Addiction Medicine Certification Addiction Medicine Behavioral Therapies & Counseling 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which behavioral therapy for addiction is based on the principle that substance use is a learned behavior that can be unlearned through conditioning techniques?
- Motivational interviewing
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (Correct answer)
- 12-step facilitation
- Dialectical behavior therapy
Correct answer: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is grounded in social learning theory, targeting maladaptive thoughts and learned behaviors that maintain substance use.
Question 2: Which of the following is a core principle of Motivational Interviewing (MI)?
- Confronting the patient directly about denial
- Expressing empathy and rolling with resistance (Correct answer)
- Assigning homework tasks each session
- Providing extensive psychoeducation about addiction
Correct answer: Expressing empathy and rolling with resistance
Motivational Interviewing uses empathic listening and 'rolling with resistance' rather than confrontation to help patients explore and resolve ambivalence about change.
Question 3: Contingency management (CM) interventions in addiction treatment use which reinforcement strategy?
- Punishment for positive drug screens
- Negative reinforcement through shame
- Positive reinforcement (e.g., vouchers) for abstinence (Correct answer)
- Extinction through ignoring drug-using behavior
Correct answer: Positive reinforcement (e.g., vouchers) for abstinence
Contingency management uses tangible positive reinforcers such as vouchers or prizes to reward verified abstinence, increasing the likelihood of sustained drug-free behavior.
Question 4: Which stage of the Transtheoretical Model (Stages of Change) describes a patient who is not yet considering changing their substance use?
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Precontemplation (Correct answer)
- Maintenance
Correct answer: Precontemplation
In the precontemplation stage, the individual is not aware of or not considering the need to change their substance use behavior.
Question 5: The Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) primarily focuses on which strategy to support abstinence?
- Emphasizing the negative consequences of drug use
- Restructuring the patient's social environment to make abstinence more rewarding than use (Correct answer)
- Prescribing medications to reduce cravings
- Educating family members about enabling behaviors
Correct answer: Restructuring the patient's social environment to make abstinence more rewarding than use
CRA restructures the patient's environment and lifestyle so that natural rewards from relationships, work, and recreation become more reinforcing than substance use.
Question 6: Which counseling approach is the evidence-based foundation of the Matrix Model used in stimulant use disorder treatment?
- Psychoanalytic therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy combined with family education and 12-step support (Correct answer)
- Hypnotherapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy alone
Correct answer: Cognitive behavioral therapy combined with family education and 12-step support
The Matrix Model integrates CBT, family education, individual counseling, and 12-step support into a structured outpatient approach, with the strongest evidence base for stimulant use disorders.
Addiction Medicine Certification Addiction Medicine Behavioral Therapies & Counseling 1
Which behavioral therapy for addiction is based on the principle that substance use is a learned behavior that can be unlearned through conditioning techniques?