PYC 3705 COUNSELING SKILLS EXAM 2025/2026 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GUARANTEE A+
1. BODY LANGUAGE AND APPEARANCE - ✔✔Maintains open, relaxed, confident
posture with appropriate eye contact. Forward lean, comfortable position shows interest.
Uses head nods and body gestures to encourage client talk. Maintains professional
dress.
✔✔2. MINIMAL ENCOURAGERS - ✔✔Repeats key words and phrases to let client
know s/he is heard
• Examples: Uses prompts such as ..."uh huh", "okay", "right", "umm-hmmm," "Oh?" "I
understand," "Then?" "And?", "I see", "Yes"
✔✔3. SIMPLE CONVERSATION COURTESIES - ✔✔Gentle comments to interject into
the conversation when necessary.
Examples:
• "Excuse me...", "Pardon me...." , "One moment please..." , "Let's talk about solutions.",
"May I suggest something?"
✔✔4. EMPATHY - ✔✔Maintain good eye contact, smile when appropriate, show
concern, show compassion in your body language try not to pass judgment negatively
on the "person", but rather the "action", this allows the client to know that you are care
about them as a person.
✔✔5 VOCAL TONE - ✔✔Uses vocal tone that matches the sense of the session and
session goals. Vocal tone varies. Vocal tone communicates caring and connection with
the client.
✔✔6. EVOKING AND PUNCTUATING CLIENT STRENGTHS - ✔✔Session grounded
in appreciation of and belief in client and in client strengths and abilities. See Solution
Focused Complimenting.
✔✔7. APPROPRIATE USE OF SILENCE - ✔✔Allow for comfortable silences to slow
down the exchange. Give a person time to think as well as talk. Silence can also be
very helpful in diffusing an unproductive interaction.
✔✔8. QUESTIONING - ✔✔Asks open-ended questions that encourage the client to
continue talking and to provide information. Uses when needed and when theoretically
consistent. Uses closed questions judiciously. Does not overuse questions. Let the
client educate you on their situation. You do not have to be the expert on everything.
Identify and reflect to clients any strengths or positive qualities clients may reveal in
their responses to the open-ended questions.
✔✔LEADING - ✔✔Guiding the conversation in a direction you believe it needs to go.
,• Examples: Would you like to talk about it?" "What happened then?" Could you tell me
more?"
✔✔REFLECTIVE - ✔✔Helps people understand more about what they said.
• Examples: Client: "I'm worried I won't remember. . . " Counselor (Reflective Q): "It
sounds like you would like some help remembering?", "Sounds as if you are afraid to
forget..."
✔✔OPEN-ENDED - ✔✔Use open-ended questions to expand the discussion.
Examples: "Tell Me More. Help Me Understand. What would you like to see happen?
How long have you felt this way? "How? What? Where? Who? Which?", "Can you tell
me about your relationship with your parents" (OPEN) vs. "Do you like your
parents?"(CLOSED- which offers a forced yes or no response). Tell me about your
growing up years. Tell me about your parenting experience. What were the best times?
What were the most difficult? How did you cope? Who were your supports and how did
they help you?"
✔✔CLOSED-ENDED - ✔✔Use closed ended questions to prompt for specifics.
• Examples: "Is? Are? Do? Did? Can? Could? Would?", "How many times did..."
✔✔9. ACTIVE LISTENING - ✔✔The Art of Hearing what people are feeling.
The goal is to target three key aspects or a message in your reflections. Each layer
conveys a deeper level of understanding (For the Clinician) and validation (For the
Client). Each of the three components is equally valid and useful.
✔✔Reflecting CONTENT- - ✔✔Allows the client / student to provide further details of
the event (Activating Event / Antecedent).
✔✔Reflecting THINKING - ✔✔The client is able to understand the Clinicians
understanding of the event, and further clarify or correct.
✔✔Reflecting FEELING - ✔✔The Clinician invites the Client to become aware of their
emotions resulting from the event (Beliefs), and further clarify or correct.
✔✔10. REQUESTING CONCRETE AND SPECIFIC EXAMPLES / ECHOING OR
ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION - ✔✔Asks for concrete and specific instances when
clients provide vague generalities.
Examples: "Give me an example of how you might feel or react / respond when facing
__________."
✔✔[USING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS BASED ON OBJECTIVE] - ✔✔To Obtain
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (What happened when "X"?)
