Ethics & Professional Practice Flashcards
7 cards from real CBT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethics & Professional Practice flashcards as text
A CBT client discloses they are having romantic feelings toward their therapist. What is the most ethically appropriate immediate response?
Answer: Explore these feelings therapeutically within the session
Exploring transference feelings therapeutically is a valuable clinical opportunity that should be addressed within the professional relationship rather than avoided.
Under which condition is a CBT therapist ethically permitted to break client confidentiality without consent?
Answer: When the client presents a credible threat of serious harm to an identifiable third party
The Tarasoff duty-to-warn principle requires therapists to break confidentiality when a client poses a credible, specific threat of harm to an identifiable third party.
A CBT therapist realizes midway through treatment that a client's presenting problem is outside their area of competence. What should the therapist do?
Answer: Consult with a supervisor and arrange appropriate referral
Ethical practice requires recognizing the limits of competence, seeking supervision, and referring clients to qualified professionals when necessary.
Which of the following best describes informed consent in CBT practice?
Answer: An ongoing process ensuring clients understand treatment goals, risks, and alternatives
Informed consent is an ongoing process throughout therapy, not a single event, ensuring clients can make autonomous decisions about their care.
A therapist uses a validated CBT protocol with a client from a different cultural background. What additional ethical consideration is most critical?
Answer: Assessing whether the protocol is culturally appropriate and adapting as needed
Cultural competence requires therapists to assess the cultural fit of evidence-based protocols and adapt interventions to be relevant and respectful of the client's background.
What is the primary ethical concern when a CBT therapist provides therapy to a former close friend?
Answer: The presence of a dual relationship that compromises objectivity
Dual relationships with former close friends create conflicts of interest and compromise the therapist's objectivity and the integrity of the therapeutic relationship.
A client requests their therapy records to share with a new provider. According to ethical standards, what must the therapist do?
Answer: Provide records promptly after receiving appropriate written authorization
Clients generally have a right to access and transfer their records, and therapists must facilitate this process upon receiving proper written authorization.