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Wilkes University NSG 526 Exam 2026-2027 BANK QUESTIONS
WITH DETAILED VERIFIED ANSWERS EXAM QUESTIONS
WILL COME FROM HERE (100 % Latest Already Graded A+
Question 1
A Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) utilizing
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) asks a depressed patient, "What is
the worst thing that could happen if you fail this exam, and how would
you cope with it?" Which cognitive restructuring technique is the
clinician demonstrating?
A) Cognitive defusion
B) Decatastrophizing
C) Thought stopping
D) Guided association
Answer: B) Decatastrophizing
Explanation: Decatastrophizing, also known as the "what-if" technique,
is a core intervention in CBT designed to help patients evaluate the
validity of their catastrophic assumptions. By exploring the worst-case
scenario and the patient's capacity to cope with it, the clinician helps
the patient recognize that the anticipated outcome is often both
unlikely and manageable, thereby reducing anxiety and distorted
thinking.
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Question 2
According to Aaron Beck's cognitive model of depression, the "cognitive
triad" consists of a patient's dysfunctional and negative views of which
three areas?
A) The mother, the father, and the self
B) The self, the world, and the future
C) Past failures, present stressors, and future doom
D) Biology, environment, and social networks
Answer: B) The self, the world, and the future
Explanation: Beck's cognitive triad is a hallmark of his cognitive theory
of depression. It posits that depressed individuals hold an automatic,
negative view of themselves (e.g., "I am worthless"), their ongoing
experiences and the world (e.g., "The world is unfair and
overwhelming"), and their future (e.g., "Things will never improve").
This triad of negative schemas perpetuates depressive symptoms.
Question 3
During a therapy session, a patient states, "If I don't get an A in every
single class this semester, it means I am a complete failure and
shouldn't even be in school." The PMHNP identifies this as which
cognitive distortion?
A) Emotional reasoning
B) Dichotomous thinking
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C) Personalization
D) Overgeneralization
Answer: B) Dichotomous thinking
Explanation: Dichotomous thinking, also known as all-or-nothing or
black-and-white thinking, is a cognitive distortion where an individual
views situations in extreme, mutually exclusive categories with no room
for a middle ground. The patient's statement reflects a belief that
academic performance must be perfect (an 'A') or it equates to total
failure, ignoring the nuanced reality of grades and self-worth.
Question 4
A core philosophical tenet of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is the
synthesis of which two seemingly contradictory concepts?
A) Freudian id and superego alignment
B) Interpersonal dominance and submissive attachment
C) Acceptance of the patient as they are and the necessity for change
D) Behavioral activation and passive dream analysis
Answer: C) Acceptance of the patient as they are and the necessity for
change
Explanation: The central dialectic in DBT is the balance between
acceptance and change. The therapist validates the patient's current
reality and pain (acceptance) while simultaneously pushing for the
development of new skills and behavioral changes to create a life worth
, 4|Page
living. DBT views holding these opposing forces in tension as the key to
therapeutic progress.
Question 5
During a therapy session, a patient becomes tearful and states, "You
remind me so much of my mother—I feel like I can finally trust
someone." This is an example of:
A) Countertransference
B) Projection
C) Transference
D) Therapeutic alliance
Answer: C) Transference
Explanation: Transference is a psychoanalytic concept where a patient
unconsciously redirects feelings, expectations, and attitudes from
significant figures in their past, such as a parent, onto the therapist. The
patient's statement about trusting the therapist because of a maternal
resemblance is a classic example of this phenomenon.
Question 6
A PMHNP feels an intense wave of irritation and protective judgment
toward a patient because the patient reminds them of their own
demanding ex-spouse. In psychodynamic theory, how is the therapist's
emotional reaction classified?
A) Negative transference
Wilkes University NSG 526 Exam 2026-2027 BANK QUESTIONS
WITH DETAILED VERIFIED ANSWERS EXAM QUESTIONS
WILL COME FROM HERE (100 % Latest Already Graded A+
Question 1
A Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) utilizing
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) asks a depressed patient, "What is
the worst thing that could happen if you fail this exam, and how would
you cope with it?" Which cognitive restructuring technique is the
clinician demonstrating?
A) Cognitive defusion
B) Decatastrophizing
C) Thought stopping
D) Guided association
Answer: B) Decatastrophizing
Explanation: Decatastrophizing, also known as the "what-if" technique,
is a core intervention in CBT designed to help patients evaluate the
validity of their catastrophic assumptions. By exploring the worst-case
scenario and the patient's capacity to cope with it, the clinician helps
the patient recognize that the anticipated outcome is often both
unlikely and manageable, thereby reducing anxiety and distorted
thinking.
,2|Page
Question 2
According to Aaron Beck's cognitive model of depression, the "cognitive
triad" consists of a patient's dysfunctional and negative views of which
three areas?
A) The mother, the father, and the self
B) The self, the world, and the future
C) Past failures, present stressors, and future doom
D) Biology, environment, and social networks
Answer: B) The self, the world, and the future
Explanation: Beck's cognitive triad is a hallmark of his cognitive theory
of depression. It posits that depressed individuals hold an automatic,
negative view of themselves (e.g., "I am worthless"), their ongoing
experiences and the world (e.g., "The world is unfair and
overwhelming"), and their future (e.g., "Things will never improve").
This triad of negative schemas perpetuates depressive symptoms.
Question 3
During a therapy session, a patient states, "If I don't get an A in every
single class this semester, it means I am a complete failure and
shouldn't even be in school." The PMHNP identifies this as which
cognitive distortion?
A) Emotional reasoning
B) Dichotomous thinking
,3|Page
C) Personalization
D) Overgeneralization
Answer: B) Dichotomous thinking
Explanation: Dichotomous thinking, also known as all-or-nothing or
black-and-white thinking, is a cognitive distortion where an individual
views situations in extreme, mutually exclusive categories with no room
for a middle ground. The patient's statement reflects a belief that
academic performance must be perfect (an 'A') or it equates to total
failure, ignoring the nuanced reality of grades and self-worth.
Question 4
A core philosophical tenet of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is the
synthesis of which two seemingly contradictory concepts?
A) Freudian id and superego alignment
B) Interpersonal dominance and submissive attachment
C) Acceptance of the patient as they are and the necessity for change
D) Behavioral activation and passive dream analysis
Answer: C) Acceptance of the patient as they are and the necessity for
change
Explanation: The central dialectic in DBT is the balance between
acceptance and change. The therapist validates the patient's current
reality and pain (acceptance) while simultaneously pushing for the
development of new skills and behavioral changes to create a life worth
, 4|Page
living. DBT views holding these opposing forces in tension as the key to
therapeutic progress.
Question 5
During a therapy session, a patient becomes tearful and states, "You
remind me so much of my mother—I feel like I can finally trust
someone." This is an example of:
A) Countertransference
B) Projection
C) Transference
D) Therapeutic alliance
Answer: C) Transference
Explanation: Transference is a psychoanalytic concept where a patient
unconsciously redirects feelings, expectations, and attitudes from
significant figures in their past, such as a parent, onto the therapist. The
patient's statement about trusting the therapist because of a maternal
resemblance is a classic example of this phenomenon.
Question 6
A PMHNP feels an intense wave of irritation and protective judgment
toward a patient because the patient reminds them of their own
demanding ex-spouse. In psychodynamic theory, how is the therapist's
emotional reaction classified?
A) Negative transference
