Clinical Trivia Flashcards

A client diagnosed with borderline personality disorder frequently calls the therapist between sessions in crisis. The BEST clinical response is to:

Answer: Set clear boundaries around between-session contact while developing a crisis plan

Maintaining consistent, clear limits while collaboratively building a crisis plan addresses BPD crisis behavior without reinforcing maladaptive patterns.

Which defense mechanism involves attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to another person?

Answer: Projection

Projection is the unconscious attribution of one's own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or impulses onto another person.

A social worker discovers that a colleague is billing Medicaid for services not rendered. The FIRST action should be:

Answer: Document observations and report to the appropriate supervisor or ethics board

Fraud must be reported through appropriate channels; documenting and reporting to a supervisor or licensing board is the ethical first step.

In motivational interviewing, 'rolling with resistance' means the clinician should:

Answer: Avoid arguing and reflect the client's perspective without confrontation

Rolling with resistance involves accepting and reflecting the client's perspective rather than arguing, which reduces defensiveness.

Which axis of the former DSM-IV multiaxial system captured psychosocial and environmental stressors?

Answer: Axis IV

Axis IV documented psychosocial and environmental problems that may affect diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis.

A client reports hearing voices telling him he is worthless. This symptom is BEST classified as:

Answer: An auditory hallucination

Hearing voices that are not externally present is an auditory hallucination, a common positive symptom of psychotic disorders.

The therapeutic concept of 'unconditional positive regard' was introduced by:

Answer: Carl Rogers

Carl Rogers introduced unconditional positive regard as a core condition for therapeutic change in person-centered therapy.