CLT Client Assessment & Goal Setting 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client with a serious mental illness insists they do not need medication. Using the 'Partnership' step of LEAP, how should the therapist respond?
- Explain the consequences of refusing medication in detail
- Agree with the client to avoid conflict
- Ask what goals the client does want to achieve and connect treatment to those goals (Correct answer)
- Document the refusal and close the session
Correct answer: Ask what goals the client does want to achieve and connect treatment to those goals
Partnership in LEAP means linking treatment options to what the client personally values, rather than imposing clinical recommendations.
Question 2: During goal setting, a CLT therapist asks: 'What would your life look like if things were going better?' This question technique is best described as:
- Socratic questioning
- Miracle question technique (Correct answer)
- Behavioral activation prompt
- Reframing
Correct answer: Miracle question technique
The miracle question invites clients to envision a preferred future state, which helps clarify meaningful goals.
Question 3: Which factor is MOST important when prioritizing goals for a client experiencing multiple co-occurring issues?
- The therapist's clinical expertise and preferred treatment modality
- The most recent DSM diagnosis
- The client's own sense of urgency and personal importance (Correct answer)
- Insurance coverage and session limits
Correct answer: The client's own sense of urgency and personal importance
In LEAP-informed practice, the client's sense of what matters most drives goal prioritization to sustain engagement.
Question 4: Reflective listening during a LEAP assessment serves primarily to:
- Correct the client's misperceptions about their condition
- Demonstrate that the therapist has heard and understood the client's experience (Correct answer)
- Document verbatim statements for legal records
- Redirect the conversation toward clinical priorities
Correct answer: Demonstrate that the therapist has heard and understood the client's experience
Reflective listening validates the client's experience and builds therapeutic alliance, which is foundational to LEAP.
Question 5: A client sets a goal of 'feeling better.' What should the CLT therapist do next?
- Accept the goal as stated to honor client autonomy
- Help the client define what 'feeling better' looks and feels like in concrete terms (Correct answer)
- Replace it with a clinically appropriate goal
- Note that the goal is too vague and defer goal setting to the next session
Correct answer: Help the client define what 'feeling better' looks and feels like in concrete terms
Vague goals need collaborative clarification to become measurable and actionable within the SMART framework.
Question 6: In LEAP therapy, the 'Empathize' step during assessment is best demonstrated by:
- Validating the client's feelings without necessarily agreeing with their conclusions (Correct answer)
- Reassuring the client that their situation will improve
- Sharing a similar personal experience to build rapport
- Summarizing the treatment plan to show understanding
Correct answer: Validating the client's feelings without necessarily agreeing with their conclusions
Empathy in LEAP requires acknowledging what the client feels internally without endorsing potentially harmful beliefs.
Question 7: When using motivational interviewing alongside LEAP during assessment, 'change talk' refers to:
- The therapist explaining reasons for change
- Client statements that favor movement toward change (Correct answer)
- Discussion of behavioral change theory with the client
- Reviewing past failed change attempts
Correct answer: Client statements that favor movement toward change
Change talk consists of the client's own statements expressing desire, ability, reasons, or need for change, which the therapist reinforces.
CLT Client Assessment & Goal Setting 3
A client with a serious mental illness insists they do not need medication.
Using the 'Partnership' step of LEAP, how should the therapist respond?