MFT Assessment and Diagnosis 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When using the Circumplex Model (Olson's), a family that scores extremely high on cohesion is best described as:
- Disengaged
- Enmeshed (Correct answer)
- Connected
- Separated
Correct answer: Enmeshed
The Circumplex Model describes extremely high cohesion as enmeshment, where boundaries are blurred and individual autonomy is suppressed.
Question 2: Which structured assessment tool is specifically designed to evaluate relational functioning and is commonly used in couples therapy intake?
- MMPI-2
- Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) (Correct answer)
- Beck Depression Inventory
- GAF Scale
Correct answer: Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS)
The Dyadic Adjustment Scale measures the quality of couple relationships across dimensions like consensus, cohesion, satisfaction, and affectional expression.
Question 3: A client reports depressed mood, loss of interest, and fatigue that consistently worsens in autumn and resolves in spring. The most appropriate DSM-5 specifier is:
- With anxious distress
- With melancholic features
- With seasonal pattern (Correct answer)
- With atypical features
Correct answer: With seasonal pattern
The 'with seasonal pattern' specifier applies when episodes of MDD are temporally related to seasons, most commonly fall/winter onset with spring/summer remission.
Question 4: In conducting a Mental Status Exam (MSE), 'thought process' refers to:
- The content or theme of what the client is thinking
- The logical flow and organization of thinking (Correct answer)
- The client's insight into their disorder
- Whether the client is experiencing hallucinations
Correct answer: The logical flow and organization of thinking
Thought process in the MSE evaluates the form and coherence of thinking, such as whether thoughts are linear, tangential, or circumstantial.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes a 'false negative' error in clinical assessment?
- Diagnosing a disorder when none exists
- Failing to identify a disorder that is present (Correct answer)
- Over-estimating symptom severity
- Misidentifying the specific disorder type
Correct answer: Failing to identify a disorder that is present
A false negative occurs when an assessment fails to detect a condition that is actually present, which can lead to untreated illness.
Question 6: Which assessment approach asks family members to draw their family system using circles and lines to represent boundaries and relationships?
- Genogram
- Family sculpture
- Ecomap
- Structural mapping (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Structural mapping
Structural mapping, developed by Minuchin, uses circles and lines to diagram family subsystems, boundaries (clear, rigid, diffuse), and hierarchies.
Question 7: A therapist notices a client's affect is inconsistent with the content of what they are discussing (e.g., laughing when describing a tragedy). This is documented as:
- Flat affect
- Restricted affect
- Incongruent affect (Correct answer)
- Labile affect
Correct answer: Incongruent affect
Incongruent affect describes a mismatch between the emotional expression and the content of speech, which can be a significant clinical indicator.
MFT Assessment and Diagnosis 2
When using the Circumplex Model (Olson's), a family that scores extremely high on cohesion is best described as: