CDCA Counseling Procedures & Strategies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CDCA is conducting an intake assessment and a client refuses to answer questions about their drug use history. What is the best initial response?
- Terminate the intake and refer the client elsewhere
- Explain the purpose of the questions and how the information will be used (Correct answer)
- Skip the drug history section and complete the rest of the assessment
- Document refusal and inform the client they cannot be treated
Correct answer: Explain the purpose of the questions and how the information will be used
Explaining the purpose and use of assessment information helps build trust and reduces client defensiveness during intake.
Question 2: Which intervention is most consistent with a harm reduction philosophy when working with a client not yet ready for abstinence?
- Discharge the client until they commit to full sobriety
- Help the client reduce the risks associated with ongoing substance use (Correct answer)
- Require attendance at 12-step meetings as a condition of service
- Focus only on legal consequences of substance use
Correct answer: Help the client reduce the risks associated with ongoing substance use
Harm reduction meets clients where they are, focusing on reducing negative consequences even when abstinence is not the immediate goal.
Question 3: A client presents with co-occurring depression and alcohol use disorder. What is the recommended counseling approach?
- Address only the alcohol use disorder until it is resolved
- Use an integrated dual diagnosis approach that treats both conditions simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Refer the client exclusively to psychiatric services
- Defer mental health treatment until the client achieves 90 days of sobriety
Correct answer: Use an integrated dual diagnosis approach that treats both conditions simultaneously
Integrated dual diagnosis treatment is the evidence-based standard for co-occurring disorders, addressing both simultaneously for best outcomes.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the purpose of a functional analysis in addiction counseling?
- Evaluating the client's employment history
- Identifying the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences associated with substance use (Correct answer)
- Assessing the client's physical health status
- Determining eligibility for medication-assisted treatment
Correct answer: Identifying the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences associated with substance use
A functional analysis (ABC model) examines the triggers, substance-use behaviors, and resulting consequences to guide targeted interventions.
Question 5: A counselor is helping a client develop urge surfing skills. What is the primary goal of this technique?
- Teaching the client to permanently eliminate cravings through willpower
- Helping the client observe and tolerate cravings without acting on them (Correct answer)
- Redirecting the client to call their sponsor whenever urges occur
- Using breathing exercises to suppress all emotional responses
Correct answer: Helping the client observe and tolerate cravings without acting on them
Urge surfing teaches clients to ride out cravings mindfully, recognizing they are temporary and will pass without substance use.
Question 6: During individual counseling, a client suddenly becomes very quiet and stares at the floor after discussing childhood trauma. The counselor should FIRST:
- Continue asking questions to maintain session momentum
- Pause, sit with the silence, and gently check in with the client (Correct answer)
- Switch topics to relieve the client's visible discomfort
- End the session and schedule a follow-up
Correct answer: Pause, sit with the silence, and gently check in with the client
Sitting with silence and gently checking in respects the client's emotional process and communicates safety without forcing disclosure.
Question 7: Which goal-setting approach is most consistent with best practices in addiction counseling?
- The counselor sets goals based on clinical judgment alone
- Goals are collaboratively developed, specific, measurable, and client-centered (Correct answer)
- Goals focus exclusively on abstinence regardless of client readiness
- Goals are set only after 30 days of sobriety are achieved
Correct answer: Goals are collaboratively developed, specific, measurable, and client-centered
Collaborative, SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goal setting increases client ownership and motivation.
CDCA Counseling Procedures & Strategies 3
A CDCA is conducting an intake assessment and a client refuses to answer questions about their drug use history.
What is the best initial response?