CADC Family Systems and Addiction Counseling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following BEST describes 'enabling' in the context of a family member's substance use disorder?
- Encouraging the person to attend AA meetings
- Shielding the person from natural consequences of their substance use (Correct answer)
- Confronting the person about their behavior
- Setting firm boundaries and sticking to them
Correct answer: Shielding the person from natural consequences of their substance use
Enabling involves actions that protect the person with a substance use disorder from experiencing the natural consequences of their behavior, inadvertently supporting continued use.
Question 2: In Structural Family Therapy, the counselor's primary goal when working with a family affected by addiction is to:
- Explore childhood trauma of the identified patient
- Restructure dysfunctional family hierarchies and boundaries (Correct answer)
- Provide psychoeducation about substance abuse pharmacology
- Focus solely on the individual with the substance use disorder
Correct answer: Restructure dysfunctional family hierarchies and boundaries
Structural Family Therapy targets the organization of the family system, aiming to establish clear hierarchies, appropriate boundaries, and functional subsystems.
Question 3: A CADC is working with a client whose spouse repeatedly calls in sick to the client's employer after the client has been drinking. This behavior is BEST described as:
- Appropriate spousal support
- Triangulation
- Enabling (Correct answer)
- Enmeshment
Correct answer: Enabling
Calling in sick on behalf of the client shields them from a natural consequence of their drinking, which is a classic example of enabling behavior.
Question 4: Al-Anon Family Groups primarily serves which population?
- Individuals in early recovery from alcohol use disorder
- Adolescents experimenting with alcohol
- Family members and friends affected by someone else's drinking (Correct answer)
- Counselors who specialize in alcohol treatment
Correct answer: Family members and friends affected by someone else's drinking
Al-Anon is a mutual-help program specifically designed for family members and friends whose lives have been affected by someone else's alcohol use disorder.
Question 5: Which family role in the addiction system is associated with using humor to deflect tension and distract from family problems?
- Hero
- Scapegoat
- Mascot (Correct answer)
- Lost child
Correct answer: Mascot
The mascot uses humor and clowning as a defense mechanism to ease family tension and divert attention from the dysfunction caused by addiction.
Question 6: When integrating family therapy into addiction treatment, the CADC should prioritize:
- Diagnosing all family members with co-occurring disorders
- Building a therapeutic alliance with the entire family system, not just the identified patient (Correct answer)
- Focusing exclusively on abstinence goals
- Avoiding discussion of past trauma to prevent re-traumatization
Correct answer: Building a therapeutic alliance with the entire family system, not just the identified patient
Effective family therapy in addiction treatment requires engaging the whole family system, as all members are affected and recovery is supported by healthy family dynamics.
CADC Family Systems and Addiction Counseling 2
Which of the following BEST describes 'enabling' in the context of a family member's substance use disorder?