CRC Client Assessment & Goal Setting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a client presents with vague relationship goals like 'I just want to be happier,' what is the coach's best first step?
- Accept the goal as stated and begin exploring strategies
- Use clarifying questions to help the client define what happiness looks like in their relationship (Correct answer)
- Refer the client to therapy since the goal is too abstract
- Suggest a standardized happiness scale to measure baseline mood
Correct answer: Use clarifying questions to help the client define what happiness looks like in their relationship
Clarifying questions help clients translate abstract desires into concrete, actionable relationship goals.
Question 2: A couple arrives for their first session with opposing views on what they want to achieve. The coach should:
- Side with the partner who seems more motivated
- Dismiss individual goals and create a single shared goal immediately
- Assess each partner's perspective separately before identifying overlapping priorities (Correct answer)
- Postpone goal setting until conflict is fully resolved
Correct answer: Assess each partner's perspective separately before identifying overlapping priorities
Separately assessing each partner's perspective allows the coach to identify common ground before co-creating shared goals.
Question 3: Which assessment tool is most appropriate for evaluating a couple's communication patterns during initial intake?
- Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
- Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) (Correct answer)
- Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
- Rorschach Inkblot Test
Correct answer: Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS)
The Dyadic Adjustment Scale measures relationship satisfaction and communication quality, making it appropriate for couple intake assessment.
Question 4: During assessment, a client discloses a pattern of emotional withdrawal whenever conflict arises. This information is MOST useful for:
- Diagnosing the client with avoidant attachment disorder
- Documenting a behavioral pattern that informs goal-setting around conflict engagement (Correct answer)
- Advising the client to seek individual therapy before coaching
- Noting it as irrelevant unless the partner confirms the same pattern
Correct answer: Documenting a behavioral pattern that informs goal-setting around conflict engagement
Behavioral patterns identified in assessment directly shape which coaching goals will be most impactful.
Question 5: What does the acronym SMART stand for in the context of relationship coaching goal setting?
- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound (Correct answer)
- Strategic, Meaningful, Attainable, Realistic, Trackable
- Structured, Motivating, Actionable, Reliable, Thorough
- Systematic, Managed, Adaptive, Responsive, Timed
Correct answer: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound — provide a framework for creating clear and actionable coaching objectives.
Question 6: A client scores low on relationship self-efficacy during initial assessment. How should this influence the coaching plan?
- Set ambitious stretch goals to quickly boost confidence
- Begin with smaller, achievable milestones that build the client's belief in their capacity for change (Correct answer)
- Focus solely on the partner's behavior since self-efficacy cannot be coached
- Delay goal setting until self-efficacy naturally improves
Correct answer: Begin with smaller, achievable milestones that build the client's belief in their capacity for change
Starting with achievable wins builds self-efficacy gradually, creating momentum for larger goals.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes a 'values clarification' exercise in relationship coaching assessment?
- A financial planning session to align couple spending habits
- An activity that helps clients identify what matters most to them in relationships, guiding goal alignment (Correct answer)
- A legal exercise to document shared assets and liabilities
- A personality test to determine compatibility scores
Correct answer: An activity that helps clients identify what matters most to them in relationships, guiding goal alignment
Values clarification helps clients understand their core priorities so goals are aligned with what genuinely matters to them.
CRC Client Assessment & Goal Setting 2
When a client presents with vague relationship goals like 'I just want to be happier,' what is the coach's best first step?