Practice Test Geeks(CBT) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certification Practice Test
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Assessment & Case Formulation Flashcards

7 cards from real CBT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Assessment & Case Formulation flashcards as text

  1. In a CBT case formulation, which component explains WHY the client developed their problems based on early experiences?

    Answer: Predisposing factors

    Predisposing factors (also called vulnerability factors) include early experiences, core beliefs, and genetic influences that set the stage for developing a disorder.

  2. A clinician uses the PHQ-9 during an initial CBT assessment. What does this tool primarily measure?

    Answer: Depression severity

    The PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) is a validated self-report measure specifically designed to assess the severity of depressive symptoms.

  3. Which term describes the 'here-and-now' factors in a CBT case formulation that keep the problem active?

    Answer: Perpetuating factors

    Perpetuating (or maintaining) factors are current behaviors, thoughts, and environmental conditions that sustain the problem in the present.

  4. A client reports that they cannot drive on highways due to fear of losing control. During behavioral assessment, the therapist asks them to rate distress from 0–100 on a hierarchy of driving situations. This technique is called:

    Answer: Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS)

    The Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) is a 0–100 self-rating of anxiety used to construct fear hierarchies for exposure-based treatments.

  5. In the cognitive model, which level of cognition is MOST accessible to conscious awareness and easiest to identify in early assessment?

    Answer: Automatic thoughts

    Automatic thoughts are the most surface-level cognitions and are often the first target in CBT assessment because clients can report them with relatively little prompting.

  6. During a clinical interview for CBT case formulation, a therapist asks, 'What does this situation mean about you as a person?' This question is designed to elicit:

    Answer: Core beliefs

    Asking what a situation 'means about you' is a downward arrow technique designed to uncover deeper core beliefs underlying automatic thoughts.

  7. A therapist conducting a CBT assessment discovers a client uses alcohol to manage anxiety before social situations. In a functional analysis, the alcohol use is best classified as a:

    Answer: Safety behavior

    Using alcohol to manage anxiety in social situations is a safety behavior — a maladaptive coping response that provides short-term relief but maintains the anxiety long-term.