BAPSY Therapeutic Techniques & Counseling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which technique involves the therapist intentionally saying the opposite of what they mean to reduce client resistance?
- Paradoxical intention (Correct answer)
- Reframing
- Motivational interviewing
- Behavioral activation
Correct answer: Paradoxical intention
Paradoxical intention, developed by Viktor Frankl, directs clients toward their feared behavior or symptom to reduce its power.
Question 2: In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), the term 'dialectical' refers to the balance between which two concepts?
- Acceptance and change (Correct answer)
- Thinking and feeling
- Past and present
- Individual and group
Correct answer: Acceptance and change
DBT's dialectical philosophy synthesizes acceptance of the client as they are with the need for change.
Question 3: A counselor who uses the 'empty chair' technique is most likely practicing which therapeutic approach?
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Gestalt therapy (Correct answer)
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Solution-focused therapy
Correct answer: Gestalt therapy
The empty chair is a hallmark Gestalt technique used to facilitate dialogue between parts of the self or with significant others.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a 'mood check-in' at the start of a CBT session?
- To build rapport with the client
- To track symptom severity and link mood to cognitions (Correct answer)
- To determine medication needs
- To assess suicidal ideation
Correct answer: To track symptom severity and link mood to cognitions
Mood check-ins in CBT provide quantitative tracking and create a springboard for connecting current mood to automatic thoughts.
Question 5: When a client says 'I feel like nobody cares about me,' a counselor using motivational interviewing would most likely respond with:
- That's not true, your family clearly cares
- Tell me more about that feeling (Correct answer)
- Let's make a plan to build your social network
- Have you considered that your thinking may be distorted?
Correct answer: Tell me more about that feeling
Motivational interviewing emphasizes reflective listening and exploring the client's perspective without confrontation or premature advice.
Question 6: In psychoanalytic therapy, 'working through' refers to:
- Completing homework assignments between sessions
- Repeatedly exploring unconscious conflicts until insight produces lasting change (Correct answer)
- The termination process with a client
- Practicing new coping skills in real-world settings
Correct answer: Repeatedly exploring unconscious conflicts until insight produces lasting change
Working through is the repeated examination of unconscious material that allows insight to become integrated into lasting personality change.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the technique of 'externalization' used in narrative therapy?
- Encouraging clients to express emotions openly
- Separating the problem from the person's identity (Correct answer)
- Using external rewards to reinforce behavior change
- Projecting feelings onto the therapist
Correct answer: Separating the problem from the person's identity
Externalization in narrative therapy treats the problem as a separate entity from the person, reducing shame and increasing agency.
BAPSY Therapeutic Techniques & Counseling 2
Which technique involves the therapist intentionally saying the opposite of what they mean to reduce client resistance?