NCE Counseling Theory 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) uses the concept of 'psychological flexibility,' which involves:
- The ability to adapt one's communication style to the client's cultural background
- Contacting the present moment fully while pursuing values-based action (Correct answer)
- Flexible application of multiple theoretical frameworks within a single session
- The therapist's ability to shift between directive and non-directive stances
Correct answer: Contacting the present moment fully while pursuing values-based action
ACT's core goal is psychological flexibility — being in full contact with the present moment and persisting in or changing behavior in service of chosen values.
Question 2: In Jungian (Analytical) Psychology, the 'shadow' archetype refers to:
- The idealized self-image presented to the social world
- The unconscious part of the psyche containing repressed or rejected traits (Correct answer)
- The anima or animus representing contrasexual energy
- The collective unconscious inherited across generations
Correct answer: The unconscious part of the psyche containing repressed or rejected traits
The shadow is the unconscious repository of traits, impulses, and aspects of self that the ego has rejected as incompatible with the conscious persona.
Question 3: Motivational Interviewing (MI), developed by Miller and Rollnick, is best described as:
- A confrontational approach that challenges client denial directly
- A directive, client-centered method for eliciting motivation to change (Correct answer)
- A behavioral technique using reinforcement to shape desired behaviors
- A psychoeducational model that teaches coping skills for ambivalence
Correct answer: A directive, client-centered method for eliciting motivation to change
MI is a collaborative, goal-oriented conversation style designed to strengthen a person's motivation and commitment to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence.
Question 4: Which family therapy approach uses 'reframing' and 'positive connotation' to change how family members perceive a problem behavior?
- Structural family therapy
- Milan systemic therapy (Correct answer)
- Bowenian family therapy
- Emotionally focused therapy
Correct answer: Milan systemic therapy
Milan systemic therapy uses positive connotation to reframe a symptom as serving a protective function for the family system, disrupting existing patterns of meaning.
Question 5: In transactional analysis (TA), an 'ego state' refers to:
- The level of self-awareness achieved through insight-oriented work
- A coherent system of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors drawn from a specific life period (Correct answer)
- The degree of autonomy and self-determination the client has achieved
- The client's internalized schema about relationships formed in childhood
Correct answer: A coherent system of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors drawn from a specific life period
Eric Berne defined ego states (Parent, Adult, Child) as distinct systems of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that emerge in interactions with others.
Question 6: A client who compulsively works 80-hour weeks and neglects relationships justifies this by saying 'I'm doing it for my family.' In psychoanalytic terms, this is an example of:
- Projection
- Reaction formation
- Rationalization (Correct answer)
- Sublimation
Correct answer: Rationalization
Rationalization involves constructing a logical, socially acceptable justification for behaviors that are actually driven by unconscious motives or impulses.
Question 7: According to Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model, a client in the 'contemplation' stage is best described as:
- Actively making changes and working toward a new behavior
- Unaware of the problem and not considering change
- Ambivalent, acknowledging the problem but not yet committed to action (Correct answer)
- Maintaining gains and preventing relapse after successful change
Correct answer: Ambivalent, acknowledging the problem but not yet committed to action
In the contemplation stage, individuals are aware of a problem and thinking about change but have not yet made a commitment to take action.
NCE Counseling Theory 5
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) uses the concept of 'psychological flexibility,' which involves: