. External societal pressures
Answer: C. Family organization, boundaries, and hierarchies
Rationale: Structural therapy examines how family subsystems and
boundaries affect behavior.
4. In cognitive-behavioral therapy, automatic thoughts are:
A. Repressed childhood memories
B. Immediate, involuntary thoughts that influence emotions and
behavior
, C. Dreams with symbolic meaning
D. Long-term beliefs about relationships
Answer: B. Immediate, involuntary thoughts that influence emotions and
behavior
Rationale: Automatic thoughts are spontaneous cognitions that can trigger
emotional and behavioral responses.
5. Which of the following is an example of triangulation in family
therapy?
A. Two parents collaboratively solving a child’s problem
B. A child caught between two parents’ conflict
C. A therapist mediating between siblings
D. A parent disciplining a child consistently
Answer: B. A child caught between two parents’ conflict
Rationale: Triangulation occurs when a third party is drawn into a conflict to
reduce tension between two people.
6. The goal of narrative therapy is to:
A. Correct maladaptive behavior patterns
B. Help clients re-author their life stories and separate themselves
from problems
C. Analyze unconscious family dynamics
D. Focus on symptom relief only
, Answer: B. Help clients re-author their life stories and separate themselves
from problems
Rationale: Narrative therapy externalizes problems, encouraging clients to
construct alternative, empowering narratives.
7. Which of the following is a key intervention in strategic family
therapy?
A. Free association
B. Paradoxical directives
C. Dream interpretation
D. Behavioral rehearsal
Answer: B. Paradoxical directives
Rationale: Strategic therapy often uses paradoxical interventions to disrupt
maladaptive family patterns.
8. In solution-focused therapy, the therapist’s primary focus is:
A. Past family trauma
B. Identifying client strengths and solutions
C. Exploring unconscious conflicts
D. Diagnosing mental disorders
Answer: B. Identifying client strengths and solutions
Rationale: Solution-focused therapy emphasizes clients’ resources and
capabilities to achieve specific goals.
