NCMHCE Group Counseling Theories 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A group leader notices that members are competing for the leader's attention and forming subgroups. According to Yalom, this is most characteristic of which stage?
- Termination
- Working
- Initial/orientation
- Conflict/dominance (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Conflict/dominance
The conflict or dominance stage is marked by competition, subgrouping, and struggles for influence within the group.
Question 2: In a psychodrama group, the 'auxiliary ego' role refers to:
- The director who facilitates the session
- Group members who play roles in the protagonist's scene (Correct answer)
- The protagonist's inner voice
- An observer who gives feedback after each scene
Correct answer: Group members who play roles in the protagonist's scene
Auxiliary egos are group members assigned to play significant figures or objects in the protagonist's enacted scenario.
Question 3: Which group therapy approach emphasizes identifying and modifying automatic thoughts shared among group members?
- Psychodynamic group therapy
- Gestalt group therapy
- Cognitive-behavioral group therapy (Correct answer)
- Existential group therapy
Correct answer: Cognitive-behavioral group therapy
Cognitive-behavioral group therapy targets automatic thoughts, cognitive distortions, and maladaptive schemas using structured interventions.
Question 4: A counselor running a bereavement group uses Irvin Yalom's therapeutic factor of 'universality' when members:
- Learn coping skills from the leader
- Discover that others share similar grief experiences (Correct answer)
- Help each other outside of group sessions
- Practice new behaviors in role-play
Correct answer: Discover that others share similar grief experiences
Universality occurs when members recognize that their painful experiences are not unique, reducing isolation and shame.
Question 5: In Adlerian group counseling, the concept of 'social interest' (Gemeinschaftsgefühl) means:
- A member's desire to lead the group
- An innate drive toward community, cooperation, and contributing to others (Correct answer)
- The group's shared norms and expectations
- Interest in other members' personal histories
Correct answer: An innate drive toward community, cooperation, and contributing to others
Social interest is Adler's term for the innate human capacity and motivation to contribute to the well-being of the community.
Question 6: A group leader who reflects feelings, avoids giving advice, and trusts the group's inherent growth capacity is operating from which theoretical framework?
- Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
- Person-centered group therapy (Correct answer)
- Reality therapy group
- Transactional analysis group
Correct answer: Person-centered group therapy
Person-centered group therapy, rooted in Carl Rogers' work, emphasizes unconditional positive regard, empathy, and trust in the group's self-directedness.
Question 7: Which technique is most associated with Gestalt group therapy?
- Free association among all members
- The empty chair technique (Correct answer)
- Systematic desensitization hierarchy building
- Rational disputation of irrational beliefs
Correct answer: The empty chair technique
The empty chair technique allows a member to engage in dialogue with an absent person or a part of themselves to increase awareness and resolve unfinished business.
NCMHCE Group Counseling Theories 2
A group leader notices that members are competing for the leader's attention and forming subgroups.
According to Yalom, this is most characteristic of which stage?