CAADE Group Therapy 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical obligation is MOST important for a counselor to address when a group member discloses intent to harm a specific third party?
- Maintain confidentiality to preserve the therapeutic alliance
- Warn the intended victim and notify appropriate authorities (Tarasoff duty) (Correct answer)
- Consult with the group about how to handle the situation
- Document the statement and monitor the member's behavior
Correct answer: Warn the intended victim and notify appropriate authorities (Tarasoff duty)
California's Tarasoff ruling requires counselors to take reasonable steps to protect identifiable potential victims, including warning them.
Question 2: Scapegoating in a therapy group occurs when:
- A member volunteers to be the group's spokesperson or representative
- The group projects its collective anxiety or negative feelings onto one member (Correct answer)
- The facilitator singles out one member for praise to motivate others
- A member takes on a caretaking role for other group members
Correct answer: The group projects its collective anxiety or negative feelings onto one member
Scapegoating is a group defense mechanism where one member is blamed or isolated to reduce the group's collective anxiety.
Question 3: Which approach is MOST effective when a group becomes dominated by one very talkative member?
- Ask the talkative member to leave the session temporarily
- Silently wait for the member to finish, then move on
- Gently interrupt and invite others to share their perspectives on what was said (Correct answer)
- Address the issue only in post-group supervision, not during the session
Correct answer: Gently interrupt and invite others to share their perspectives on what was said
Gently redirecting to elicit others' responses manages dominance while keeping the interaction therapeutic rather than punitive.
Question 4: The term 'process commentary' in group therapy refers to the facilitator's practice of:
- Summarizing the content of what members have shared at the end of session
- Observing and naming the patterns of interaction occurring between members (Correct answer)
- Providing written feedback on member participation after each session
- Reviewing progress notes aloud with the group
Correct answer: Observing and naming the patterns of interaction occurring between members
Process commentary involves the facilitator observing and reflecting on relational patterns and dynamics occurring within the group.
Question 5: A counselor running an addiction recovery group discovers that two members are in a romantic relationship outside of group. The MOST appropriate initial action is to:
- Remove both members from the group without discussion
- Address the outside relationship within the group as a boundary issue (Correct answer)
- Allow the relationship to continue as long as it does not affect the group
- Notify both members' probation officers of the dual relationship
Correct answer: Address the outside relationship within the group as a boundary issue
Outside relationships between group members create subgroups and boundary issues that should be discussed openly in group per standard group agreements.
Question 6: Which statement BEST describes the role of silence in group therapy?
- Silence indicates resistance and should be broken by the facilitator immediately
- Silence can be therapeutically meaningful and should be explored rather than automatically filled (Correct answer)
- Silence signals the group is ready to terminate the session
- Silence is appropriate only during mindfulness exercises, not during discussion
Correct answer: Silence can be therapeutically meaningful and should be explored rather than automatically filled
Silence in group can reflect reflection, resistance, or emerging emotion and is most effectively explored rather than prematurely interrupted.
Question 7: In the context of CAADE standards, countertransference in group therapy MOST refers to:
- A member projecting feelings about a parent onto the facilitator
- The facilitator's emotional reactions to members that are rooted in the facilitator's own unresolved issues (Correct answer)
- Group members transferring feelings between one another
- The facilitator's objective clinical assessment of group dynamics
Correct answer: The facilitator's emotional reactions to members that are rooted in the facilitator's own unresolved issues
Countertransference involves the counselor's own unresolved material being activated by clients, requiring self-awareness and supervision.
CAADE Group Therapy 4
Which ethical obligation is MOST important for a counselor to address when a group member discloses intent to harm a specific third party?