MFT Child and Adolescent Therapy 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A child's parents are divorcing and both want to attend separate therapy sessions for updates on the child's progress. What is the most ethical approach?
- Meet separately with each parent and share all session content
- Establish a clear confidentiality agreement upfront that defines what information is shared with each parent (Correct answer)
- Refuse to see the child until the parents agree to joint sessions
- Only communicate with the custodial parent
Correct answer: Establish a clear confidentiality agreement upfront that defines what information is shared with each parent
A clear written informed consent agreement specifying confidentiality parameters protects the child and manages both parents' involvement ethically.
Question 2: In Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), the Child-Directed Interaction (CDI) phase teaches parents to use which set of skills?
- Commands, questions, and corrections (CQC)
- Praise, reflection, imitation, description, and enjoyment (PRIDE) (Correct answer)
- Natural consequences and logical consequences
- Token economies and response cost
Correct answer: Praise, reflection, imitation, description, and enjoyment (PRIDE)
The PRIDE skills (Praise, Reflection, Imitation, Description, Enjoyment) form the basis of CDI and strengthen the parent-child relationship.
Question 3: Which of the following is the most evidence-based treatment for separation anxiety disorder in children?
- Psychodynamic play therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with gradual exposure (Correct answer)
- Strategic family therapy with paradoxical intention
- Art therapy as a stand-alone treatment
Correct answer: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with gradual exposure
CBT with gradual exposure (desensitization) has the strongest empirical support for childhood anxiety disorders, including separation anxiety.
Question 4: A 13-year-old client discloses that they identify as transgender and asks the therapist to keep this from their parents. The therapist's best approach is to:
- Immediately disclose to parents as this is a health-related matter
- Explore the client's concerns about parental reaction while assessing safety (Correct answer)
- Agree to keep the secret unconditionally
- Refer the client to a specialist without addressing the disclosure
Correct answer: Explore the client's concerns about parental reaction while assessing safety
Exploring the adolescent's concerns and assessing safety allows the therapist to support the client while working toward appropriate parental involvement.
Question 5: Which developmental milestone is most associated with the concept of 'theory of mind' typically emerging around age 4?
- Object permanence
- Understanding that others can hold beliefs different from one's own (Correct answer)
- Conservation of volume
- Formal operational thinking
Correct answer: Understanding that others can hold beliefs different from one's own
Theory of mind, the ability to understand that others have thoughts and beliefs different from one's own, typically emerges around ages 3–5.
Question 6: A child is referred for therapy after witnessing domestic violence. According to the MFT's ethical duty, the first priority is to:
- Begin trauma processing immediately
- Establish safety for the child and non-offending caregiver (Correct answer)
- Focus solely on the child's behavioral symptoms
- Conduct a full psychological battery before any intervention
Correct answer: Establish safety for the child and non-offending caregiver
Safety planning is the foundational first step when a child has been exposed to domestic violence, before trauma-focused treatment begins.
Question 7: In Functional Family Therapy (FFT) with a delinquent adolescent, the therapist in the engagement phase primarily aims to:
- Assign behavioral tasks to change problem patterns
- Reduce blaming, increase motivation, and build a therapeutic alliance with all family members (Correct answer)
- Teach specific communication skills to the parents
- Conduct a functional behavioral assessment of the adolescent
Correct answer: Reduce blaming, increase motivation, and build a therapeutic alliance with all family members
FFT's engagement phase focuses on reframing, reducing negativity and blaming, and building motivation to change before any skill building occurs.
MFT Child and Adolescent Therapy 4
A child's parents are divorcing and both want to attend separate therapy sessions for updates on the child's progress.
What is the most ethical approach?