LCDC Counseling Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Group therapy in substance use treatment is effective primarily because it:
- Provides peer support, reduces isolation, and offers a setting to practice new skills (Correct answer)
- Is less expensive than individual therapy
- Allows counselors to see more clients simultaneously
- Replaces the need for individual sessions
Correct answer: Provides peer support, reduces isolation, and offers a setting to practice new skills
Group therapy leverages universal benefits such as peer support, normalization of experience, hope, and interpersonal skill development.
Question 2: A counselor notices a client becoming angry and withdrawing during a group session about relapse. The best response is to:
- Acknowledge the client's reaction with a brief check-in and allow them to participate at their own pace (Correct answer)
- Confront the client directly in front of the group
- Remove the client from the group immediately
- Ignore the reaction and continue the session
Correct answer: Acknowledge the client's reaction with a brief check-in and allow them to participate at their own pace
Acknowledging the reaction non-intrusively respects the client's autonomy while maintaining safety and group cohesion.
Question 3: The technique of 'rolling with resistance' in Motivational Interviewing means:
- Avoiding argumentation by reflecting resistance back without confrontation (Correct answer)
- Agreeing with the client's denial
- Using gentle persuasion to change the client's mind
- Ignoring resistant statements
Correct answer: Avoiding argumentation by reflecting resistance back without confrontation
Rolling with resistance involves acknowledging the client's perspective without arguing, which reduces defensiveness and preserves autonomy.
Question 4: When using the decisional balance technique, the counselor asks the client to explore:
- The pros and cons of both changing and not changing (Correct answer)
- Only the negative consequences of substance use
- The benefits of sobriety exclusively
- Past treatment successes and failures
Correct answer: The pros and cons of both changing and not changing
Decisional balance helps clients articulate both the advantages and disadvantages of their current behavior and potential change.
Question 5: Which statement about 12-step facilitation therapy is accurate?
- It is an evidence-based approach that encourages engagement with AA or NA as a supplement to professional treatment (Correct answer)
- It requires clients to believe in a specific religion
- It is contraindicated for clients with co-occurring disorders
- It replaces professional counseling
Correct answer: It is an evidence-based approach that encourages engagement with AA or NA as a supplement to professional treatment
12-step facilitation is a structured, evidence-based counseling approach that helps clients connect with and benefit from 12-step mutual aid programs.
Question 6: Active listening in substance use counseling includes all of the following EXCEPT:
- Offering unsolicited advice before the client finishes speaking (Correct answer)
- Paraphrasing the client's message
- Using minimal encouragers such as 'uh-huh' and nodding
- Reflecting the client's feelings
Correct answer: Offering unsolicited advice before the client finishes speaking
Active listening requires attending to the client without interruption; offering unsolicited advice prematurely disrupts the therapeutic process.
LCDC Counseling Skills 2
Group therapy in substance use treatment is effective primarily because it: