CCA Pastoral Care & Counseling Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A service member tells a chaplain assistant they are having thoughts of self-harm but asks that it remain confidential. What is the FIRST action the chaplain assistant should take?
- Honor the confidentiality request and document nothing
- Immediately notify the unit commander without informing the service member
- Inform the chaplain immediately so proper intervention can occur (Correct answer)
- Refer the service member to the mental health clinic independently
Correct answer: Inform the chaplain immediately so proper intervention can occur
Threats of self-harm are a safety exception that requires immediate escalation to the chaplain, who coordinates appropriate intervention.
Question 2: Which counseling technique involves reflecting back the emotional content of what a person has said to demonstrate understanding?
- Confrontation
- Empathic reflection (Correct answer)
- Directive questioning
- Reframing
Correct answer: Empathic reflection
Empathic reflection mirrors the speaker's feelings to validate their experience and demonstrate active listening.
Question 3: When providing pastoral care to a soldier of a faith tradition the chaplain assistant is unfamiliar with, the BEST approach is to:
- Decline to provide care until a chaplain of that faith is available
- Apply Christian pastoral principles as a universal baseline
- Listen respectfully and coordinate with the chaplain for faith-specific resources (Correct answer)
- Ask the soldier to explain their entire religion before proceeding
Correct answer: Listen respectfully and coordinate with the chaplain for faith-specific resources
Chaplain assistants should provide compassionate presence and support while ensuring the chaplain connects the service member with appropriate faith-specific resources.
Question 4: The grief model developed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross identifies which of the following as the FIRST stage of grief?
- Bargaining
- Anger
- Denial (Correct answer)
- Acceptance
Correct answer: Denial
Denial is the first stage in Kübler-Ross's model, where individuals struggle to accept the reality of a loss.
Question 5: A chaplain assistant overhears two soldiers mocking the religious beliefs of a fellow soldier. The appropriate response is to:
- Ignore it as a matter of personal opinion
- Report the behavior to the chaplain and address it through proper channels (Correct answer)
- Confront the soldiers aggressively on behalf of the affected soldier
- Document the incident privately without taking further action
Correct answer: Report the behavior to the chaplain and address it through proper channels
Religious discrimination undermines unit cohesion and must be addressed through the chaplain and appropriate command channels.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of a pastoral care visit in a hospital setting?
- To provide medical advice and treatment options
- To offer spiritual and emotional presence and support (Correct answer)
- To gather intelligence on the soldier's medical condition for command
- To conduct a formal religious service at the bedside
Correct answer: To offer spiritual and emotional presence and support
Pastoral care visits focus on spiritual and emotional support, not medical treatment or information gathering.
Question 7: When a service member is experiencing acute stress after a traumatic event, the chaplain assistant's initial role is to:
- Conduct a formal psychological assessment
- Provide immediate presence, calm reassurance, and basic needs support (Correct answer)
- Encourage the service member to suppress emotions to maintain unit discipline
- Schedule a formal counseling appointment for the following week
Correct answer: Provide immediate presence, calm reassurance, and basic needs support
Psychological first aid focuses on immediate presence, safety, calming, and meeting basic needs after trauma.
CCA Pastoral Care & Counseling Skills 2
A service member tells a chaplain assistant they are having thoughts of self-harm but asks that it remain confidential.
What is the FIRST action the chaplain assistant should take?