, ✔✔To Look at RELATIONSHIPS or Causes (How does "X" respond to "X" when "X". /
What else happened when you "X"? ) - ✔✔To Develop NEW IDEAS (How else could
you "X"?)
✔✔To TEST NEW IDEAS (What would happen if you "X"? What might be the outcome
if you chose to "X" ?) - ✔✔To FOCUS the Discussion (Can we go back to "X"? Why
don't we revisit "X"? Let's stay with "X" for a little bit longer before we move one.)
✔✔To ADVANCE the Discussion (What are the next steps we could consider with "X"? -
✔✔To BROADEN the Discussion (What else do we need to consider or think about
when we talk about "X"?
✔✔To BRING OUT OPINIONS or Discussion (How would you feel if "X"? What do you
think about "X" occurring / happening? What would your response be if "X" became a
reality / did not become a reality? - ✔✔To SUGGEST AN IDEA, ACTION OR
DECISION (What do you think would happen if you were to "X"?
✔✔To Come to AGREEMENT OR A CONCLUSION (Can we say that "X" represents
our thinking? - ✔✔BLANK CARD
✔✔11. PARAPHRASING (REFLECTION OF CONTENT) - ✔✔Engages in brief,
accurate, and clear rephrasing of what the client has expressed.
Examples: Client: "I am so angry that my mom and dad never believe me!" Counselor:
So Mike before when we talked you were just bothered about this situation, but now you
have become really angry about it. What has changed?"
✔✔12. RESTATING / CLARIFICATION - ✔✔To show you are listening, repeat every so
often what you think the person said — not by parroting, but by paraphrasing what you
heard in your own words.
Examples: "Let's see if I'm clear about this. . ." "In other words, this is..., "If I understand
you then,..."
Examples: Counselor: "So Amy, let's see if I understand, you are telling me that you are
willing to reduce your self-injuring?" ".... that you are tired of being so angry."
✔✔SUMMARIZING - ✔✔Makes statements at key moments in the session that capture
the overall sense of what the client has been expressing. Bring together the facts and
pieces of the problem to check understanding.
Examples: "So it sounds to me as if . . ." Or, "Is that it?", "These seem to be the key
ideas...", "If I understand you, you feel that..."
ANSWERS GUARANTEE A+
1. BODY LANGUAGE AND APPEARANCE - ✔✔Maintains open, relaxed, confident
posture with appropriate eye contact. Forward lean, comfortable position shows interest.
Uses head nods and body gestures to encourage client talk. Maintains professional
dress.
✔✔2. MINIMAL ENCOURAGERS - ✔✔Repeats key words and phrases to let client
know s/he is heard
• Examples: Uses prompts such as ..."uh huh", "okay", "right", "umm-hmmm," "Oh?" "I
understand," "Then?" "And?", "I see", "Yes"
✔✔3. SIMPLE CONVERSATION COURTESIES - ✔✔Gentle comments to interject into
the conversation when necessary.
Examples:
• "Excuse me...", "Pardon me...." , "One moment please..." , "Let's talk about solutions.",
"May I suggest something?"
✔✔4. EMPATHY - ✔✔Maintain good eye contact, smile when appropriate, show
concern, show compassion in your body language try not to pass judgment negatively
on the "person", but rather the "action", this allows the client to know that you are care
about them as a person.
✔✔5 VOCAL TONE - ✔✔Uses vocal tone that matches the sense of the session and
session goals. Vocal tone varies. Vocal tone communicates caring and connection with
the client.
✔✔6. EVOKING AND PUNCTUATING CLIENT STRENGTHS - ✔✔Session grounded
in appreciation of and belief in client and in client strengths and abilities. See Solution
Focused Complimenting.
✔✔7. APPROPRIATE USE OF SILENCE - ✔✔Allow for comfortable silences to slow
down the exchange. Give a person time to think as well as talk. Silence can also be
very helpful in diffusing an unproductive interaction.
✔✔8. QUESTIONING - ✔✔Asks open-ended questions that encourage the client to
continue talking and to provide information. Uses when needed and when theoretically
consistent. Uses closed questions judiciously. Does not overuse questions. Let the
client educate you on their situation. You do not have to be the expert on everything.
Identify and reflect to clients any strengths or positive qualities clients may reveal in
their responses to the open-ended questions.
✔✔LEADING - ✔✔Guiding the conversation in a direction you believe it needs to go.
