Counseling Theory Flashcards
7 cards from real CRC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Counseling Theory flashcards as text
In behavioral therapy, 'negative reinforcement' involves:
Answer: Removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior
Negative reinforcement increases a behavior by removing or avoiding an aversive stimulus, such as taking pain medication to remove pain, thereby reinforcing medication-taking behavior.
A CRC counselor using a narrative therapy approach would most likely:
Answer: Help the client re-author their life story by externalizing the problem
Narrative therapy (White and Epston) externalizes problems—treating them as separate from the person—and helps clients re-author their dominant life story to create preferred alternative narratives.
Which of the following best describes 'countertransference' in the therapeutic relationship?
Answer: The therapist's emotional reactions to the client influenced by the therapist's own history
Countertransference refers to the therapist's emotional reactions to a client that are shaped by the therapist's own unresolved issues, and must be managed to avoid interfering with treatment.
Bowen's family systems theory proposes that 'differentiation of self' refers to:
Answer: The ability to maintain a clear sense of self while remaining emotionally connected to others
Bowen described differentiation of self as the capacity to remain emotionally connected to family while maintaining a distinct identity, avoiding both fusion and emotional cutoff.
In acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), 'psychological flexibility' is achieved through:
Answer: Accepting difficult experiences while committing to values-based action
ACT (Hayes) defines psychological flexibility as the ability to contact the present moment fully and, based on the situation, to change or persist in behavior in service of chosen values.
The 'therapeutic alliance' in counseling research is most strongly associated with which outcome?
Answer: Treatment success across different theoretical orientations
Research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic alliance (the bond, goals, and tasks agreement) is one of the strongest predictors of positive treatment outcomes across all modalities.
According to Erikson's psychosocial development theory, the primary conflict for adults aged 40-65 is:
Answer: Generativity vs. stagnation
Erikson's seventh stage (middle adulthood) involves generativity—contributing to society and guiding the next generation—versus stagnation, or self-absorption and lack of growth.