BHP Therapeutic Approaches 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In psychodynamic therapy, 'transference' occurs when a client:
- Projects feelings about past relationships onto the therapist (Correct answer)
- Resists disclosing personal information
- Improves rapidly and then regresses
- Agrees with everything the therapist says
Correct answer: Projects feelings about past relationships onto the therapist
Transference involves the client unconsciously redirecting feelings from past relationships (often parental) onto the therapist.
Question 2: Which of the following is a key principle of Motivational Interviewing (MI)?
- Rolling with resistance rather than confronting it directly (Correct answer)
- Assigning homework to challenge maladaptive beliefs
- Using exposure hierarchies to reduce anxiety
- Interpreting the client's unconscious defenses
Correct answer: Rolling with resistance rather than confronting it directly
MI uses 'rolling with resistance' (now called 'discord') to avoid power struggles and maintain the therapeutic alliance.
Question 3: A client with OCD engages in repetitive hand-washing after touching doorknobs. The MOST evidence-based behavioral treatment is:
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP) (Correct answer)
- Systematic desensitization with relaxation
- Thought stopping and distraction
- Psychodynamic exploration of compulsion origins
Correct answer: Exposure and response prevention (ERP)
ERP involves exposing the client to feared stimuli while preventing the compulsive response, the gold-standard CBT treatment for OCD.
Question 4: Narrative therapy encourages clients to:
- Re-author their life stories and separate identity from the problem (Correct answer)
- Challenge automatic negative thoughts using Socratic questioning
- Explore childhood trauma through free association
- Practice relaxation in response to feared stimuli
Correct answer: Re-author their life stories and separate identity from the problem
Narrative therapy externalizes problems and helps clients create new, empowering personal narratives.
Question 5: Which stage of Prochaska and DiClemente's Transtheoretical Model describes a client who says, 'I've been thinking about quitting drinking for the next six months'?
- Contemplation (Correct answer)
- Precontemplation
- Preparation
- Action
Correct answer: Contemplation
In the contemplation stage, the client is aware of the problem and considers change but has not yet committed to action.
Question 6: In CBT, a 'thought record' is used primarily to:
- Identify, evaluate, and modify automatic negative thoughts (Correct answer)
- Record daily mood levels for pattern recognition
- Document traumatic memories for EMDR processing
- Track medication adherence and side effects
Correct answer: Identify, evaluate, and modify automatic negative thoughts
Thought records help clients capture automatic thoughts, evaluate evidence for/against them, and develop balanced alternative thoughts.
Question 7: A BHP using Behavioral Activation (BA) with a depressed client would MOST likely:
- Schedule pleasurable and meaningful activities to increase positive reinforcement (Correct answer)
- Explore the unconscious roots of depressive symptoms
- Teach clients to challenge distorted thinking patterns
- Practice mindfulness to observe depressive thoughts non-judgmentally
Correct answer: Schedule pleasurable and meaningful activities to increase positive reinforcement
BA targets behavioral withdrawal by scheduling activities that provide positive reinforcement, breaking the cycle of avoidance and depression.