,• Examples: Would you like to talk about it?" "What happened then?" Could you tell me
more?"
✔✔REFLECTIVE - ✔✔Helps people understand more about what they said.
• Examples: Client: "I'm worried I won't remember. . . " Counselor (Reflective Q): "It
sounds like you would like some help remembering?", "Sounds as if you are afraid to
forget..."
✔✔OPEN-ENDED - ✔✔Use open-ended questions to expand the discussion.
Examples: "Tell Me More. Help Me Understand. What would you like to see happen?
How long have you felt this way? "How? What? Where? Who? Which?", "Can you tell
me about your relationship with your parents" (OPEN) vs. "Do you like your
parents?"(CLOSED- which offers a forced yes or no response). Tell me about your
growing up years. Tell me about your parenting experience. What were the best times?
What were the most difficult? How did you cope? Who were your supports and how did
they help you?"
✔✔CLOSED-ENDED - ✔✔Use closed ended questions to prompt for specifics.
• Examples: "Is? Are? Do? Did? Can? Could? Would?", "How many times did..."
✔✔9. ACTIVE LISTENING - ✔✔The Art of Hearing what people are feeling.
The goal is to target three key aspects or a message in your reflections. Each layer
conveys a deeper level of understanding (For the Clinician) and validation (For the
Client). Each of the three components is equally valid and useful.
✔✔Reflecting CONTENT- - ✔✔Allows the client / student to provide further details of
the event (Activating Event / Antecedent).
✔✔Reflecting THINKING - ✔✔The client is able to understand the Clinicians
understanding of the event, and further clarify or correct.
✔✔Reflecting FEELING - ✔✔The Clinician invites the Client to become aware of their
emotions resulting from the event (Beliefs), and further clarify or correct.
✔✔10. REQUESTING CONCRETE AND SPECIFIC EXAMPLES / ECHOING OR
ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION - ✔✔Asks for concrete and specific instances when
clients provide vague generalities.
Examples: "Give me an example of how you might feel or react / respond when facing
__________."
✔✔[USING CLARIFYING QUESTIONS BASED ON OBJECTIVE] - ✔✔To Obtain
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (What happened when "X"?)
, ✔✔To Look at RELATIONSHIPS or Causes (How does "X" respond to "X" when "X". /
What else happened when you "X"? ) - ✔✔To Develop NEW IDEAS (How else could
you "X"?)
✔✔To TEST NEW IDEAS (What would happen if you "X"? What might be the outcome
if you chose to "X" ?) - ✔✔To FOCUS the Discussion (Can we go back to "X"? Why
don't we revisit "X"? Let's stay with "X" for a little bit longer before we move one.)
✔✔To ADVANCE the Discussion (What are the next steps we could consider with "X"? -
✔✔To BROADEN the Discussion (What else do we need to consider or think about
when we talk about "X"?
✔✔To BRING OUT OPINIONS or Discussion (How would you feel if "X"? What do you
think about "X" occurring / happening? What would your response be if "X" became a
reality / did not become a reality? - ✔✔To SUGGEST AN IDEA, ACTION OR
DECISION (What do you think would happen if you were to "X"?
✔✔To Come to AGREEMENT OR A CONCLUSION (Can we say that "X" represents
our thinking? - ✔✔BLANK CARD
✔✔11. PARAPHRASING (REFLECTION OF CONTENT) - ✔✔Engages in brief,
accurate, and clear rephrasing of what the client has expressed.
Examples: Client: "I am so angry that my mom and dad never believe me!" Counselor:
So Mike before when we talked you were just bothered about this situation, but now you
have become really angry about it. What has changed?"
✔✔12. RESTATING / CLARIFICATION - ✔✔To show you are listening, repeat every so
often what you think the person said — not by parroting, but by paraphrasing what you
heard in your own words.
Examples: "Let's see if I'm clear about this. . ." "In other words, this is..., "If I understand
you then,..."
Examples: Counselor: "So Amy, let's see if I understand, you are telling me that you are
willing to reduce your self-injuring?" ".... that you are tired of being so angry."
✔✔SUMMARIZING - ✔✔Makes statements at key moments in the session that capture
the overall sense of what the client has been expressing. Bring together the facts and
pieces of the problem to check understanding.
Examples: "So it sounds to me as if . . ." Or, "Is that it?", "These seem to be the key
ideas...", "If I understand you, you feel that..."
