CLT Foundational Techniques & Protocols 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client refuses medication, stating 'I'm not sick.' The LEAP-consistent response is to:
- Explain the biological basis of their illness in detail
- Ask what the client IS concerned about in their life right now (Correct answer)
- Inform the client that refusal may result in hospitalization
- Consult an ethics committee before proceeding
Correct answer: Ask what the client IS concerned about in their life right now
LEAP redirects away from the diagnostic battle and toward the client's own stated concerns, which becomes the shared ground for collaboration.
Question 2: Which statement best reflects the LEAP principle of 'strategic empathy'?
- Mirroring body language to create unconscious rapport
- Using the client's emotional experience as a bridge to shared goals (Correct answer)
- Empathizing only after the client acknowledges their diagnosis
- Expressing sympathy for the difficulty of medication side effects
Correct answer: Using the client's emotional experience as a bridge to shared goals
Strategic empathy uses the client's genuine feelings as a pathway to identifying what they value, which then guides the partnership phase.
Question 3: When a client with anosognosia says 'The hospital made things worse,' the LEAP therapist should:
- Correct the client by reviewing the treatment benefits they received
- Agree that the client has been wronged to build rapport quickly
- Reflect: 'It sounds like that experience was really difficult for you' (Correct answer)
- Redirect to present functioning to avoid reinforcing negative schemas
Correct answer: Reflect: 'It sounds like that experience was really difficult for you'
Reflective listening acknowledges the emotional truth of the client's experience without the therapist endorsing or disputing the factual claim.
Question 4: In LEAP, avoiding the 'right/wrong trap' means the therapist should:
- Never express clinical opinions to maintain neutrality
- Sidestep debates about diagnosis to preserve the therapeutic relationship (Correct answer)
- Agree with the client whenever disagreement would cause distress
- Use paradoxical techniques to reduce argumentativeness
Correct answer: Sidestep debates about diagnosis to preserve the therapeutic relationship
The right/wrong trap refers to arguing over whose version of reality is correct, which damages rapport without improving insight.
Question 5: Which of the following is a key contraindication for applying LEAP techniques?
- Client has a history of trauma
- Client is in an acute safety crisis requiring immediate intervention (Correct answer)
- Client has not yet been formally diagnosed
- Client reports previous negative experiences with therapy
Correct answer: Client is in an acute safety crisis requiring immediate intervention
Active safety crises require direct, structured intervention protocols that take priority over the gradual rapport-building approach of LEAP.
Question 6: The LEAP technique of 'delay, don't deny' refers to:
- Postponing difficult feedback until the client is stabilized on medication
- Withholding your own perspective temporarily while listening to the client's fully (Correct answer)
- Denying agreement with delusional content by changing the subject
- Delaying discharge planning until insight improves
Correct answer: Withholding your own perspective temporarily while listening to the client's fully
Delay, don't deny means the therapist holds their own viewpoint in abeyance during the listening phase rather than immediately correcting or disagreeing.
Question 7: Which outcome is LEAP most directly designed to improve?
- Symptom remission through psychoeducation
- Treatment engagement among clients who lack insight into their illness (Correct answer)
- Cognitive flexibility through structured thought-challenging
- Medication adherence through behavioral reinforcement
Correct answer: Treatment engagement among clients who lack insight into their illness
LEAP was developed specifically to improve therapeutic alliance and treatment engagement in individuals with anosognosia who resist conventional interventions.
CLT Foundational Techniques & Protocols 3
A client refuses medication, stating 'I'm not sick.' The LEAP-consistent response is to: